Anthony Michael Hall (3:01)

I wouldn't treat it as a crisis, first of all. Also, I was going to joke too. I'm in show business, so I think every year is a new crisis because you never know where the work's coming.

Jeff Zito (3:08)

Right, right.

Anthony Michael Hall (3:11)

I wouldn't sweat it. I'm a little bit older than you at 57, but I wouldn't, Yeah, I would just, you know, look at it as a speed bump, not a dead end. You know what I mean? You got to keep rocking and rolling. You're still a young man.

Jeff Zito (3:22)

Yeah, I know people do say that, but I just don't, I don't, I don't see it yet. But we'll get through it. So let me, let me ask you this, Michael, I could call you, Can I call you Michael?

Anthony Michael Hall (3:31)

Sure, man.

Jeff Zito (3:32)

So let me, let me ask you. I do a podcast that's like, about celebrities before they were famous and like what their life was before they were famous is going to be a really interesting question for you because I feel like you've been famous your whole life. Right? I mean, what, when did you started like acting when you were what, 8 years old?

Anthony Michael Hall (3:52)

Yeah, I did, I did. It's so funny because when I was in New York, I was celebrating the SNL 50th and I was taking part in those festivities and I took my wife. It was great. But I was on the red carpet doing some interviews and it really started to hit me right there actually when I was in the interviews. And you know, I started 1976, I got my first job. I was hired by Steve Allen, the late, great Steve Allen. So, yeah, I mean, my career goes back to that and that's the beginning of it for me. So that was a real blessing, you know, starting that young. I think a lot of it I just attribute to my mother. I had a very strong willed mother who was a single parent at the time. She wound up remarrying when I was about 12. And I had my sister and my stepfather who raised us. But my mother was also an artist, she was a singer and, you know, raised me, you know, singing for my supper, literally because she was a jazz and blues singer. So, you know, coming from a creative family, when you asked me that question, my life before that was just growing up in New York City, you know, but I was really exposed because of my mother's life and career to a lot as a result of that. So, I mean, I studied the arts. You know, I did everything from taking karate to studying drawing at the Art Students League to taking, you know, music lessons and playing drums. I mean, all kinds of things that I did as a kid that were really helpful and helped me build a foundation for a life in the arts.

Jeff Zito (5:04)

Your very first paying gig was being a young Steve Allen in a movie that was like, you know, because a lot of people's first jobs are, you know, newspaper delivery boy or a babysitter. Yours was in the business as an actor.

Anthony Michael Hall (5:18)

Yeah, yeah, exactly. I mean, and that was really fortunate for that reason, you know, so absolutely, you know, I was doing the Play with Summer Stock with Steve Allen. I was such a little kid, you know, and then from there I did commercials and. And it led to the film and TV work that I got as a young teenager. But at that point I'd already been in the business for seven or eight years. So, yeah, I've had a long career, so I thank God for that. So when you cut to Roswell Delirium, it was an amazing experience because here I am 40 something years later and I'm a producer on the project. But it was great to see these kids. They came to work so prepared, they were so refreshing, they were so committed to do a good job and they were really prepared, but also just to see their joy at work, to see them having fun with what they were doing and to see the light in their eyes at the beginning of their careers. So I could certainly relate to that and it was wonderful to see, you know, to see them do a great job.

Jeff Zito (6:03)

So when you're, when you're talking about what you're. You're doing right now, which is Roswell Delirium. And do you have other jobs within not just being an actor, but is there other things that you do in this film? Like, did you mention directing it?

Anthony Michael Hall (6:20)

No, no, I produced this film and I produced it with the filmmaker who is a writer director named Rick Bakewell. So it's both of our companies that came together and my company's Manhattan Films and Rick's is Lightforce Pictures. So we joined forces and we made this project and we shot in LA a couple years ago and we just got this great cast. So we have a lot of really wonderful performances from some really great known actors too, like Dee Wallace Stone and Sam Jones, Lisa Welchel, Reginald Bell Johnson. So a lot of really great people came in and Supporting roles to flesh out our cast. But primarily it's a bunch of young child actors that did a beautiful job, you know, and if anything, they were reminding us all on set, you know, to kind of be prepared and to have fun at work. And it was great to see that from their perspective as they went to work and did the Celebrity Jobber, the.

