October 13, 1999

by Veronica Mixon

The Maryland native first feel in love with performing after seeing "Sha Na Na" in Atlantic City at the tender age of 10. He began making commercials, appearing in industrial films and singing in funk band. It was his appearance as a murderous teenager on "Homicide" that launched Hatosy's career as a serious actor. He has since appeared in "Home For the Holidays," "Inventing the Abbots," "The Postman," "In and Out" and "The Faculty."

He currently lives in Los Angeles and he's currently shooting "Down To You" with Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Selma Blair.

THE INTERVIEW

You look like one of the Farrelly brothers.
People have been saying that a lot, actually. I never thought of it while I was shooting and nobody ever mentioned it. But, it could have been one of the reasons why I got the part. It is his story. I don't see any resemblance. I'm much better looking.

How different is your hometown of Frederick, Maryland from Rhode Island?
It's more or less similar. I'm actually from a town called Ijamsbille. It's not even on the map. I live in a neighborhood that was like a cul-du-sac. I had the same group of friends. There was nothing around. The closest thing was a Seven Eleven and it was ten minutes away. So, you find ways to get into trouble in situations like that. And, there's not much to do. You just create things and experiment and you make the best of it.

Was your high school experience valuable help for your performance?
That was one of the big things about the script that I responded so much to. I think that's why people in general can identify with the movie so well. It hits on certain points that you kind of remember growing up. Being able to fall in love in a movie is kind of fun because you're able to look back and remember what that was like. You know the jitters and do I look ok? I can just picture Dunphy in the morning with that hair trying to flatten that all out to impress this girl. And, I remember when I got in trouble and I had to sit next my dad. I remember that whole uncomfortable feeling. I have to sit next to him and what is he going to do?

What kind of trouble did you get in?
That's a frequently asked question. In the sixth grade, we had a Camp Greentop and every kid in Frederick got sent there. There was Mason Dixon line that you couldn't cross - one side was for boys and the other for girls. Half way during the week, I crossed the Mason Dixon line. It was near the girls' bathroom area - and they sent me home. I got in so much trouble for that. I got really reamed for it and I was grounded for a month.

What was it like working with Alec Baldwin?
Fantastic. Alec is so wonderful as an actor and as a human being. When I first got the part, I thought 'Oh, my God. How is this going to work out? Alec is my father.' And, he called me. He said, 'I'm going to playing your old man and I've never played an old man before. I've never played anybody's father. I don't really like it because it makes me seem old. So, many we should hang out.' And, we did. So, that really broke the ice. It took the nervousness off me while we were shooting.

Did he give you any advice as far as career longevity?
I once said, after this I want to do a play. And, he was like, 'You know, ride this out for awhile. Do as many movies as you can and once this breaks, then you can do a play.'

Your film credits are confusing. What was your first feature role?
I think what they mean by that was it was the first role where the character had a name. For instance, in "In and Out," my name was Jack. And, for "Home for the Holidays" it was 'counter boy.' (Laughs) In "Inventing the Abbots," I had barely a line, you know. You could spin it anyway you want.

You have a couple of films coming out like the Wayne Wang film and "Simpatico?"
Yeah, I haven't seen "Anywhere But Here," yet but I'm excited about it. I play the cousin of Natalie Portman. We're like grow up best friends and the film's about what it's like to lose your best friend. "Simpatico" is a Sam Shepard play that they've made into a film. It's Jeff Bridges, Nick Nolte and Sharon Stone. The interesting thing about Sam Shepard plays, is that they are about some dysfunctional relationship whether it's family or just friendships. And, they're always talking about what happen in the past that leads up to this dysfunctional moment. What's nice about this movie is that they actually show what happens in the past and I play the younger version of Nick Nolte.

Do you have to imitate Nick Nolte?
He's so distinct. I watched a lot of his movies and he's so distinct. The first day of rehearsals we had a table reading and Nolte came in with this 13 page manuscript of his character's objective and his whole back story. He hands one to everyone in this cast. He says, 'That's how I feel. Use it if you want.' For me it was great because I was playing that character.

Are you anxious to play older characters?
Yeah. I want to play a doctor or lawyer or something. I don't know if people would take me seriously at that. I'm in college in "Down To You." I finally graduated.

Do you have a sense that it's happening very quickly now?
You know you get to a certain point, you never stop wanting more. You just always do. It's human nature. It's never enough. You just want the next thing. You set goals for yourself. I suppose its happening fast. I'm just happy that it's working and I just hope they'll keep hiring me.