Date: Fri 15-Dec-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

Sleepers-Patrick-O'Handley

Full Text:

A 10-Year-Old's Exercise In Acting

B Y A NDREA Z IMMERMANN

Thoughts of stardom had just about vanished from the mind of ten-year-old

Patrick O'Handley when the Wilfley-Todd Casting Company called in late

October. Did he still want to play a juvenile deliquent in the movie, Sleepers

? You bet.

Patrick was given a haircut the day he went for wardrobe fitting. The boys

ahead of him were given a buzz-cut, but his hair was left long on top because

the producer wanted Patrick to look like he'd been at the facility longer than

the others, according to the boy's mother Debbie O'Handley.

"They were very secretive," said Mrs O'Handley, adding the crew was probably

trying to keep on-lookers away from the sets at Fairfield Hills Campus. "They

would call and give you a number to check in. Then we had to call the night

before shooting to see where and what time he was supposed to go. It was

interesting but frustrating because he would need to be there some days at

5:30 am and other days at 7 am."

Patrick spent five days acting. During the first two, he was in smaller scenes

where eight to twelve boys were exercising under the watchful eye of a guard.

As a toe-touching scene was shot again and again, Patrick's enthusiasm lagged

and he wasn't bending over as far as the others. They stopped shooting, asked

Patrick his name and then started all over again. Without realizing it, the

Newtown youth had set himself up as a "scene stealer" and director Barry

Levinson ran with it.

Cameras rolled again and actor Kevin Bacon, who plays the bad guard, came at

the youth with a night stick, yelling, "C'mon Patrick! This isn't Miami Beach.

You asked for this."

During the days of "exercising," Patrick and the handful of other boys were

"treated royally." Candy and soda was provided in between catered meals. "We

had linguini and clam sauce one day," said Patrick with a big smile. But that

was the last they saw of wonderful food.

Approximately 250 youth took part in the cafeteria scene which was shot from

different angles over a three day period. During the filming some of the youth

sitting at tables were instructed to eat the meatloaf, potatoes, and

vegetables - the meal at the "Wilkinson Home For Boys." The crew told the boys

to talk to each other as if they would in a real cafeteria; the soundtrack

would later be dubbed. But the producer wanted some authenticity in

expression, so he didn't tell the boys what they might discover on their

plates.

"The boy next to me found a maggot in his meatloaf," said Patrick, who then

vividly demonstrated the reaction of his friend. "But at least it's better

than finding half a maggot!"

The script calls for a fight to break out between a "big guy and a little kid"

in the cafeteria. Patrick was given a speaking part. With great enthusiasm, he

explained how he had to jump up on a table and swing his arms. He was told to

think like a prisoner - "You're tough, you're mean. What do you think you'd

say in a fight scene?" Reluctantly, he revealed his assigned line was, "Kick

his ass!"

Because he had to "say a bad word," Patrick is hoping no one he knows sees the

movie -or at least that they don't notice him.

Acting was fun, but Patrick found out that it's not always glamorous. After

having their hair styled, and make up applied (Patrick had a black eye for the

fight scene), the kids had to walk through the rain and snow to the building

where the cafeteria was. The stylists then had to touch-up the hair and make

up.

"Some real juvenile delinquents were let out of prison for the day with a

guard so they could act in the movie," said Mrs O'Handley. "When I saw his

black eye, I thought something had happened to him!"

There was a lot of waiting around between scenes, so some of the kids played

pool, read books, or played with Game Gear . The work day was long, sometimes

running as late as 7:30 pm. They youth were paid $50 for an 8-hour day and

then given overtime; if they were given a speaking part, the pay jumped to

$500 a day.

"The director was extremely nice - he came out and introduced himself to the

kids," said Mrs O'Handley. "He told the kids, `You'll see big stars, but

today, you are an actor too... There should be no reason to ask for an

autograph because you are an equal."

Patrick made a lot of new friends. He also learned how to properly hang up his

clothes. But one thing that made a very definite impression was the time he

spent at Kent House at Fairfield Hills, a building that has real holding cells

with bars. "I learned for sure I never want to be in prison," he said. "That

was really scary."

The 10-year-old enjoys reading, playing the card game Magic, basketball, and

football. He said he'd like the opportunity to act again - "if I had a better

part in more action-type movie like Rambo ."