Hernandez joining Dunst in Disney pic
Two month search ends with Latino thesp
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Stockwell and producers Rachel Pfeffer ("A Civil Action") and Harry and Mary Jane Ufland ("One True Thing") decided on the 19-year-old actor following a two-month search in New York, Texas, Mexico City and Los Angeles.
From a script by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, "At Seventeen" centers on a poor Latino who falls hard for a troubled girl from affluent neighborhood of Pacific Palisades High.
In true Hollywood fashion, Hernandez was "discovered" by manager Howard Tyner four years ago in an elevator. Hernandez soon enrolled in acting classes and subsequently got a gig or two as a guest star on NBC's Saturday morning teen skein "Hang Time." The female segment of the audience reacted so strongly to his appearances that NBC granted the actor a holding deal, making him a series regular.
Hernandez also acted in the as-yet-unreleased indie pics "Living the Life," produced by Esther and Harry Shapiro, and "Squelch." He also appeared in Gregory Nava's pilot "American Family," which was not picked up.
Buena Vista Motion Picture Group prexy Nina Jacobson, along with directors of development Jeff Clifford and Brigham Taylor, are overseeing "At Seventeen" at the Mouse House.
Hernandez is repped by Paradigm. His deal was negotiated by Tyner for Manageability along with attorney Michael Fuller of Golden, McKuin & Frankel.
