Hallee Hirsh has grown up. We’ve seen her in a slew of roles, from You’ve Got Mail opposite Tom Hanks and as little Mattie on JAG. Now a leading cast member of the hit Discovery Channel show Flight 29 Down, we talked with Hallee (pronounced Holly), who describes herself as “a very open person who loves the color purple,” and who is “very sensitive, very emotional.”
THE STAR SCOOP:
You’re doing Flight 29 Down right now. Tell us a little about how you got the role and how it’s going.
HALLEE HIRSH:
About a year and a half ago, I had my audition and I got the role, and it was awesome. Also, I already knew Stan Rogow, from things I’d been close on before, other projects he’d worked on. I’d auditioned for him before. For Flight 29 Down Stan Rogow hired me. We shot the first season last January through March, and we’ll be going back again to shoot the second season in January.
THE STAR SCOOP:
Why do you think that kids are attracted to Flight 29 Down?
HALLEE HIRSH:
I think that due to awesome writers, the characters have so much depth. For a kids show, there is so much going on, dynamic between the people stuck on the island. There’s just so much to bite into. There’s a lot of comedy and a lot of drama and you can get a lot out of it. I think it attracts people with different tastes who are looking for drama or comedy or looking to be entertained in whatever way. There’s a lot to get from the show.
THE STAR SCOOP:
Way back when, you did a Disney Channel Original movie, The Ultimate Christmas Present.
HALLEE HIRSH:
It was a lot of fun. Especially the style. Before I’d been working on a lot of episodic, and I’d been playing some pretty mean characters, before I did The Ultimate Christmas Present and that was actually extremely refreshing for me, working for Disney – just seeing sunny, bright, happy is good. It was also really cool because it was shot in Vancouver, which is basically the greatest city on earth.
THE STAR SCOOP:
Another project of yours, that an older audience would know you from is JAG.
HALLEE HIRSH:
It was actually kind of similar to my work on ER. On ER I joined in on the last two seasons and my character dealt with the main character, Harm, James David Elliot’s character. And it was their last year. Going on a show like that, that’s been for what – 10 years, is amazing. They have most of the same crew and the style from when they started from the pilot. And it’s just a well oiled machine. That’s fascinating for me. And I had the same experience with ER. It was just fascinating to become a part of this machine that worked like clockwork – it’s just right there but they don’t really lose any of the spirit, that’s why they’ve been on so long because even though they can work efficiently, there’s so much more going on. The crew is really a family. And JAG, it was just very sad, because of the last two years, but that was a whole lot of fun.
THE STAR SCOOP:
So obviously, you’ve been acting for a long time. How did you discover the interest?
HALLEE HIRSH:
My brother is six and half years older than me. And he was in community theater when I was two years old, three years old. And I was babysat at rehearsals; I was around actors all the time. I myself was a ham, and I think I noticed that my brother was getting a lot of attention being on stage and I asked if I could be in plays too. So that started me. I moved on to a lot of commercials when I was younger. I worked on a soap opera for two years. When I started with TV movies I was about seven. I was just a baby. It was really fun for me. I didn’t take it as this is what I’m going to do with my life, this is my profession, it was just fun. And that’s why I think I did so well – there wasn’t any pressure. I think when I was about ten years old, it really settled in. I really decided that this is what I want to do.
THE STAR SCOOP:
What does it take in Hollywood to keep a level head, as you have?
HALLEE HIRSH:
To not let it affect you. To not be there for the recognition. That really has little to do with why I’m an actress. It comes from okay, I’m doing this role because tons and tons of people are going to see me and it’s just about being the spotlight. And I’m not saying that that element is completely erased, the enjoyment, and the moment of being in front of a whole bunch of people, but not for the sake of becoming famous.
THE STAR SCOOP:
With all eyes on you, and your projects, what do YOU like to watch?
HALLEE HIRSH:
I really like to Family Guy, I really like Everybody Loves Raymond. That’s a great show. I like the oldies, they’re that old but they’re not on anymore – Seinfeld, Frasier, Cheers is always one of my favorites. I really like The Daily Show. And Law and Order. And ER.
THE STAR SCOOP:
Do you have any other projects in the works while you’re on hiatus?
HALLEE HIRSH:
This summer I worked on a Hallmark Channel movie, called Wild Hearts with Nancy McKeon and Richard Thomas, and I played Richard Thomas’s daughter. I worked on Nip Tuck two weeks ago. Brittany Snow is also a guest star on that episode. That’s about it.
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