TORONTO – Actor Michael Angarano has brought his boyish charm to a variety of roles, from the young version of an aspiring rock journalist in the film “Almost Famous” to an ailing skateboard enthusiast in “Lords of Dogtown” and Jack’s son on TV’s “Will & Grace.”
But a few of his characters have shared a similar, coming-of-age path.
In the 2010 film “Ceremony,” his character is infatuated with an older woman (Uma Thurman). In 2005’s “One Last Thing,” he plays a terminally ill teen whose dying wish is to spend a weekend with a supermodel (Sunny Mabrey) several years his senior.
And in his new romantic comedy “The English Teacher,” opening Friday in Toronto and Vancouver, the 25-year-old takes on the role of a university graduate who woos his former high school teacher (Julianne Moore) as they attempt to mount his play.
“I think if these roles have taught me anything in common, I think it’s the fact that age doesn’t really play a huge part in the emotional connection between two people,” the Brooklyn, N.Y., native said in a recent telephone interview from Los Angeles.
“While Julianne Moore is a married woman with two kids, she’s just a human being. It’s not like I can’t connect to her in any kind of way. So it was never awkward because of that.
“It was just treated with the same kind sensitivity and casuality as any other kind of thing.”
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Still, it was a tad uncomfortable when they had to film their first intimate scene on the teacher’s desk, he admitted.
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“Well, that was kind of awkward,” Angarano said with a laugh. “That was kind of funny because I grew up watching her. Just in general, you never really know how to approach those things.”
Luckily Moore took the reins.
“I haven’t done too many … sex scenes, so we were rehearsing it and we were doing all the dialogue and then it was like, ‘All right,’ and then we kissed and we got on the desk and she was like, ‘No, no, no,’ and she just grabbed my face and kissed me,” said Angarano, whose upcoming films include a “Heat” remake alongside Jason Statham, Stanley Tucci and Sofia Vergara.
“I think it was just to get it over with and just be like, ‘No, no, no, we’re going to have to do it sooner or later so let’s not skate around it,’ you know? So it was just very technical.”
Dan Chariton and Stacy Chariton wrote “The English Teacher,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. Craig Zisk (“Parks and Recreation,” “Smash,” “Nip/Tuck”) directed.
Linda Sinclair (Moore) is a 40-year-old unwed, literature-loving teacher who lives with her two cats in Kingston, Penn. When former star student Jason (Angarano) returns to town, his presence sparks something in her and she goes to great — sometimes questionable — lengths to run his mature play at the school.
Co-stars include Greg Kinnear as Jason’s father, Nathan Lane as Linda’s theatre-loving colleague and Lily Collins as the play’s star.
Angarano said he was attracted to script’s darker elements as well as the realistic portrayal of what it’s like to be in your early 20s and “feeling this post-college malaise of unemployment and not really knowing what to do with your life.”
The fact that Moore, one of his “favourite actresses,” was already signed on also helped.
Like Jason, Angarano also recalls having one teacher who had a big influence on him — his senior year film instructor, who would send him classic and silent films and get him to do these essays on them while he was off shooting TV series and movies.
One of those movies was “Man in the Chair” with Canadian acting veteran Christopher Plummer, who — after chatting with Angarano about the young actor’s film class — got him every movie Buster Keaton has ever done as a wrap present.
“I had one of the best experiences working with him because he reminded me of my grandfather in a way,” said Angarano, noting he “would sit and pick his brain and talk to him about plays” and his life.
“My grandfather always used to come with me and take me to set and kind of be my guardian for whenever my parents couldn’t be there and so I was just really able to get along with Chris in a way. I really enjoyed it so much. I learned so much from him just by observing. It’s the kind thing that you can’t really put into words.”
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