Welcome to the first appreciation thread for Ten Inch Hero

Our friends deal with their love lives and learn about themselves while working in a funky
sandwich shop in Santa Cruz, California.
With the poignant humor and heart of Diner, The Breakfast Club, and Mystic Pizza, here
comes Ten Inch Hero – much more than just a sandwich, it’s a story about finding love
where you least expect it.
Sex, love and laughs are part of the everyday life in this hip little sub shop in Santa Cruz.
For the group of friends who work there, it's an oasis on the complex journey through
relationships, a place where they have each other to lean on as they find their way.
Piper, an accomplished artist, comes to town in search of the child she gave up for adoption
years earlier, but is surprised at what she finds.
Tish is a knockout... and a nymphomaniac. But when will she learn that sex is more than a
weapon and find true love?
The irreverent and horny Priestly dispenses free-wheeling comic advice to everyone, but
how long can he hide his own feelings?
Shy Jen watches life pass by, afraid to reach out, except through her e-mail romance with
a mysterious stranger. Maybe after Piper and Tish teach her a few things, she'll be ready
to meet her online lover in person.
Trucker, a surfer child of the 60s, knows about life. He owns the sub shop, after all. So why
does he need his young staff to help him discover the love of his life?
The sign out front says it all: “Help Wanted – normal people need not apply.”

Why did you hire Ackles? Did you know him before from his previous work or through friends, or did he just walk in and blow you away?
Director David Mackay says:
I met Jensen two years ago, when we just started to get the project off the ground. His agent had read the script and gave it to him, and he loved it. Jensen had only been on Smallville at that point; SUPERNATURAL had not yet come to be.
Jensen has a great energy. He was VERY enthusiastic, and from that day on, he fought for the part of Priestly. And we really like to cast enthusiastic actors!
A year later he came in and read with various possible actresses for Tish. (None of which were Danneel. At that point she hadn't been cast.) Anyway, Jensen blew us away. I had a follow up lunch with him, and we really saw eye to eye. I could tell he was open to trying everything I wanted him to. To really create something COMPLETELY different from what he is known for. And that for me is what acting is all about. He was into it.
And he kicks ass in the movie.


Did the movie change much from the script? And how much do the actors bring to it?
[...]
There's a tender scene toward the end where Priestly (Jensen Ackles) breaks the mood with a joke. It's one of those "laugh through the tears" moments.
By the time we were ready to film, David felt the joke sounded a little stale. So he, Mark, and I batted it around until we found a line we all liked better.
When they were filming that scene, I was listening on earphones with several people. The mood was all heartfelt and sweet...then Jensen delivered the line. And his delivery was so funny, it made the joke much better than it was on the page.
This was a line we had read over and over...and nevertheless we all busted up when we heard it through the earphones.
So writer came up with the line, the director made it better, and the actor improved it even more. And that's what makes a movie.
[...]