It would take a great deal for an actor to impress Harry Connick Jr., the veteran artist of music, film, television, and theater.
Yet in his latest film, Connick Jr. found his co-star to have an extraordinary past, saying in the press notes, “…it’s a privilege just being around her.”
Who was it that made such an impression on the iconic star?
None other than Winter, a dolphin that lost her tail in a crab trap accident. With the combined efforts of a devoted marine biologist, a genius prosthetics doctor, and a loving young boy, Winter was given another chance to swim with a new prosthetic tail.
Her real-life story is brought to film, with Winter playing herself and Connick Jr. playing the marine biologist in “Dolphin Tale,” which opened in theaters on Friday, Sept. 23.
Connick Jr. plays Dr. Haskett, a single father running Clearwater Marine Hospital, a low-budget rescue facility in Florida.
“He is the one in charge of Winter’s care, and he’s passionate about his work,” Connick Jr. points out, in the film’s press notes.
“While he’s trying to save this dolphin, he’s also trying to save his rescue facility because they’re out of money. Adding to that, he’s a single father trying to raise a little girl, so there is a lot on his plate.”
In addition to starring alongside Winter, Connick Jr. works with a packed cast of fresh faces as well as film veterans such as Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson, Nathan Gamble, and Austin Stowell.
“When I find out I was a dad in this, that’s great. When I find out she’s a little girl, that’s even better. I have three little girls. It was just really cool. I felt really comfortable,” said Connick Jr. in an interview from Trailer Addict. “I fell in love with these kids.”
“Dolphin Tale” ropes in an adventure that depicts the relationships between humans and animals. “It’s an extraordinary sensation to be so close to such a majestic animal,” Connick Jr. says in the press notes. “And there’s something else that sets this dolphin apart; maybe it’s what she went through or the fact that she survived when others wouldn’t have, but it’s a privilege just being around her.”
Connick Jr. developed a love for acting, music, and the performing arts in his early childhood, studying piano and performing by age 5. His first break onto film was in 1989 when he was asked to perform a number of standards for the romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally,” which struck mainstream success and earned him his first Grammy for Best Jazz Male Vocal Performance.
Within a few years, he made appearances and gained roles in films such as the World War II drama “Memphis Belle,” Jodie Foster’s “Little Man Tate,” “Independence Day,” “P.S. I Love You,” and “New in Town.”
Engulfed in a career of awards and recognition and having achieved a number of multi-platinum and gold albums, Grammy, and Emmy awards, Connick Jr. is also among the list of big names who are set to star on Broadway this fall in “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.”
