18.05.12
Then there are those who cock a snook at diminution. Such is the case with first-time film actor Thomas Horn. The 14-year-old Jeopardy! whiz kid holds his own against the Oscar-conquering likes of Hanks and Sandra Bullock , who play his parents in the 9/11-centered dramatic art Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, opening Christmas Day .
In 2010, creator Scott Rudin was among those TV viewers impressed by Horn's display of iron nerves and card-shark cool after he wagered $12,000 in Decisive Jeopardy and won $38,100 with the answer: "What is a census?" That led to an audition for the role of Oskar Schell, a brainy but socially eremitical lad left adrift after his father dies in the World Trade Center attacks.
Rethinking: Close, but no cigar STORY: Hanks, Bullock are 'Incredibly Close up' VIDEO: NYC Premiere of 'Extremely Loud'
Avid reader likes concealment
The movie is heavy-duty, and so is its star. This still-sprouting, beacon-lustrous ninth-grader, who hails from the San Francisco area, doesn't suffer fools nor empty-headed inquiries gladly.
Source: USA TODAY