Jeff Zito (7:05)

Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Zito.

Jeff Zito (7:08)

And over time, do you just pick up like you're in the biz, you're in all these films, you're in these commercials, but like over time and your career has progressed to where it is now. You're doing Roswell Delirium, which by the way is on Amazon prime right now. Do you figure out these, these other skills of being a producer? Be like, I don't know what all, you know, you see the, you know, at the very end of a film, it's like key grip best boy. I have no ide what all these little things are. But like, do you pick up, you pick it up over time, but there's.

Anthony Michael Hall (7:40)

Just things that you learn on the job. So yeah, absolutely. I mean, that's one of the things you do learn is when you're working actor, you come on set and you see everybody doing all these different jobs. And so to have that sort of healthy respect for all those technical abilities and those technicians is really important, you know, so there's a lot. So producing is something. Yeah, I mean, I've worked with a number of producers over many decades, so, you know, I had a lot of training on the job, which is the most beneficial I feel, you know, and that served me well in this situation too, where I was going to work and producing my company's second film, you know. So what do you experience?

Jeff Zito (8:14)

What is your favorite outside of acting and being in front of the camera? Is there another part of the business that you really enjoy?

Anthony Michael Hall (8:22)

Well, okay, you're going to say business. Yeah, I was going to say my family because I've become a family man here later in life. So I'm happily married, I have a beautiful wife and we have a son. I have a 2 year old. Believe me or not, at this age.

Jeff Zito (8:33)

Right.

Anthony Michael Hall (8:33)

On that aspect of it, I do. Yeah. Our son is almost. He'll be 2 next month. So to see my life, life from, you know, from a new perspective and through my son's eyes is so beautiful, as all parents will, I'm sure can attest to. You know, you just get fresh eyes and it gives you a fresh perspective on life and what to appreciate and what matters, you know, but in terms of what I like to do. Yeah, I mean, you know, producing is great and I also want to get behind the camera, start directing. So I have a bunch of projects that we're developing in Manhattan Films and I have partners and we're raising funds and you know, full steam ahead in terms of building out the company. So that's the goal, you know, so. Because I want to be able to produce stuff and co produce things and also direct some films and projects and hopefully give other people opportunities down the line. So that's a good aspiration and worth working towards.

Jeff Zito (9:22)

Celebrity Jobber the Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Zito.

Jeff Zito (9:27)

What do you think it was that really helped you? I mean, you've worked in the business for a long time and being persistent, but. And I could guess. But I want you to tell me, was there a particular role? There was a situation, a big break, if you will. That really put you. I mean, you were the youngest cast member on Saturday Night Live. You didn't just get that by, by accident. What do you think it was?

Anthony Michael Hall (9:48)

Yeah, it's a good question. I think working with John Hughes, you know, when I did Vacation, it was interesting because John Hughes wrote National Implants Vacation, but I did not meet him on that film. It was directed by Harold Ramis, who was, you know, I often think of that. I guess it's Isaac Newton who said, the world standing on the shoulders of giants. At some point, you know, in my life, it was, it was those giants were Steve Allen, they were Harold Ramis, John Hughes, Matty Simmons, the founder of National M Pool, and people that saw something in me as a kid that gave me an opportunity to, to be myself, you know, and as a kid, I was a kind of a funny kid and they saw something in me, which I'm so grateful for, and that spawned a career. So the idea of returning that favor or paying it back and helping others is primary to me. It's important. So not only my own creative aspirations, but the idea of building a company to help others is really, you know, important to me.

