HAROLD PRUETT: An "Outsiders" gives the inside scoop on his success!
Twenty-year-old Harold Pruett (formerly knows as Harold "P" Pruett) is happy to be an "outsider" to the TV industry. "How can that possibly be?, " you're probably thinking right now. Well, adorable Harold has the role of "Steve Randle" in the all - new TV version of The Outsiders - which you may remember as a very hot Francis Ford Coppola movie from 1983 starring the likes of Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze and Tom Cruise (whose role Harold is proud to have on the tube!). Harold tells TM that be is very much like the "Steve Randle" character because, as he puts it, " I feel we both do things for other people instead of ourselves. " Needless to say, Harold is a very considerate guy, and this comes across strongly in the following interview conducted by TM in his private dressing trailer on The Outsiders' bustling set.
TM: As an actor in a TV series, you have to do homework on your character. How did you do homework on the Steve Randle character? Did you read The Outsiders book or see the movie?
Harold Pruett: I saw the movie and read the book, but my "homework" was more involved in studying the relationships between the guys. Did you know that I tested for The Outsiders (movie) with Francis Ford Coppola back when I was 11 or 12? I tested for about six hours. I remember Patrick Swayze turning me upside down. I also remember talking to Emilio Estevez; we were in the same school at the time. It's kind of weird to think back to that time. But, like I said, the homework I did (for the series) was more or less on the relationships and on each individual character. I felt that I was involved with them, that I already had a relationship with them (before I started on the show).
TM: Do you feel like you're under pressure since you have to perform a role that was originally portrayed by Tom Cruise in the movie?
Harold : No. Number One, he was not in the film a lot and Number Two, comparisons can be taken two ways and I can probably take it in a very positive way. Tom Cruise is not a bad person to be compared to. I know that I can hold my own in terms of acting, and I also admit that I have a lot to learn, but I am happy with my work on this show.
"I feel a responsibility to be the best that I can be."
Things keep getting better and I am understanding it as I go along. This is all that you can hope for in a series. Every time has to be a little better; you can learn little tricks from the show before.
TM: Can you give us an example of something you have learned?
Harold: I've learned that when you are acting, there is so much stuff in your face and around you. You know, actors have such a bad name in this business! People go, "You are an actor. OH!" It's like, in Hollywood, everyone is an actor. There is a lack of respect for actors. If you look good and you can walk and talk, you're an actor!
"Trust yourself, listen to yourself. If you don't like something, put your foot down."
People don't know that it is a concentrated art - it is not just that you have to get your lines down - there are so many thousands of things you have to do! You have to learn how to keep a focus when you are shooting a scene ... that is something I have learned (that is very important).
TM: What advice would you give to a young person who might want to get involved in acting?
Harold: Trust yourself, listen to yourself. If you don't like something, put your foot down and say you don't like it. It is hard enough being a kid, much less being a kid who is in the business and has the same pressures on him as a 30-year-old! I also think that you should have good guidance. I love my mom - I was lucky to have someone supportive.
TM: What would you say is your strongest point?
Harold: My ability to adapt and change with the environment ... in everything. That is sometimes not the best socially. People call you spineless and weak. I am starting to gain certain points of view and become more sentimental towards things - my mom, bracelets, just certain things you attach yourself to. The more sentimental you are, the easier it is to relate to someone else's happiness or problems or whatever. I am so lucky that I have that and I am not jaded. I think things are going really well, personally and acting wise.
TM: Do you feel a responsibility to your audience?
Harold: Yes, I feel a responsibility to be the best that I can be - to be the best person I can be and to have a good attitude. I have learned some lessons just this week in that. Having a bad attitude can sneak up on you! I am so inspired by what I do, and I work hard. I put a lot of effort and a lot of preparation into being an actor. I want to be a good actor. I do not think of myself as a good actor. I just know that I want to be a good actor, and in order to be a good actor, I have to make preparations. I have to work at it. I have to make decisions and keep up a good attitude ... once in a while, a bad attitude sneaks up. I snap at them (The Outsiders' crew) and I don't mean to. I (just) have so much in my heart and in my mind. You do not realize it happens because you are so involved - but I am not self - obsessed or self - involved. I have to learn to be where I'm at and not on Cloud Nine! I've got to cool out sometimes. In general, I am nice and polite and I have good manners. I am still young, though - I'm 24 and I'm still learning a lot.
