The movie shows Howard’s dream is flying airplanes. What were your dreams or obsessions as a kid?
I’ve really only had one ever since I got into this business at around 13 years old and that was to be in this business forever. You know, once I did my first television commercial I got that itch and that bug and said, “If it is possible to make a living doing this for the rest of my life, then it’s the only thing I really want to do.” He had multiple dreams, but that’s been it. And once I’ve been in it, truly I look at film and cinema as legitimate an art form as sculpture or painting or anything else. It is a true art form and we’re in the beginnings, we’re in the first 100 years of cinema. It’s still at its infancy. I’m very curious to see what types of films last for the next 1,000 years, just like what paintings people still look at. I want to be a part of art, as far as cinema is concerned, that people will want to see for generations to come.
How did you find the strength to stick with your dreams and who inspired you?
The first thing I can think of is my dad. I remember the casting session that I had where I was a break dancer so I had a punk hair cut. They rejected me and I became really disillusioned with the business and said, “Well, this is what it’s all about. I haven’t even got in to read a line.” He said, “Don’t worry, some day we’re going to get you back into this
and it’s going to happen for you.” So I kind of took that to heart.
It was one of those situations where I was lucky enough and fortunate enough to be at the right places at the right time, and I did a couple of television shows, “Parenthood” and “Growing Pains.” Then all of a sudden I was on the set of “Growing Pains” and got this audition for “This Boy’s Life” and was able to jump into the feature film world. It’s really been just simply the fact that I’d been able to work. You know what I mean? That has been the deciding factor. I mean, I would probably still be trying to be an actor even if I was out of work, but I would probably become a little disillusioned at some point and move on to other things. But I truly love it, I just truly - it’s like the one thing that I know that I love.
So you credit the support of your family?
Definitely. And if it wasn’t for my mother and my father taking me out to the hundreds and hundreds of auditions every day after school, and never being stage parents, and always saying, “Look, at any time if you want to stop doing this, or you hate it, just tell us.” And I kept on saying, “Nope, nope, I want to do it, I want to do it.”