Jeff Zito (10:38)

And you just mentioned that, you know, you're a pretty funny kid and I'm glad you said that because with being the youngest cast member on Saturday night live at 17 years old, and then, you know, Rusty Griswold, I believe you were 13 years old and you, you delivered the line though. The thing, the thing that's so great about you when you were that age is you're like, you're not expecting a little kid to be like funny like this. So where did you get your sense of humor and was that role like you?

Anthony Michael Hall (11:07)

Well, this is funny because this goes into my own biography. Like, I'll tell you the truth, when I was a kid, it's like that old Eddie Murphy movie in the 80s, Raw, when they had that opening sequence and you see a child actor playing him and he was doing shows for the family. I mean, that was me. Even though I didn't ultimately become a comic as a kid, I was one of those kids doing shows for the family, you know, So I would get up and imitate my aunts and uncles and whoever the hell else it was. And it was, if I was at a funeral or if it might have been a wedding or at somebody's house, it was always a relative's house, you know, it's not my grandparents house. So that is really how it started for me. You know, kind of being a hammy little kid that wanted to make people laugh. And I think that that's what John Hughes saw in and also Mattie Simmons and Harold Ramis and those guys. I think I had a sense of kind of fearlessness maybe, because I loved to make people laugh and it was fun for me and very natural, you know. And as I get into high school back in the 80s, I started really honing in on comics that I loved. So heroes of mine were like George Carlin, Richard Pryor. Later I learned about Lenny Bruce on records, you know. So I've always loved comedians and comedy and comedic films. So I think that was also a big inspiration.

Jeff Zito (12:09)

Do you think there was ever a point in time where you were like, because you're so involved with the arts and your mother was, is a great singer. Would you ever consider being in music? Did that ever tickle your fancy at any point?

Anthony Michael Hall (12:22)

Yeah, yeah, I did. And I produced music at different times in my life and I do, I love that. And people have asked me that question a lot over the years. I think something creative, absolutely. You know, whether it be a musician or maybe something with camera, you know, because I've grown up around cameras now and I know some things about that. You know, I think just having a creative life is both challenging and scary to people. But at the same same time, it's, it's very liberating too. So the idea that, you know, if you can do something that you love, the old adage, you know, you never work a day in your life and it's, it's true, it's, it's not as simplistic as that but it certainly is the grounds for something. Then if you, if you pursue something with passion that you love, you know, it won't feel like work. And so I just feel grateful and thankful to God that I've had such a long career and it's, it's endured over these decades.

Jeff Zito (13:08)

You know, was there ever a point in time where you were like, oh man, it's because it's got to be hard get, you know, going on these calls and being rejected and it's got to be a tough and a strange life. Were you ever like, hey, should I be doing something different?

Anthony Michael Hall (13:23)

Yeah, it's your question. You have to deal with a lot of rejection. You have to be sort of built for that. And at the outset, no one thinks that they are. But, you know, you learn to have a tough skin and you learn to be persistent and you learn a lot of great lessons that I think apply whether you're in the corporate world or in the world of sports or anything. You know, the idea of being determined, making decisions, you know, creating good habits for yourself and just persistent. And I think that that's something no one can teach you. That's something that you just have to enact within yourself and have that in you. And if you don't, then it may not be what's for you, you know, in life. But those are things that taught me well. So I'm grateful again. I think over time I thought that this is the gift in itself is to have the longevity and to be, to be still doing it. You know, I'm grateful to God.

Jeff Zito (14:06)

The Celebrity Jobber Podcast with Jeff Szeto.

Jeff Zito (14:09)

Celebrity Jobber I, I would definitely see you being, be being a stand up comedian. I could see you transitioning. Do you ever think about that?

Anthony Michael Hall (14:19)

No. I mean, not, not really. Not really. I mean, that's a hard life. It's challenging, you know, but I do respect and have a lot of love for people that do that. You know, I've been, it's funny because, you know, you just mentioned that stand up. But when I was at the SNL 50th, Bill Burr came up to me. We were chatting and it led to, you know, we struck a bit of a friendship. So we've been in, been in talks and he has a film he wants me to do later this year with him. So I'll probably make that film with Bill. But you know what, that's a real, that's a real lifestyle, a commitment to. You got to greatly respect comics because again, there's no leg to stand on there. You're going up there with your wits and your brain. And again, that sense of determination to kind of put yourself out there, you know, and it takes a lot. Not everybody's built for that, you know.