Twenty-year-old Harold Pruett (formerly knows as Harold "P" Pruett) is happy to be an "outsider" to the TV industry. "How can that possibly be?, " you're probably thinking right now. Well, adorable Harold has the role of "Steve Randle" in the all - new TV version of The Outsiders - which you may remember as a very hot Francis Ford Coppola movie from 1983 starring the likes of Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze and Tom Cruise (whose role Harold is proud to have on the tube!). Harold tells TM that be is very much like the "Steve Randle" character because, as he puts it, " I feel we both do things for other people instead of ourselves. " Needless to say, Harold is a very considerate guy, and this comes across strongly in the following interview conducted by TM in his private dressing trailer on The Outsiders' bustling set.
TM: As an actor in a TV series, you have to do homework on your character. How did you do homework on the Steve Randle character? Did you read The Outsiders book or see the movie?
Harold Pruett: I saw the movie and read the book, but my "homework" was more involved in studying the relationships between the guys. Did you know that I tested for The Outsiders (movie) with Francis Ford Coppola back when I was 11 or 12? I tested for about six hours. I remember Patrick Swayze turning me upside down. I also remember talking to Emilio Estevez; we were in the same school at the time. It's kind of weird to think back to that time. But, like I said, the homework I did (for the series) was more or less on the relationships and on each individual character. I felt that I was involved with them, that I already had a relationship with them (before I started on the show).
TM: Do you feel like you're under pressure since you have to perform a role that was originally portrayed by Tom Cruise in the movie?
Harold : No. Number One, he was not in the film a lot and Number Two, comparisons can be taken two ways and I can probably take it in a very positive way. Tom Cruise is not a bad person to be compared to. I know that I can hold my own in terms of acting, and I also admit that I have a lot to learn, but I am happy with my work on this show.
"I feel a responsibility to be the best that I can be."
Things keep getting better and I am understanding it as I go along. This is all that you can hope for in a series. Every time has to be a little better; you can learn little tricks from the show before.
TM: Can you give us an example of something you have learned?
Harold: I've learned that when you are acting, there is so much stuff in your face and around you. You know, actors have such a bad name in this business! People go, "You are an actor. OH!" It's like, in Hollywood, everyone is an actor. There is a lack of respect for actors. If you look good and you can walk and talk, you're an actor!
"Trust yourself, listen to yourself. If you don't like something, put your foot down."
People don't know that it is a concentrated art - it is not just that you have to get your lines down - there are so many thousands of things you have to do! You have to learn how to keep a focus when you are shooting a scene ... that is something I have learned (that is very important).
TM: What advice would you give to a young person who might want to get involved in acting?
Harold: Trust yourself, listen to yourself. If you don't like something, put your foot down and say you don't like it. It is hard enough being a kid, much less being a kid who is in the business and has the same pressures on him as a 30-year-old! I also think that you should have good guidance. I love my mom - I was lucky to have someone supportive.
TM: What would you say is your strongest point?
Harold: My ability to adapt and change with the environment ... in everything. That is sometimes not the best socially. People call you spineless and weak. I am starting to gain certain points of view and become more sentimental towards things - my mom, bracelets, just certain things you attach yourself to. The more sentimental you are, the easier it is to relate to someone else's happiness or problems or whatever. I am so lucky that I have that and I am not jaded. I think things are going really well, personally and acting wise.
TM: Do you feel a responsibility to your audience?
Harold: Yes, I feel a responsibility to be the best that I can be - to be the best person I can be and to have a good attitude. I have learned some lessons just this week in that. Having a bad attitude can sneak up on you! I am so inspired by what I do, and I work hard. I put a lot of effort and a lot of preparation into being an actor. I want to be a good actor. I do not think of myself as a good actor. I just know that I want to be a good actor, and in order to be a good actor, I have to make preparations. I have to work at it. I have to make decisions and keep up a good attitude ... once in a while, a bad attitude sneaks up. I snap at them (The Outsiders' crew) and I don't mean to. I (just) have so much in my heart and in my mind. You do not realize it happens because you are so involved - but I am not self - obsessed or self - involved. I have to learn to be where I'm at and not on Cloud Nine! I've got to cool out sometimes. In general, I am nice and polite and I have good manners. I am still young, though - I'm 24 and I'm still learning a lot.