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Before The NeverEnding Story whisked us away to Fantasia, its lead star, Noah Hathaway, lived a plot twist worthy of the big screen. He was cast, dropped, and then re-cast again as Atreyu. His journey to land the iconic role wasn’t just long; it was wild.
When Hathaway stepped into auditions for the 1984 fantasy epic, he already had some serious credits. He starred in Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) and appeared in Best Friends (1982) alongside Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn. So when German director Wolfgang Petersen came aboard The NeverEnding Story, Hathaway had experience, but not yet the part.
He first auditioned under a different director. And not just once. “They did one of those worldwide searches to cast the role and they saw something like 50,000 kids,” Hathaway said during a 2019 Entertainment Weekly reunion interview. “I think I auditioned around six or seven times before I got the part.”
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But landing the role once wasn’t enough. When that original director left the project, Petersen took over, and the entire casting process hit rewind. “They let me go and started the whole casting process again and I had to audition for Wolfgang and two producers,” Hathaway added. “Finally, after like three or four more [auditions], I got hired again.”
Let that sink in. Roughly ten auditions total. A role secured twice. No shortcuts. Just hustle. As Hathaway told EW, “I don’t want to say it was ‘meant to be’ because I really worked my ass for it. I must’ve read the script three dozen times and knew every line.” Based on Michael Ende’s 1979 book, the script had already sparked Hathaway’s imagination.
Petersen, for his part, saw something special. “Boy, what a gorgeous kid he was,” the director recalled during the same interview. “I had dinner with somebody recently and this woman tells me that Atreyu was her first crush on a boy. I cannot tell you how many letters I got after the film came out written by girls wanting to know where they could find the actor that played Atreyu!”
Noah Hathaway ended up being more than just the face of Atreyu. He performed his own stunts, bringing grit and authenticity to the role. And emotionally, he fit the bill, too. From battling the Swamps of Sadness with Artax to soaring the skies on Falkor, Hathaway became a childhood legend. But behind the fantasy was a relentless kid who wouldn’t give up the role he knew was his.
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