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agt_spookyAckles tackles familiar role in Casa's 'Men'
Star-Telegram staff writer
When the Star-Telegram arranged an interview with Jensen Ackles, it was to talk about Supernatural, his underrated CW series about demon-hunting brothers. After the interview was set up and before it took place, Casa Mañana announced that the Richardson-reared actor would be joining another Texas native, Lou Diamond Phillips, in a production of Aaron Sorkin's A Few Good Men, which begins Tuesday at Casa.
Ackles and his Supernatural co-star, Jared Padalecki, who are in almost every scene of each episode of the Vancouver-filmed show, are among the hardest-working actors on TV -- but that's nothing compared with the challenge A Few Good Men poses for Ackles, who recently turned 29 and hasn't stepped onstage in a long time. He talked about that challenge, his background and -- like a typical Texan -- sports and heat, during the non-Supernatural parts of the interview.
So -- think you can fill Tom Cruise's shoes?
My biggest trepidation is finding my own take on it. I'm so familiar with the movie that when I'm reading lines, I keep hearing the movie's version in my head. Trying to shake that out of my head and bringing my own take to the role is going to be my biggest challenge. Not to mention memorizing all those lines.
You did some modeling when you were a kid; did you also do theater?
Basically what happened is my dad is an actor in Dallas. He does a lot of radio and television down there, and when I was a young kid he brought me into the agency and the ladies were like, 'Ohhh, we should get him in the print department.' So that's kinda how that started. So then as I got older and realized that I was completely embarrassed about the stuff I was doing, I begged my mom to [let me] quit. So she finally let me quit. I was probably about 14 years old or something. I think I did one Nabisco commercial, and that was about it.
So when did this actually turn into an acting gig?
I did some theater in high school, and there happened to be a talent manager from Los Angeles -- [he] was from Dallas, and he was back in town visiting friends. He came to one of the performances and saw me and liked me and kinda gave me his spiel afterward, and I told him to take a hike. Knowing my dad and knowing the industry as much as I did, I knew it was a crapshoot to come out to Los Angeles. But he was insistent and he persuaded me to come out after I finished high school, and I thought, 'What the heck? I'll go out there for a few months and see what it's like.' And that was 11 years ago.
I know you're a big Cowboys fan. Do you follow all the Dallas sports?
Mainly just the Mavs and the 'boys. Actually, living up in Canada, the crew up there has been dying for me to get into hockey. During our lunches sometimes, we play a little street hockey on one of the empty stages on the lot. I actually did watch the Dallas Stars-Vancouver Canucks series just so these people would stop talking trash to me. But they ended up winning, so I kinda had to back down.
Which do you prefer -- Texas summers or Vancouver winters?
[Laughs.] Well, I've dealt with both of 'em for a number of years, and to be honest, it's six of one, half-dozen of the other. I'm not quite sure which one, but I am looking forward to being with my family again. It's a delicate balance, because I have a life [in Vancouver]. I don't get to [come back home] very much. Last week, my girlfriend asked if I was dusting off my house, because it's pretty much been shut down for nine months. It's a sacrifice, but it's a good problem to have. ...
The nice thing about going home is the lack of responsibility that comes with it. Anybody who's got a mother like mine knows that when they go home, they just get taken care of. So I'm kinda looking forward to that.
Watch Ackles in Supernatural, airing in reruns at 8 p.m. Thursdays on KDAF/Channel 33 and returning for a third season in the fall.
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Date: 2007-06-03 03:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-05 02:20 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-05 02:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-05 02:33 am (UTC)Love the icon, BTW. Hee!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-05 02:42 am (UTC)Glad you like the Icon. hehe
(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-05 03:13 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-03 05:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-05 02:21 am (UTC)I'd rather it just be called a "hit" so we could stop worrying about it's future on a weekly basis after the ratings come out. Geez.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-04 03:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-05 02:22 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-04 04:18 am (UTC)Secondly -
and the ladies were like, 'Ohhh, we should get him in the print department.'
I bet they were! Baby Hottie Alert! *LOL*
And -
During our lunches sometimes, we play a little street hockey on one of the empty stages on the lot.
How much do we wanna see this in the Extras!!! In rollerblades, ya think?
I don't know if Jared actually plays/ed hockey, but funnily enough both his character in ER and on Gilmore Girls did.
Finally -
Anybody who's got a mother like mine knows that when they go home, they just get taken care of.
Awww, Momma's boy! (in the good way, of course)
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Date: 2007-06-05 02:26 am (UTC)To finally see a pic of him that's REAL, not his head photoshopped on someone else's body - I'm a drooling mess here! I will NOT survive this play.
How much do we wanna see this in the Extras!!! In rollerblades, ya think
Ha! That'd be awesome! Me, I'm waiting for the first J2 "street hockey" fic. :-)
Awww, Momma's boy! (in the good way, of course)
Isn't he just the sweetheart, though? So freaking down to earth.
Good lord, I'm going to be seeing him in just FOUR DAYS!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-06 09:10 am (UTC)OMG that would rock! If I knew more about it maybe . . . perhaps I'll do some reaerch . . .
Three days now!