Tony Hawk sits down with New York Times bestselling author and writer-at-large for Esquire Magazine, Cal Fussman to talk about the big part movies played in his growing up, and becoming a professional skateboarder in this episode of Fandango’s “I Love Movies.” This original video series showcases cultural influencers across the globe, sharing personal stories of how movies have touched their lives. The series airs on Fandango’s digital network, including Fandango Movieclips, the number one movie trailer and content channel on YouTube, plus Fandango channels on Hulu, Roku and Samsung’s Milk Video Service.
In the new episode, Hawk reveals the impact of the seeing the James Bond action-adventure, “The Spy Who Loved Me,” for the first time at the age of 10, around the time he first started skating. “This movie was all about me,” recalls Hawk. “There were gadgets and death-defying stunts and it inspired me to do something daring like that.” On the flip side, comedies also taught him to laugh off his first skating experience. “I couldn’t figure out where to turn and ran into a fence – my first experience on a skateboard was definitely out of “The Naked Gun,” like the scene with Nordberg getting caught in a bear-trap.”
With Father’s Day around the corner, Hawk also reflects on moviegoing memories with his dad. “I always thought it was cool that my dad took me to movies that were a little bit edgy for my age,” admits Hawk. “I think it was my dad’s way of keeping me out of the skate park for a couple of hours and spending time with me – that was our outing! It was the greatest gift my dad gave me. As a parent, it’s all about connecting with your kids and to this day, when I take my kids to the movies, it definitely gives me flashbacks of going to the movies with my dad.”
Interviews for “I Love Movies” were conducted by New York Times bestselling author and writer-at-large for Esquire Magazine, Cal Fussman. New episodes are released weekly, featuring athletes, musicians, television personalities, innovators and others, talking about the impact of iconic movies like “Rocky,” “Finding Nemo,” “Purple Rain,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” and many more.
Tony Hawk’s long history and success as a professional skateboarder helped him pursue a career with worldwide reach. In 1992 he founded the renowned Birdhouse Skateboards brand, which he still owns and operates today. The most recognized action-sports figure in the world, Tony is also President of Tony Hawk Inc., a worldwide leader in action-sports video games, merchandising, events, endorsements, and film and digital media. He regularly appears on television and in films, hosts a weekly show on the Sirius XM satellite radio network, and frequently takes his talent on the road with the Birdhouse Skateboards team. Tony’s success and good fortune have inspired him to do what he can to help young people, so in 2002 he launched the Tony Hawk Foundation to help achieve that goal. His foundation has raised more than $5M helping build over 500 skateparks worldwide. To learn more, please visit http://tonyhawkfoundation.org.
About Fandango
Fandango, the nation’s leading moviegoer destination, sells tickets to more than 26,000 screens nationwide. Fandango entertains and informs consumers with reviews, commentary, celebrity interviews and trailers, and offers the ability to quickly select a film, plan where and when to see it, and conveniently buy tickets in advance. For many theaters, fans can print their tickets at home or receive them as a paperless Mobile Ticket on their smartphones. Fandango’s top-ranking movie ticketing apps, with 46 million downloads, are available on the iPhone and iPad, Android, and many other platforms. Fandango is enjoyed by more than 36 million online and mobile visitors each month, according to comScore. Film fans also find Fandango on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fandango and on Twitter @Fandango.
