Emile Hirsch

Not satisfied with a career on the small screen, the actor made the big jump to the big screen in the independent "The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys" (2002), produced by actress Jodi Foster. Hirsch received positive reviews for his performance as one of two rebellious teens - the other played by Kieran Culkin - who fight boredom, hormones and the discipline-heavy teachers of their parish school. Hirsch starred in another period piece set in a Christian school, this time opposite Kevin Kline in "The Emperor’s Club" (2002). As the son of a West Virginia senator, Hirsch challenges Kline’s cloistered world of tradition and influence in a turbulent battle of wills with repercussions felt a quarter century later. Next Hirsch starred in "The Mudge Boy" (2003), in which he played a teenager who’s forced to deal with the sudden death of his mother and the blurred lines between love and friendship.

When Hirsch was first offered the role of Matthew Kidman, a straight-arrow over-achiever who never really had lived life, in "The Girl Next Door" (2004), the actor was not enthused. After appearing in dramatic features, Hirsch felt a slip into the teen comedy genre would be a wrong step. However, director Luke Greenfield convinced Hirsch that his movie was not just another teen movie. After reading the script, Hirsch was immediately impressed with how smart and edgy the movie really was. Co-starring Elisha Cuthbert, "The Girl Next Door", a warm, light-hearted look at love, growing up and the porn industry, opened to sub-par box office, barely raking in $6 million despite its "Risky Business" style approach.

Hirsch next received good notices for the offbeat "Mudge Boy" (2004), in which he played a young man acting bizarrely in the wake of his mother's unexpected death. He next played the younger of two siblings in "Imaginary Heroes" (2005), co-starring Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Daniels as the parents of a family dealing with the suicide of their son (Kip Pardue) after he succumbs to the pressure and attention of being a high school swimming champion. In "Lords of Dogtown" (2005), Hirsch was impressive in his depiction of Jay Adams, the off-kilter surfer who helped revolutionize skateboarding in the mid-1970’s and later fell prey to his out-of-control impulses.