Career Highlights

• Stars as Christopher McCandless in the upcoming film adaptation of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild
• Attended the Hamilton Academy of Music and the Performing Arts in Los Angeles
• In preparation for his role in Alpha Dog, he spoke with the father of drug dealer, Jesse James Hollywood, whom his character, Johnny Truelove, was based
• Trained for three months in surfing and skateboarding before filming Lords of Dogtown
• Lead role in Speed Racer in 2008
• Emile also gave a Q&A at Georgetown University in October of 2008 for the biopic of legendary gay rights activist Harvey Milk,titled Milk. The event was moderated by ThinkTalk host Zack Sherwood. Zack's blog post on the event can be found here.

Emile Hirsch began acting at eight years old, he appeared in minor roles in television shows and made-for-TV movies. He attended the Hamilton Academy of Music and Performing Arts in LA and made his feature film debut with Jodie Foster in 2002’s The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys. He soon became known as legitimate actor whose inclination was towards intense, thoughtful young adult characters. He starred in The Emperor’s Club, The Girl Next Door, Lords of Dogtown and Alpha Dog. He has also starred in Speed Racer, Milk and 2007’s Into the Wild.

Into the Wild is an adaptation of John Krakauer’s book. The film was written and directed by Sean Penn and stars Vince Vaughn, Marcia Gay Harden and Kristen Stewart. Hirsch received a Screen Actors Guild and Broadcast Film Critics Awards nomination for Best Actor for Into the Wild.

Emile Hirsch joined ThinkTalk Host Zack Sherwood to discuss Sean Penn's Into The Wild, Emile's acting career and to answer some student questions. Emile talked about his interest in acting dating back to High School plays and summer camp, the experience of working under a talented director like Sean Penn and what the future holds for him. This interview originally was filmed in the Fall of 2007.