On the road to stardom

In the annals of moviedom, December 2010 could go down as the month that Garrett Hedlund became a movie star.

The Minnesota-born actor was front and center in Disney's big-budget 3-D blockbuster "Tron: Legacy." Then there was the country music romance "Country Strong," starring Gwyneth Paltrow as a fading singer, Tim McGraw as her manager husband and Hedlund as the struggling young singer-songwriter who might be just what she needs. That opened in some cities last month (to make the deadline for awards season) and the rest of the country this weekend.

And he finished shooting a film based on Jack Kerouac's novel "On the Road."

"Two nights ago I was hanging out with Carolyn Cassady," Hedlund said. Cassady is the widow of Neal Cassady, Hedlund's character, a pivotal person in Keroauc's life and one of the inspirations for the novel. "Yesterday morning, I was driving a 1949 Hudson Hornet across the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. We finished the scene, I stopped the car, jumped on a plane, and flew to L.A. for the premiere of 'Tron.' Hollywood Boulevard was all lit up in 'Tron' blue. Surreal.

"Then the next morning, I get up and start talking to reporters about these movies I'm so proud of," Hedlund said. "I just don't know how to express my unbelievaty at all this. I know unbelievaty's not a word! It's more than unbelievable to me."

Born in Roseau, Minn., Hedlund grew up on a cattle farm in northwestern Minnesota before moving to Phoenix at age 14 with his mother. There, he caught the attention of a talent agency, and left after high school to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles.

His first big break came in the 2004 big-screen "Friday Night Lights," playing opposite McGraw as a kid living with an abusive dad. He had a leading role in the hit 2005 action hit "Four Brothers" with Mark Wahlberg. Now, at 26, he's getting his shot in "two roles, two films, that could not be more opposite." But both came about, he believes, because of "On the Road," which he was cast in way back in 2007.

Midwest roots helped

Hedlund said his rural roots played a part in landing his latest roles, which pair him with two Oscar winners, Jeff Bridges in "Tron" and Paltrow in "Country Strong."

"Joe Kosinski, who directed 'Tron,' is from Iowa, and we had this immediate Midwest connection. ... And 'Country Strong,' growing up on a farm, Tim McGraw and the other great country stars filled the airwaves around our house. Our only radio station played only country music."

He landed the roles, buffed up and brushed up on 1982's "Tron," ready to bring his game face to his scenes with "the incredibly inspiring" Jeff Bridges. But that was nothing like the work he put in to be a convincing singer and guitarist in "Country Strong."

"From August [2009] onward, I was practicing, hard-core guitar training. I would go into the studio and practice, cutting old Hank [Williams] Sr. tracks, just to chart some progress at building credibility."

"Tim let me stay in his cabin down near Nashville for a month and a half. I needed to be there, be around it, just to absorb it.

"Tim's advice to me was: 'Just live and breathe country music, all day every day. Be singing it, listening to it and thinking about it.' That's what I did, along with playing all day every day. I didn't want to use a hand double or have somebody else do the singing. You've got to get past the un-coordination, falling on your face trying to sing and play a song."