Musician, actor, and American Idol judge Harry Connick Jr. returns as Dr. Clay Haskett in Dolphin Tale 2, a project which continues the journey of Winter, the determined dolphin that’s blessed with a prosthetic tail.
Dolphin Tale 2 was shot in Clearwater, Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida, with a huge chunk of the production taking place at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA). “It is a great part of the world,” said Connick Jr. “Being in Clearwater again – I realized how much time I’ve spent here. Other than performing here and doing the film, it seems like a lot of my life has been spent here.”
Connick Jr., who describes Dolphin 2 as the best filming experience he’s ever had, loved reuniting with Dolphin Tale director Charles Martin Smith for the sequel and the chance to collaborate once again with Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd. And, of course, there’s the life lessons he’s learned from hanging out with Winter.
“There’s something inspirational about watching a creature that has no mind in the way that we know it. These are the cards that were dealt to her. And what else are you going to do? Life is really like that. As we all know, there are certain things that are just wonderful about life and certain things that are not wonderful. What are you going to do about it? You have to accept things with grace with dignity and move through them. That’s something you’re reminded of – especially Winter. I call it with DWI – deal with it.”
To hear the full audio version of Connick Jr.’s answer, click on the Souncloud media bar below:
Dolphin Tale 2 opens nationwide September 12.
