I wanted to write this blog months ago when I read an article about Jackie Earle Haley in Entertainment Weekly, but it slipped my mind and besides, I wasn’t sure anyone would remember him. I remember him well – he was the cool kid from 1976’s Bad News Bears. Haley started doing commercials at the age of 5 and by 15, he was on the cover of teen magazines. At 17, he was in Breaking Away, a film nominated for five Oscars. Then he hit puberty and it all stopped.
Well, it didn’t actually stop, it just dwindled down to nothing. There was a role in an early Tom Cruise movie ( Losin’ It) then a few television shows. Once Hollywood stopped calling, Haley hit the bottle. When he got behind on the rent, he resorted to delivering pizzas, driving limos, and working as a security guard. He weathered the embarrassment of “Hey, aren’t you…”
Haley went through what I recently talked about in my Price of Fame blog. He was on the top, and then fell back to Earth. He decided to pick himself up though, got his life together and moved to San Antonio to distance himself from Hollywood. He still worked in the business, but gave up the B movies he has resorted to doing to direct and produce commercials. He fell in love and married.
That’s a nice story, huh? But wait, there’s more.
Thirty years after he was a celebrity hot shot, Haley was given another chance, a real chance at reclaiming his past glory. Two years ago, while casting All The King’s Men Sean Penn and director Steven Zaillian were looking for an actor to play a weasely bodyguard. Penn and Haley had costarred in Slab Boys together, but lost touch over the years. But Penn still thought Haley would be great in the part. Haley got a call from his business partner at a time in his life when things were going well, but was intrigued by the offer and send an audition tape. He got the part, his first movie role in thirteen years. That led to another part in a film called Little Children.
You might be thinking “Oh, nice story of a comeback” but wait – it is even better than that! Haley woke up last Tuesday to the news that he had received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in Little Children.
In a world that seems to generate child star gone bad stories, this story is not only great, but has a cherry on top! I don’t know if Haley will win or not, but at least he finally has validation from Hollywood that his acting skills are as great as they ever were.