Tony Hale

Using the ancient practice of fixed hour prayer observed by the Abrahamic faith traditions, Praying the Hours personifies each hour into a character to tell a story of a 24-hour day. In the feature film, Traveling Man visits with each of eight friends on the day of his accidental death, and—as he crosses over from this life into the next—sees life anew from the perspective of eternity. In the eight short films that expand the project, the story of each hour is told in more detail.

Here, Director Lauralee Farrer comments on the casting of Tony Hale as the hour called Prime in ”The Story of the Rushing Man.” Prime is the name of the hour of prayer in the Benedictine tradition that marks the start of work.

Tony is one of the most versatile and gifted actors I’ve ever worked with. Sparking with energy and wit, he is both driven and mellow. Well-known for a character far from his own nature—Buster Bluth in the very popular series Arrested Development—Tony is a steadily working actor, costarring currently alongside Julia Louis Dreyfus in the HBO series “VEEP.”

Bright, intelligent, and deeply spiritual, Tony was born in West Point, New York, and grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. As a young man he attended the Young Actors Theatre, and later graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama with a degree in journalism. While living in New York City for nearly ten years, he founded a support community for artists called The Haven, studied acting at the prestigious theater company The Barrow Group, and met and married Emmy-award-winning makeup artist Martel Thompson with whom he has a daughter, Loy. He has had co-starring or recurring roles on several television series, and feature films and starred in the 2011 feature romantic comedy Not That Funny alongside Brigid Brannagh (Army Wives) where we shared our first director/actor partnership. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of our professional lives.

There is an expression I like, from French philosopher Gustav Flaubert, who said “be calm and orderly in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work.” This is the kind of inspiring contradiction I find in Tony. A genuinely devoted family man, with a love of people and a deep commitment to friendship, he is also capable of startling innovation and humor, and a robust willingness to go the extra mile to “get it right.”

The word “generous” gets thrown around a lot among actors. In Tony’s case, it means that he never complains, brings all of himself to a set, is capable of leading a cast confidently and not requiring a constant spotlight. His takes are uniformly between good and terrific, he is fun to be around, and he can grow a full beard in a very short period of time. News to anyone assuming his talents are confined to comedy, Tony is an endearing romantic lead and a surprising dramatic talent with a readily accessible well of complex emotions below the surface. A lot like the hour of Prime, as it turns out.