New York’s Finest Come Out for Breslin, Blonsky and ‘Harold’
Montag & Pratt, Nikki Blonsky, Rachel Dratch and Ally Sheedy among those celebrating premiere
By Matthew B. Zeidman
NEW YORK (Hollywood Today) 5/1/08 – All the cast members of “Harold” have some connection to the Big Apple and its surrounding area, so it was no surprise that the upcoming independent film, which was shot in nearby Great Neck, N.Y., premiered in Manhattan Wednesday night.
A packed house gathered at the Clearview 62nd & Broadway to welcome the comedy about a prematurely bald teenager struggling to fit in in a new town.
“I was just attracted to [the movie] because it’s something that you’ve never seen before,” Spencer Breslin, who shaved his head to play the title character, explained to “Hollywood Today.” “It’s kind of random, actually—a kid with male pattern baldness—and I’m into the really oddball-type humor. I’ve never seen a script like it and I really wanted to do it.”
“Harold” was written and directed by “Saturday Night Live” writer T. Sean Shannon, known for his “Bear City” skits on the late-night staple. In addition to Breslin, Shannon and producer Morris S. Levy secured a bevy of A-list local and once-local talent to participate in the project, including “Hairspray” star Nikki Blonsky, acting veteran Ally Sheedy, funnyman Cuba Gooding, Jr. and “Saturday Night Live” alums Rachel Dratch, Colin Quinn and Chris Parnell.
“This cast was just so amazing,” said Levy. “I would work with these exact same people 10 times over again. They were all so talented and spectacular.”
“I wrote this script back in 2001, and everyone loved it, but it was such a weird idea no one was really wanting to do it,” said Shannon. “But Lorne [Michaels] let me make a short film of it for ‘Saturday Night Live.’ From that it got some buzz, and then eventually Morris found it and Cuba got behind it, and it got made, and I’m very blessed.
“I think, first of all, I want people to laugh and have fun, like we did making the movie,” said Blonsky, who plays Rhonda, a fellow student who befriends Harold after his move. “But then I want them to see the underlying message of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ and be a little more accepting of people. Let them in and don’t push them away because of their looks or certain things. Just accept people for who they are.”
“I was not a cheerleader,” said Stella Maeve, who plays Breslin’s popular, but conflicted, sister, Shelly. “I was never blonde in high school [like Shelly], but I do identify with not knowing who you are and trying to figure it out.”
Though Gooding, who plays Harold’s friendly high school janitor, Cromer, was unable to attend the well received screening, the rest of the primary cast members walked the red carpet, as did New York native Steve Guttenberg and “Failure to Launch” actress Katheryn Winnick.
After the film, the star-studded attendees made their way to the Film Lounge downtown, where they were joined by Breslin’s sister, “Little Miss Sunshine” luminary Abigail Breslin, as well as “The Hills” power couple Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, who were fresh off their visit to the “Late Show with David Letterman.” Also there to enjoy the after-party festivities was “Boston Public” fixture Nicky Katt.