Sam Rockwell goes all The Way, Way Back

MANILA, Philippines - One of the most dynamic actors working today, Sam Rockwell stars as Owen, the quirky mentor to an awkward, self-conscious teen who must learn to embrace his individuality, in Fox Searchlight’s inspiring comedy-drama The Way, Way Back.

A humorous and heartwarming story of self-discovery from Academy Award winners Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (The Descendants), The Way, Way Back will be shown exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas starting Sept. 11.

“We had a phone meeting scheduled with Sam and we were all ready to give him our spiel,” recalls Rash. “But almost immediately he just said ‘Sounds great guys, let’s just do this.’”

The Way, Way Back is the coming-of-age story of 14-year-old Duncan’s (Liam James) summer vacation with his mother, Pam (Toni Collette) and her overbearing boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell). Having a rough time fitting in, the introverted Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen (Rockwell), the gregarious manager of the Water Wizz Water Park. Through his funny, clandestine friendship with Owen, Duncan slowly opens up to and begins to finally find his place in the world — all during a summer he will never forget.

It was the script and especially the character — a wisecracking motor mouth with a heart of gold — that convinced Rockwell to take the role. “For me, it’s always the part that matters, and this is a great one,” he says.

Owen runs the Water Wizz Water Park, and serves as unofficial camp counselor to the kids who hang out there. Rockwell, known to be a fast-talking comedy whirlwind, made his own contributions to the dialogue, according to producer Tom Rice. “Sam Rockwell is one of the most brilliant improvisers I have ever seen. He is unbelievably funny.”

The Way, Way Back is distributed by 20th Century Fox through Warner Bros.