I got this out of the Dallas Morning News on Januray 12. There is a picture next to it with Schuyler Fisk and Colin and underneath it says, "Schuyler Fisk and Colin Hanks perform in Orange County under the direction of Jake Kasdan, another celebrity's son."

Offspring of celebrities are looking for their own labels
Spacek daughter and Hanks son co-star in 'Orange County'

By JANE SUMNER

It's not easy being the offspring of Hollywood stars. Colin Hanks, 24, son of Oscar-winner Tom, can still hear the calls "Run, Forrest, run" when he was warming up for soccer.

"For a while, it was really frustrating," says Schuyler Fisk, 19, whose mother is Sissy Spacek. "There was a time when I was so sick of being called Sissy Spacek's daughter and having this label. People kind of judge you before they even know you."

But if these scions have celebrity connections, they're refreshing, unpretentious, and funny in person. They're also paired in a new teen comedy directed by another scion, Jake Kasdan, 26, son of screenwriter-director Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill).

In Orange County, Mr. Hanks plays a nerdy surfer turned serious student, who burns to study writing at Stanford University.

Ms. Fisk plays his supportive girlfriend, who, unlike his goofy altered-state family, gives him good advice and backup.

While their teaming seems Hollywood-cute, the director insists it's the result of months of looking. Mr. Hanks nailed his role in a single audition, but Ms. Fisk tried out three times before she read with Colin.

"I look pretty young, so all I get is high school roles," he says. "I didn't look at it like some teen movie. I really looked at it like a great farce that had so many lively, vivid characters."

For Ms. Fisk, Orange County was her first film as an adult with regular work days. While in high school, the actress had tutors on the set.

"I'd be back dissecting a rat and then go on," she says. "It was hard for me to focus."

While they were nearly always on the set together, a supporting cast of comic veterans – John Lithgow, Chevy Chase, Lily Tomlin, Harold Ramis, Kevin Kline, Ben Stiller, even sitcom creator Garry Marshall – came through in cameo roles.

"Laughing was abundant almost every day," Mr. Hanks says. "Every day was an absolute joy, which was a testament to Jake."

Despite the title, his home in the film was located in the Valley. "I hate saying it, but there's only one shot that was actually in Orange County. That's the helicopter shot. I saw sections of L.A. I didn't know existed."

Neither spent his or her formative years in the film capital. Ms. Fisk grew up with her parents in Virginia, where she played field hockey, lacrosse, and soccer.

"I miss it. I go back a lot. Virginia will always be my home. I'm in L.A. now, but solely for work. The minute I don't have to be there, I won't."

Mr. Hanks grew up in Sacramento, Calif., with his mom, Samantha Lewes. "My dad lived in L.A., so I was in L.A. a lot, but I had a very, very normal upbringing in Sacramento. I went to a regular [private] school. I had regular friends, who drove around on weekends because there was nothing to do."

And, yes, he says, he "totally" enjoys his own identity. "As much as I look like or have mannerisms like him, to me, he's just my dad."

Unlike Ms. Fisk, the spitting image of her mother, she says, her sister Madison has dark hair and olive skin. "She looks like my dad. She's 13 and gorgeous."

At 17, the actress moved to Los Angeles without her parents. Mr. Hanks made the move after getting his high school diploma.

Her first acting role was as a bumblebee in a community theater production of Charlotte's Web, and because her father, Jack Fisk, is a production designer, she says, "I had the best bee wings ever."

Her first leading role was in The Baby-Sitter's Club. "That really happened randomly. It was out of the blue. I made an audition tape. Next day I was flying out to L.A. and dyeing my hair brown."

Although he'd acted in plays at school, Mr. Hanks didn't commit to the theater until forced to declare a major at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

"The rule I've come up with is: I want to be able to do stuff that (1) I would want to see, that (2) I would want my friends to see and would be mad if they didn't, and that (3) I would be able to feel comfortable asking millions of complete strangers to go see."

The musical Ms. Fisk plays guitar, which she learned from her mom; sings; and writes songs. At the end of Snow Day, the song she sings ("It's Not Her") is her own.

When not on a set, Mr. Hanks says, he's at his house playing with his dog.