Atreus from The Neverending Story almost didn’t survive the filming of the movie. Artex’s horse was given to him as a gift

When the realm of Fantasy invaded our screens, into which the boy Bastian received with the help of a magic book, it all felt like a complete revelation. West German co-production fantasy Endless story has become an absolutely cult film. The children were amazed by the variety of wonderful characters, the beautiful plot, while the adults saw the timelessness and even a certain philosophical story in the story. Saving the realm of Fantasy goes beyond the scope of the film.

And let’s face it – the all-consuming Nothingness is a more than topical topic these days. But The Neverending Story meant love at first sight especially for children.

Everyone wanted a good-natured and smiling “speed dragon cop” Falca, who spoke in the absolutely beautiful and unforgettable voice of Eduard Cupák. Everyone admired the bike Stone Eaterin every rock they searched Morlora (what if by chance this particular monument suddenly came to life!). We watched with horror the futile fight for the white man’s life Artex (also written Artax with A, note cars). All the little girls wanted to be Children’s Empressall the guys Atrium. Or Bastian. But rather the first one.

After all, Atreus was the “handsome” one who embodied everything that a child’s heart has ever longed for – adventure, love, loyalty, bravery. The Neverending Story also had beautiful music. The title track (“neverending stóóóóryýýýýý…”) also became a household name at discotheques. And she was deliberately without a beginning and an end – a British pop singer Limahl he glossed her: “That was the intention of the creators. It has no beginning, no end, it came from afar, from a landscape where nothing ends and everything begins – just from that Fantasy…”

Noah Hathaway he became and remained Atreus. Forever. What is his life like “before, during and after” the famous movie?

Noah Leslie Hathaway was born November 13, 1971 in Los Angeles. Dad Robert had a Native American father from the tribe Mohicans. Mother Judy she is a native American. Noah owes his slightly exotic appearance to the Mohican tribe – throughout his childhood, he was told stories of brave warriors, legends about shamans and the history of the entire infamous end of the original population. To this day, Noah maintains contact with the other Mohicans, who were so proud that “one of them” became famous in such a beautiful film that they named one of their villages after his Atreus.

He has been involved in the art world since childhood. He was really a very handsome boy, also nimble and nimble. His primary hobby was sports – first he swam, very successfully and competitively, when he reached puberty, he ran and taught street dance. He appeared in commercials, got a role in the series Battlestar Galactica – he was only six years old and played the boy Boxey, for which he earned a nomination for a junior Oscar. He was really very good.

However, a breakthrough role was waiting for Noah – a real breakthrough, because the filming of The Neverending Story meant one broken bone after another. The Neverending Story from 1984, at the time the most expensive German film, was filmed alternately in Vancouver and Munich. And no one expected it to become such a blockbuster. And that the author of the literary work will even sue the staff.

German director Wolfgang Petersen he had a perfectly clear idea of ​​Atreus: “I was looking for a handsome boy with an athletic build and determination. The role requires the character to expertly ride a horse, fly on the back of a dragon, wade through a swamp, climb rocks and fight a ferocious vampire wolf.” He found it in Noah, who was not afraid. He just walked into the audition and it was enough for him to look at the director.

The same cannot be said about the actor Bastian, Barrett Oliver they dropped him from the first round of casting, explaining that he was too young and immature for the role. But he was given one more chance and, as we already know, he succeeded in the end. But Noah had it “first time”. The preparations could begin.

But before the entire film even started shooting, a constellation of injuries began. Everything had to be tried, Noah had to learn how to ride a horse properly, which he could do, but not according to the ideas of the director, who was famous for his meticulousness. A horse fell on Noah during a practice jump over a log. On back. The boy had to undergo surgery and it was not certain if he would ever walk. In the end, he “broke up”, tenacious Noah simply stomped: “I will walk!”. And the horse fell on him again, this time during bucking practice.

Another operation followed, again no one knew if Noah would even survive, let alone if Atreya would play. Petersen even thought about canceling the whole project because he didn’t want another Atreus. In addition Tami Stonach, representative of Dětská Císařovna, all her front teeth fell out, she couldn’t speak, she snorted. A hastily summoned dentist made her a prosthesis, but she had to learn to pronounce. This delayed the project considerably, and Petersen feared that before it could even start filming, it would: “I’ll all grow up and I’ll be able to go sliding, not spinning!”

