Justin Bartha: Beautiful People 2011
By John Ortved
"It was probably the most thrilling experience of my career." Actor Justin Bartha is not talking about getting wasted with Zach Galifianakis and Bradley Cooper in The Hangover, in which he played groom-to-be Doug. He's talking about his turn in Stanley Tucci's recent Broadway revival of Lend Me a Tenor. "If you get to play a character where you can take a chance, being
able to do that without fear is the biggest lesson I've ever learned. Not just in acting, but in life," he says. While The Hangover may not have been the stuff of Broadway or the Bard, the comedy classic has launched Bartha in terms of recognition, both in Hollywood -- and on the street. "There's definitely a lot of 'I found Doug!'" he says.
A Florida native who grew up outside Detroit, Bartha both acted and directed all through high school, and landed at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in 1996. There, he sought out roles both in front of and behind the camera. "I've worked every single job you could possibly think of on movie and video sets." While waiting to hear if a show he'd written and directed would be picked
up by MTV (they passed), he started auditioning for and landing roles. He played Ben Affleck's mentally challenged, Baywatch-obsessed kidnap victim in Gigli and a computer pro in Disney's National Treasure films. His indie cred was solidified as a Hasidic ecstasy dealer in 2010's
Holy Rollers, and he stars in Todd Solondz's upcoming Dark Horse. And then, of course, there is The Hangover 2, out this summer, which has everyone -- fratboys and comedy nerds alike -- waiting with bated breath. "Not to sound too grandiose," he says, "but we're calling it The Godfather II of comedies."
JUSTIN WEARS A BLAZER BY TOMMY HILFIGER
GO BACK TO SEE MORE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE OF 2011
able to do that without fear is the biggest lesson I've ever learned. Not just in acting, but in life," he says. While The Hangover may not have been the stuff of Broadway or the Bard, the comedy classic has launched Bartha in terms of recognition, both in Hollywood -- and on the street. "There's definitely a lot of 'I found Doug!'" he says.
A Florida native who grew up outside Detroit, Bartha both acted and directed all through high school, and landed at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in 1996. There, he sought out roles both in front of and behind the camera. "I've worked every single job you could possibly think of on movie and video sets." While waiting to hear if a show he'd written and directed would be picked
up by MTV (they passed), he started auditioning for and landing roles. He played Ben Affleck's mentally challenged, Baywatch-obsessed kidnap victim in Gigli and a computer pro in Disney's National Treasure films. His indie cred was solidified as a Hasidic ecstasy dealer in 2010's
Holy Rollers, and he stars in Todd Solondz's upcoming Dark Horse. And then, of course, there is The Hangover 2, out this summer, which has everyone -- fratboys and comedy nerds alike -- waiting with bated breath. "Not to sound too grandiose," he says, "but we're calling it The Godfather II of comedies."
JUSTIN WEARS A BLAZER BY TOMMY HILFIGER
GO BACK TO SEE MORE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE OF 2011
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