Anthony Michael Hall—yes, all three names, because anything less doesn’t cover a career this prolific—has been a fixture of the pop culture zeitgeist since he started acting at age seven, in a run that now spans 51 years and counting. From his John Hughes–era icon status (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, all marking 40th anniversaries this year) to Saturday Night Live, Edward Scissorhands, The Dead Zone, Halloween Kills and, most recently, an on-screen reunion with Tim Burton in Wednesday Season 2 and a series-regular arc on the acclaimed Reacher, Hall has built the kind of resume most actors only aspire to.
Now, he’s doing something entirely new by joining Fox’s celebrity competition series Nation’s Dumbest, where he’s competing alongside Ice-T, Carmen Electra, Hilaria Baldwin, Jon Heder and more in a race to avoid being crowned the nation’s dumbest. It’s Hall’s first foray into reality television, and the decision came down to the company. “It’s all about the people. Plus, I thought it was a fun concept and a cool opportunity,” he says. “Once I heard guys like Ice-T and Steve-O would be there, I thought: ‘Go for it and go have some fun.’”
Fun didn’t mean unprepared. Hall treats a shoot like this the way he treats any physical role at this point in his career, which is to say seriously. “Weeks before I go on camera, I start cutting out carbs and sugar. I increase my lemon-water intake. I train with lighter weights for my workouts. In addition, I bike, box and do a lot of stretching—specifically myofascial-type stretching,” he says. “This technique uses stretching and releasing of the body’s connective tissue, or fascia, which increases the body’s mobility and improves my flexibility overall.”
That kind of discipline tracks with how Hall talks about his career more broadly. He doesn’t see it as a series of calculated pivots, but as something he has simply kept showing up for. “It has always been organic,” he says. “I am very proud of the fact that, with God’s grace, I’ve had a 51-year career and I am still going strong. I started out as a young boy at the age of seven, and I’ve been doing this for a long time.” He points to two lines he keeps coming back to—“when the going gets tough, the tough get going” and “necessity is the mother of invention”—as a fair summary of the mindset required. “With the type of career that I’ve had, and the type of work that I do, nothing is guaranteed and everything must be earned and worked for. I remain truly grateful for my journey and for all of the work and projects I’ve been able to contribute to over the years.”
Part of that journey circled back in an unexpected way this year, when Hall joined Wednesday for its second season, 35 years after starring opposite Tim Burton in Edward Scissorhands. “It was a real blessing,” he says. “I’ve always had a great deal of respect and admiration for Tim Burton, both as a person and an artist. I also think that Tim is a modern-day Walt Disney.” The reunion came with a group of coworkers he’s quick to credit: “The fantastic crew in Dublin, Ireland, and all the actors—including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Jenna Ortega and Steve Buscemi—were all super cool and a real pleasure to work with.”
Across a filmography that stretches in a lot of different directions, Hall says the role that stretched him most wasn’t a film at all. “The Dead Zone was an incredible opportunity for me. I was also an executive producer on the show,” he says of the USA Network series, which ran five seasons and 80 episodes. “It was a huge hit and was very well received by audiences, which was an enormously gratifying feeling. And as an actor, it challenged me and developed me in ways that I could not have anticipated. It was truly a great experience and one of the highlights of my career.”
Still, it’s the Hughes films that fans bring up most, and Hall doesn’t take that lightly. “It is a real gift to me. I genuinely appreciate how fans respond to the John Hughes films I made at the beginning of my career—always have,” he says. “Working closely with John Hughes, who was a true friend and mentor to me, changed the trajectory of my career, and I will forever be grateful to John, as well as director Harold Ramis and Matty Simmons, founder of National Lampoon magazine, who also produced National Lampoon’s Vacation.” He credits Isaac Newton for the line that sums it up: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. These men were giants to me at the beginning of my career, who all saw something in me and helped to guide and foster me as a young boy growing up in the entertainment business. Forever grateful to them all.”
Off-camera, the routine is simpler. “Prayer. Reflection. Quiet time. Walks on the beach with my wife and son,” Hall says of how he decompresses. And after five decades of being recognized everywhere from movie sets to sidewalks, he’s stopped keeping score. “I don’t think about that. When people do recognize me for any aspect of my work, I am grateful and I am thankful. Overall, I am a forward-thinking person. I love the famous saying: ‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift— that is why it’s called the present.’ So, I always endeavor to remain present, and grateful.”
