Mr. Hayward
Goes to Town

Highbridge resident Henry Hayward didn't even have to leave his living room to land a role in "Mr. Deeds"

By Ian Koski
Managing Editor

When the producers of the new Adam Sandler movie, “Mr. Deeds,” saw a publicity photo of Henry Hayward, they knew they had found their Mr. Weatherly. They were so sure they had their man that when Mr. Hayward said he couldn’t make it into Midtown for the audition, they brought the audition to his Anderson Avenue apartment.

Before even seeing a script, Mr. Hayward walked slowly across his living room, demonstrating for the camera positioned beside the dinner table that he could play a hobbled 90-year-old man.

A year later, “Mr. Deeds” debuted in theaters nationwide, although as of last Monday, Mr. Hayward hadn’t seen it yet.

The Highbridge resident’s big scene appears early in the movie, moments after Mr. Sandler’s character, Longfellow Deeds, learns that he inherited $40 billion from his long-lost uncle.

Deeds is walking down a block in his rural New Hampshire town with two executives from his uncle’s company when he sees Mr. Weatherly, played by Mr. Hayward, walking on the sidewalk at a snail’s pace. Deeds (he apparently does not like being called “Mr. Deeds”) sees Mr. Weatherly and asks where he’s going. “I’m going to the pharmacy,” Mr. Weatherly replies. “Oh, well maybe I can get you there a little faster,” Deeds offers, heaving Mr. Weatherly over his shoulder and walking to the other side of the street.

As the two crossed the street, a few lines about Mr. Weatherly’s wife were ad-libbed, Mr. Hayward said.

“[Mr. Sandler] added a couple lines and I added a couple lines. He put in a line like ‘how’s your wife?’ That was not in the script. So I come back, ‘oh, she’s fine.’ Then he said, ‘give her my love,’ and I said, ‘I will.’” “Then, after that, I went to my regular line. My regular line was, when he put me down, I said, ‘Thank you, Deeds, for the lift.’” Mr. Hayward’s two-line part blossomed into five lines, just like that.

“Mr. Deeds” is not Mr. Hayward’s first foray into acting. He was actually born into the business. His father was an actor and a singer. His mother was a dancer. They were good friends with legendary composers George and Ira Gerswhin, who actually got Mr. Hayward his first theater role at age 3.

His resume now includes plays on and off Broadway, television and films. Although “Mr. Deeds” has given him the most exposure, Mr. Hayward’s “biggest” role came in the independent film, “Sunday,” which was the top choice of the 1997 Sundance Film Festival and an official selection at Cannes.

Mr. Hayward, who has lived in Highbridge since 1978 with his wife, Pearline, appeared in a 1995 episode of “Law & Order” and earlier had roles in commercials for Hallmark and McDonalds.

In between and in addition to his acting projects, Mr. Hayward counseled troubled girls at the St. Mary Residence on 72nd Street in Manhattan for 20 years, although he had to give up that career in 2000 when he disrupted a disc in his neck and commuting became too difficult.

Soon thereafter his blood pressure dropped to dangerously low levels. That’s why he couldn’t make it into the city to audition for “Mr. Deeds.”

“I was sick,” he said. “I couldn’t go anywhere by myself.” As an alternative, he offered that the producers could come up to Highbridge to do the audition. He was shocked the next day to learn the producers had accepted his offer.

“That’s something they don’t do,” Mr. Hayward said. “They don’t come to you.”

So, they did the audition in the living room Mr. Hayward’s first-floor apartment. “The next day the agent called me [and said], ‘Henry, you got the part!’ I said, ‘whaaat?’ He said ‘you got the part!’”

Mr. Hayward is convinced that his selection had nothing to do with his acting ability. “It’s not your talent. It’s that you’re what they’re looking for. I was exactly what they were looking for.”

His call sheet for May 31, 2001 required that he report to the Ramada Inn in Danbury, Conn. at 6:45 a.m. Thirty minutes later he was due in hair and makeup and finally at 8:30 he was due on the set to shoot his scenes.

“What we did is we rehearsed it ourselves while they set the camera up,” Mr. Hayward said. That’s how they finished the scene in just two takes. “That’s nothing. A lot of times you do a scene six or seven or 20 times.”

Mr. Hayward and Mr. Sandler got along quite well during filming. “Oh he’s just a beautiful, beautiful person,” Mr. Hayward said of the famous comedian.

They goofed around about Mr. Sandler’s real life riches, with Mr. Hayward asking for a million dollars. “I’ll give you five million, Henry!” Mr. Sandler shot back.