Jeff Zito (14:59)

Don't talk politics with Bill Burr. I don't think you guys will get along.

Anthony Michael Hall (15:03)

Yeah, let's just not talk politics, period.

Jeff Zito (15:06)

Look, man, is a pleasure and I, I urge everybody to go to Amazon prime and check out the latest, which is called Roswell Delirium and Anthony Michael Hall, AMH Michael, good talk. Russ.

Anthony Michael Hall (15:26)

Good talk with you, man. I appreciate the time and thank you for supporting the picture. Really appreciate it, man.

Jeff Zito (15:30)

Take care of yourself. Thanks, man. Born Michael Anthony Thomas Charles Hall. That's a lot of names. He kind of flipped the Anthony and the Michael around because I guess there was already a Michael hall in show business. He's from Baltimore, Austin. The only child of a blues jazz singer. Her name was Mercedes hall, and she got divorced from Michael's father, Larry, who owned an auto body shop like when he was six months old. So when he was a very young man, they relocated to the west coast where his mom found work as a singer. And I think it was a year and a half later, they eventually moved back to the east coast and New York City. That's where he grew up. But he was in show business from the time he was a kid and his mom actually managed him. He was acting at the age of 8 years old. When a lot of kids, their first job was, you know, maybe working in a restaurant or delivering newspapers or babysitting, something like that. His very first gig was as the young Steve Allen in a semi autobiographical play called the Wake. And he also did some commercials around that time. He was the Honeycomb cereal kid. He was in some commercials for toys and Bounty paper towels. So his very first jobs were in acting. And that's what he's done his entire career. I mean, his job when he was 17 years old was as a cast member of Saturday Night Live and to date, I believe, the youngest cast member ever on snl. Of course I knew the answer, but I needed him to tell us. You know his big break? Rusty Griswold in National Lampoon's Vacation. You might have noticed if you know the film. I got him right there at the end where I said, good talk, Russ. Famous line delivered by Chevy Chase in the movie. I think I might have caught him off guard with that one there. That was his big break. I didn't know that John Hughes was the film's screenwriter and of course, you know, John Hughes went to direct some, like, unbelievable movies in the 80s. Sixteen Candles, another huge one for Anthony Michael hall, the Breakfast Club. He was a member of Hollywood's Brat Pack. And I guess to avoid being typecast, hall turned down roles for him by John Hughes. In Ferris Bueller's Day off, he was offered the role of Cameron Fry. And also in Pretty in Pink where he was offered the role of Ducky. You know, this guy was never going to be a carpenter, a real estate agent or an accountant. This guy was artistic. It came from his mom. She was a singer. He could have been into music because he did say he worked a little bit in producing music. And I definitely think he could have gone into stand up comedy when he was talking about entertaining his parents and his family at a young age, performing for them, making them laugh, and of course being the youngest cast member on Saturday Night Live. All those people, generally speaking, are stand up comedians. So, yeah, that was probably what could have been the future of Anthony Michael Hall. Pretty cool guy. Enjoyed talking to him. And thank you for checking out another episode of the Celebrity Jobber podcast streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Iheart. Wherever you listen to podcasts, please subscribe. Would love a five star rating and leave a review all past episodes online@celebrityjobber.com and you can also follow on Instagram Celebrity Underscore Jobber, underscore podcast or YouTube.com the Signce Celebrity Jobber. Who were these celebrities before they were celebrities? Sometimes they were different people all together. In the case of Anthony Michael hall, he was an actor, just not as well known as he is now. So thank you once again for listening and until next week, we'll see you then. I'm Jeff Zito and if you happen to like the Celebrity Jobber podcast, you might like one from my friend Buzz Knight, which is called Taking a Walk, Music History on foot, which you can listen to next.