Justin Long dishes on his life as an actor to Kidsday
Kidsday reporters Alayna Pavao Kylie Flanagan, Averie Adam and JoJo Moosa, all 9, Sayville with actor Justin Long who stars in the new movie "Walking With Dinosaurs." We met him at Fox Offices in Manhattan on Dec. 16, 2013. Credit: Newsday / Pat Mullooly
We interviewed actor Justin Long when he was in Manhattan recently. We loved him in the movie, "Walking With Dinosaurs."
What do you like to do in your free time?
Just watch cartoons. I like to write. I've been writing a lot and I like to read and I'm reading a book now about bananas. It's all about how bananas came to be a common fruit that we all eat and it's about how this corporation took over Central America. There are no seeds, they just cut off part of the plant and that's why the plant doesn't evolve. And that's why they don't develop immunities for diseases and stuff. This company took advantage of the land and the people and they just planted all these bananas where people lived. It's really sad and incredible. So that's what I'm doing. I'm reading and I like to work in the garden. I love planting vegetables. I like to be outside, fishing, hiking, listening to music. I just started playing the guitar, learning the guitar.
What movie is your favorite that you were in?
There's one that I did and I hope you haven't seen which is called "Strange Wilderness." There's a database where all the different critics have their reviews and they summarize if the movie's good or bad. A scale of 0-100. This movie got a 0. But it was so fun to do. Sometimes the jobs I like the most, that I remember, aren't necessarily the ones that turned out to be great, but I have the most fun doing them.
What kind and color is your car?
I have a car that's a Prius Toyota and it's black and it's from the year 2005.
In school were you the class clown?
I was small, when I was going to high school I was 4-feet, 9-inches as a freshman and I weighed 89 pounds. So to compensate I tried to use my sense of humor. And that's what I ended up doing as a living. I was very lucky.
Are you friends with the nerdy guy from the Apple commercial?
Well I am. I'm very good friends with that nerdy guy. I miss doing the commercials because we really loved each other. We're really good friends. John Hodgman is an incredibly smart, funny guy. He wrote some books that you guys might like called "The [Areas] of My Expertise." Humorist spin on history.
What goals do you have for acting?
Good question, but it's a tough one to answer. I felt so lucky my mom was an actress when I was growing up. She was successful in a way that she got some work, but not like she was in the movies or TV. My idea of being an actor was a little bit different. I knew there was a lot of hard work, a lot of rejection.
Is trying your best your goal for acting?
Well that's one of them. So my goal was to get work. So then I started working and I came to realize that a lot of people chase this thing, they have to be famous, and they have to be more famous, then they have to win an award, and then more awards. You never can be happy when you're chasing something . . . that isn't making you happy. So what I've learned is that my goal is just to be happy.
Are you working on any other movies right now?
Yeah, the one where a man turns into a war horse. It's called "Tusk." Johnny Depp is in that one. I'm working on something coming up later.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to act?
If you want to be an actor . . . for a living just make sure you're really doing it for the right reasons and that is that you love acting so much. Just can't imagine doing anything else. You don't want to be famous, have your picture taken, all that. You just love acting. You feel alive doing it. That's really important.
Of all the characters that you played which one was your favorite?
I did a movie called "The Sasquatch Gang," and I played a guy who was kind of like a little bully, with a wispy mustache and a long mullet. I like when they're different. The last movie I played a guy who was mean to people and I don't like to be mean to people.
Who is your favorite Beatle?
George Harrison. He was a beautiful soul and great musician.
