Coppola was largely unaware of the Spielberg connection; he has said he was set on casting Ehrenreich after hearing him recite a passage from "The Catcher in the Rye."
But to hedge his bets, the writer-director put Ehrenreich through six months of screen tests at his Napa vineyard before finally handing him the part: the youngest brother in an Italian-American family who travels to Argentina in search of his brother (Vincent Gallo).
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday, September 17, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 1 inches; 33 words Type of Material: Correction
Jonah Hill: An article in the Sept. 6 Calendar section about how actors are cast misidentified the real name of actor Jonah Hill as Jonah Hill Goldstein. His name is Jonah Hill Feldstein.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday, September 20, 2009 Home Edition Sunday Calendar Part D Page 2 Calendar Desk 1 inches; 33 words Type of Material: Correction
Jonah Hill: An article in the Sept. 6 Calendar section about how actors are cast misidentified the real name of actor Jonah Hill as Jonah Hill Goldstein. His name is Jonah Hill Feldstein.
"Tetro" barely caused a ripple at the box office upon its release in June, grossing just over $450,000. And while reviews were mixed, critics warmed to the actor's performance; the Chicago Sun-Times' Roger Ebert hailed him as "confident and charismatic," noting that he "inspires such descriptions as 'the new Leonardo DiCaprio.' "
Aging talent scouts
At a moment when cool dads and hipster moms seem to covet their children's approval so much, it is perhaps unsurprising that such mini-cool hunters would make an impact in the movie industry.
Still, casting director Colbert said that input from the kids of Hollywood heavyweights hasn't fundamentally altered the way she or the town operates. "It doesn't affect the way I cast," Colbert said. "It's certainly not interfering. And it's not that prevalent."
Although Focus Features' Schamus is quick to credit his daughter with pointing his attention toward Martin (who has landed his own Comedy Central show, "Important Things With Demetri Martin," and lined up several projects as a writer-actor), Schamus scoffs at the notion that he's using his children as some kind of "teenage focus group for my business. It's not a calculated thing," he said.
But the studio chief admits to apprehension about maintaining his cultural currency without his daughters' help -- a bigger fear for him than empty nest syndrome. "Nona is 17 now, and my other daughter, Djuna, is 13," Schamus said. "I'm starting to panic now about what I'm going to do when they go to college. I'm going to be completely out of it!"
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