Earlier than The NeverEnding Story whisked us away to Fantasia, its lead star, Noah Hathaway, lived a plot twist worthy of the large display. He was solid, dropped, after which re-cast once more as Atreyu. His journey to land the long-lasting position wasn’t simply lengthy; it was wild.
When Hathaway stepped into auditions for the 1984 fantasy epic, he already had some severe credit. He starred in Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) and appeared in Greatest Mates (1982) alongside Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn. So when German director Wolfgang Petersen got here aboard The NeverEnding Story, Hathaway had expertise, however not but the half.
He first auditioned beneath a unique director. And never simply as soon as. “They did a kind of worldwide searches to solid the position they usually noticed one thing like 50,000 children,” Hathaway mentioned throughout a 2019 Leisure Weekly reunion interview. “I feel I auditioned round six or seven instances earlier than I acquired the half.”
However touchdown the position as soon as wasn’t sufficient. When that unique director left the venture, Petersen took over, and all the casting course of hit rewind. “They let me go and began the entire casting course of once more and I needed to audition for Wolfgang and two producers,” Hathaway added. “Lastly, after like three or 4 extra [auditions], I acquired employed once more.”
Let that sink in. Roughly ten auditions complete. A task secured twice. No shortcuts. Simply hustle. As Hathaway informed EW, “I don’t wish to say it was ‘meant to be’ as a result of I actually labored my ass for it. I have to’ve learn the script three dozen instances and knew each line.” Based mostly on Michael Ende’s 1979 e-book, the script had already sparked Hathaway’s creativeness.
Petersen, for his half, noticed one thing particular. “Boy, what a stunning child he was,” the director recalled throughout the identical interview. “I had dinner with any individual just lately and this girl tells me that Atreyu was her first crush on a boy. I can’t inform you what number of letters I acquired after the movie got here out written by women eager to know the place they may discover the actor that performed Atreyu!”
Noah Hathaway ended up being extra than simply the face of Atreyu. He carried out his personal stunts, bringing grit and authenticity to the position. And emotionally, he match the invoice, too. From battling the Swamps of Disappointment with Artax to hovering the skies on Falkor, Hathaway grew to become a childhood legend. However behind the fantasy was a relentless child who wouldn’t surrender the position he knew was his.
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