Surf Movie Magic

The Paskowitz Family - The Stuff Movies are Made Of

Jonathan Paskowitz is no stranger to Hollywood and celebrity hype. He was the surf/stunt consultant on Blue Crush (which, for better or worse, sent tons of newbies into the waves in search of the stoke) and has taught rockstars, hipsters and editors (i.e., Vogue's Hamish Bowles) how to surf. He even appeared in the pages of Vogue this year when he helped teach starlet Blake Lively to surf.

None of this phases him, and how could it? He's got a life that is the stuff movies - and surf legends - are made of. And, apparently, one is in the works.

"My dad [ "Doc" Paskowitz] has always wanted Sean Penn to play him in a movie, and now it's going to happen," Jonathan said during a recent visit to his offices in Venice Beach. Jonathan, who now heads up the revived Lightning Bolt surf brand (look for a feature in Apparel News on Friday), has stories for days. A lot of those stories were captured in Surfwise, a documentary he produced that chronicles the adventures and misadventures of his family, which is often referred to as the First Family of Surfing. Long story short, patriarch Doc Paskowitz quit his job as an M.D. and hit the road with his wife, Juliette, and their eight kids to live off the grid and surf all the time. Totally the stuff of movies and of surf legends. It doesn't hurt that the whole clan is absurdly good-looking and charismatic.

Penn, who is a friend of Doc's, has reportedly signed on to produce and star as Doc in a yet-unnamed feature film. It all sounds very exciting, so I asked who Jonathan would want to play him in the movie? His answer: "Justin Bieber."

Actually, it could totally work. See?

Paskowitz vs Bieber

Cute. Big smile. Hair.