Harry Connick Jr.'s marine biology tale

In November, piano player, crooner, big-band leader, composer, actor and recent Emmy Award winner Harry Connick Jr. opens on Broadway in a revival of "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever." For those who can't wait, Connick surfaces this week as marine biologist Dr. Clay Haskett, the human hero of "Dolphin Tale." Based on -- and featuring -- the real-life Winter, whose life was saved by the unprecedented application of a prosthetic to her crab-trap-damaged tail, the film's cast also includes some remarkable animatronic imitators who are nearly impossible to tell from the real thing. Directed by Charles Martin Smith, the film also stars some humans -- including Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd -- as well as Connick, who spoke with Newsday contributor John Anderson from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida.

Did you have to do a lot of research to play a marine biologist?

I learned a lot of stuff. Not only did I want to learn about dolphins and marine biologists and veterinarians, I wanted to learn the specifics of what was going on with Winter, in regards to her prosthetic and her behavior and how she had to be treated and therapy and all that. There were things specific to her story that I found particularly interesting.

Example?

Like that she had so much human interaction and such specific human interaction -- having a prosthetic put on, for instance. There are rules you have to abide by when you're around her. You can't make any sudden noises, or movements. And you have to be very cautious when you get in and out of the pool with her. There seems to be a heightened sense of awareness, not only on the part of the humans around her, but on her part, too.

Whom did you talk with to get the information?

A whole bunch of people down here and also up in Woods Hole in Massachusetts, the vets up there. I asked them what would they do if they were faced with this situation, to get a general feel for the disposition of these people and how they work socially, 'cause that's really what this guy's about. There's a vet called David Yates who is the chairman of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, he's like a real promotional guy, real extroverted and a great salesman, while a lot of these marine biologists they're a little more quiet and academic.

Maybe that's why they're marine biologists.

Right.

Had any of the people you spoke to ever run across a case like Winter's?

Not even close, not even close. In fact, a lot of people, given the situation, would have euthanized the animal, if only because they're in such abundance. It's not like there's a shortage of dolphins out there, as opposed to, say, a sea turtle or something, which maybe there's fewer of. No one had seen anything like this and a lot of people in the oceanographic community had never even heard this story before.

So you got to educate them a little.

Yeah.

The movie really seems like a good one for kids -- Sawyer, the young boy played by Nathan Gamble, is the one who initially saves Winter when she washes up on shore. That's kind of new for you, no?

I've done a couple of things for kids over the years, but it's nice to be a part of it. I think kids will like it, but I think parents will, too. I think there are things they can relate to.

You worked in some scenes with animatronic dolphins, mechanical stand-ins. They're incredibly lifelike, aren't they?

You really had to do a double take to tell which was which. The majority of it is Winter herself, but there were some shots where she was being rehabilitated and we had to apply medicine to her tail and stuff where we obviously couldn't use the real Winter and we had to use the animatronic dolphins. But these people who make them are geniuses, man. I had a hard time figuring it out.

So what's next?

Well, I just got off the road for about eight months, after having done the show on Broadway. After Clearwater, we go to L.A. with the movie, then to Europe for a little bit, then we start rehearsing for the new Broadway show. It's all good, man.