Horatio Alger is cordially invited to blow us all, as today's LAT has the incredible and inspiring story of Flyboys star/producer David Ellison, who heroically overcame a lack of acting experience to be cast in the film with nothing but pluck, a billionaire pedigree, and a multimillion dollar investment:

Two years ago, David Ellison thought of Hollywood as the rocks above which the sirens sang. From the high-tech Northern California cocoon of Woodside where he grew up, the entertainment industry seemed unacceptably risky, a place where most people failed and then failed again. He would venture south, yes, but only to go to Pepperdine with an eye toward a business major.

But that was two years ago, a lifetime, and things have changed. Filming has just finished on "Flyboys," in which Ellison will make his feature debut — as both an actor and investor, a dual role unusual enough for the scion of a famous actor or director, virtually unheard of for an industry newcomer. [...]

Ellison and everyone around him are aware of how it looks — it looks as if a rich wannabe actor decided to take a golden shortcut to stardom. [...]

"He's an interesting guy," says [director Tony] Bill, "and my theory is that interesting people make interesting actors."

We've developed our own theory on something else that makes for an "interesting actor": a guy who can pony up "less than 30%" of the $60 million in production costs," and who's also able to keep a straight face when he tells the LAT that his investment had nothing to do with getting the part.

• A wing and a player [LAT]