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'Sleepless in Seattle' child actor Ross Malinger reflects on 'genuine' and lasting Tom Hanks friendship
"Tom and I worked together in harmony, and ultimately that is what I believe made this film a classic," says the former actor, now 42.
It's been 32 years since theater audiences melted at Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's Sleepless in Seattle finale atop the Empire State Building. But while the marquee names were the film's romance, its heart was all child star Ross Malinger — something that has stayed with fans, even if they aren't entirely sure what he looks like anymore.
"Everywhere I go, people are always telling me that I look familiar,' says Malinger, 42, who played young Jonah, the matchmaking son of Sam (Hanks), in Nora Ephron's 1993 film.
Malinger, who was 8 during production, recalls off-camera moments with Hanks: "We were filming at the fish market and were waiting around to start rolling, and Tom kept picking up different fish and moving their mouth and making them say goofy things," Malinger says. "He was always joking around and making me laugh."
Their connection continued beyond the film, with Hanks inviting him to the premiere of his other 1993 film, Philadelphia, and 1996's That Thing You Do!.
"We genuinely cared about each other," says Malinger. "That natural chemistry allowed me to really bring a lot of intensity and emotion to Jonah's character."
Malinger took on more than 20 TV and film roles post-Sleepless, including six episodes of Party of Five and series regular roles on the CBS sitcom Good Advice and the WB comedy Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher. He also voiced T.J. on the first season of Recess, and concluded his acting career in 2006 with an episode of Without a quitting acting, Malinger got married in his late 20s, and worked as a classic-car restorer before starting a small IT and computer-repair business and eventually as a finance manager for a car dealership company. But he will always remember his time on the Sleepless set fondly.
"After filming our fight scene, Nora told me that she knew this was going to be a very special film," he says of a dramatic scene between him and Hanks. "Tom and I worked together in harmony, and ultimately that is what I believe made this film a classic."
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