Finally, the spinning started, Noah recovered. He remembers the filming fondly, but as he himself said: “I shot six days a week, twelve hours a day, plus three hours of teaching… And so a little over a year. I didn’t have time to get into trouble. There wasn’t even much energy to go wild. Plus I almost killed myself a few times.’

That’s right, his life was really at stake. Again he fell from the horse, which stepped on him and stepped on his palm. In some scenes, Atreus has his hand wrapped in a piece of cloth, which is actually plaster. But he experienced the worst moments while filming in Swamps of sorrow. When it was supposed to “run” under the mud, the technicians put the escalator under water so that it sinks authentically and smoothly. But Noah’s leg got caught in it and he was pulled under the water. Moreover, the broken escalator could not be stopped, divers had to jump in for him, free him and take him unconscious from the water. He had to be resuscitated.

Noah didn’t give up, he continued filming, even though they offered him a stuntman. During the fight with Gmork he almost lost his eye again – at the eye clinic later they stated that he really had it “so so”. However, at the age of twelve, Noah Hathaway’s physical condition was literally astounding. No one has seen anything like this in a child actor. It came in very handy later in life. He ended up being his stunt double Bobby Porter literally forced. He shot the worst scenes for Noah. But the most heartbreaking one, Noah had to “cry it out” himself. And with him, perhaps, all the viewers. Even adults.

Oh yeah, Artex, drowned Artex. The faithful white man was “played” by two horses, exactly the same. One was good, the other “trash,” as Noah himself put it. And the good one should have drowned. The scene was rotated perhaps fifty times, the horse had had enough. The whole crew had enough because it was painful. Noah Hathaway cried, had a complete hysterical fit every time Artex “disappeared” in the swamp. It was a trick, of course. But so believable that a rumor spread about the real drowning of the horse. And she lived her own life.

Everything looked so authentic that Petersen was showered with hate letters: “How could you even put that in a movie! Leave it there! Poor horse!’. Noah then set the record straight – Artex didn’t drown, but my tears were real! At the end of filming, they became so inseparable with the “good” white guy that they just gave him to him. So the white man traveled with Noah to his place in LA, where he put him up in a nearby ranch.

The film was created, it is beautiful, it is immortal. But it is accompanied by a bitter endgame. Michael Ende, the author of the original novel, was horrified by the result of the film work and tried to prevent the distribution of the film in court, unless they cut the scenes that most contradict the message of his book. He lost the fight, but at least managed to get his name removed from the headlines.

I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror if I had to lend my name to something like that. I fought until I was completely exhausted. They tried to knock me to the ground with truly hideous rogue methods. I made a huge scandal. But nothing helped!

And Noah Hathaway also had to swallow a bitter pill. Although he played the lead role, he was banned from promotional activities and was banned from attending the premiere. The shooting of the film was extended from three months to ten, for which Noah was not paid and his parents sued the production. He later received part of the money. But he never complained. He was nominated for a second Junior Academy Award for his role as Atreus and won Best Young Actor in 1984.

Noah then played in several less successful titles. Let’s name at least pictures for all of them Troll, Casebusters, Mortal Danger or The Chair. Then he hung up acting. And it must be added that he didn’t mind. Nor that he remained Atreus forever. He began to realize himself elsewhere. He made a living as stuntman, he even taught stunt courses. In 2016, Hathaway reprized his role from The NeverEnding Story v advertising on Spotify.

As an adult, he became involved in combat sports. He holds a black belt in martial arts Tang Soo Do and Shotokan. He also made a living as tattoo artisteven confirmed that clients regularly requested amulet tattoos from him AURYNworn by his character in The Neverending Story.

He is divorced, has two children, in 2021 he married Kayla – a tattoo artist, artist and biker. He makes a living as a motorcycle salesman. He regularly goes to meetings with bikers and their sleepy rides. In 2022, he visited the Czech Republic as part of Comic-Con Junior (October 22-23, 2022) in Brno, where he confided that he would shoot two horror films, which were also created – Las Vegas Frankenstein and River Beauty.

A tattooed, inoculated and sinewy man in his late fifties fits a horror film – he looks completely different. But looking into his eyes, we see Atreus, who hung on posters in many children’s rooms and entered the dreams of many a girl or boy.

Just like the entire Neverending Story.