NOAH HATHAWAY

Never Say Never

Noah Hathaway will appear at the Supanova Pop Culture Expo at the Claremont Showgrounds on Saturday, June 23, and Sunday, June 24. Tickets are on sale now from Foxtix.

You may not know Noah Hathaway by name, but chances are you will know him for his starring performance in the cult favourite film The Neverending Story as Atreyu, the young hero who must save the fanciful Fantasia world from the spread of “the nothing”.

Born to an actor father, Hathaway began his acting career at three years old starring in commercials. At six years old, his big break came when he was cast in the acclaimed sci-fi television series Battlestar Galactica, as Boxey the stepson of leading man Apollo played by Richard Hatch. In this role he shared screen time with notables Lorne Greene, Jane Seymour and Dirk Benedict.

Hathaway went on to star in more than 20 film and television projects in his career, often working with the best talent of the time. Yet after nearly seven years in show business, the young star dropped off the face of the earth.

“I had been working since 1974. I’d been screwed over time and time again, so by the time I was in my early 20s I was burnt out and over it. I just wanted to be a normal person working a normal job pouring drinks in a bar,” Hathaway begins. “The biz is full of rejection and people will take advantage of you every step of the way, so you’ve got to love what you’re doing to be able to put up with all of that. When I realised I had stopped having fun I knew it was time to do something else with my life.”

Hathaway did not return to acting until 1994, in the film To Die, To Sleep, in his first adult role. After a second 18-year hiatus, Hathaway stepped in front of the camera again in 2011 when offered a role in Sushi Girl, a genre-bending action thriller which also stars Mark Hamill (Star Wars), James Duval (Donnie Darko), Michael Biehn (The Terminator), Danny Trejo (Machete), and Sonny Chiba (Kill Bill Vol. 1).

“It’s this kinda film noir, grind house-style movie with a ‘70s feel. It’s very gritty and very sexy. I’m so proud of it,” Hathaway explains of the movie which is set for release in the US later this year. “Mark Hamill is amazing in it – you’ll never think of him in Star Wars again after seeing this movie.”

Hathaway attests it is his desire to publicise Sushi Girl which has been the impetus for his appearances at pop culture conventions over the last 18 months. “For 20 years I didn’t want to do them. I was already out of the business when cons were getting started and they weren’t anything like they are now,” he says, adding that he has been overwhelmed by the positive reception he has received from fans around the world.

“You never think when you are shooting a movie, or you are doing what you’re doing that you’re touching people. I never knew certain movies meant so much to people. I’ve had people come up to me crying, hugging me, telling me ‘You’re Atreyu, you made a huge impact on my life’. I’m blown away that what might be me being nice to someone for one minute might change their life. It’s really touching.”

_JENNIFER PETERSON WARD