Vamping until fall
By Bruce R. Miller Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, September 07, 2007
LOS ANGELES -- Call it the "Dracula Syndrome."
Play a vampire and, like Bela Lugosi, you're forever typecast.
Alex O'Loughlin has heard the horror stories and knows "Moonlight," his new CBS drama, could be a case of "fangs for nothing."
"This is the first network television I've done. It's the first pilot season I've been on and typecasting is very, very real. But I've made an effort to play vastly different characters in my relatively short career and that's what I want to continue to do."
Starring as a vampire on network television? It was just too -- pardon the pun -- juicy to ignore.
The character, Mick St. John, is a Los Angeles private investigator who was bitten 60 years ago by his bride. That encounter left him forever 30 and a man on a mission for human blood.
The key to playing him? "You play the private investigator," O'Loughlin says. "You try to find the truth in that and then you add the vampire element. He's a P.I. who just happens to be immortal. The series isn't about a guy who's got fangs and drinks blood. It's about the person."
"The person," O'Loughlin says, "starts with my own experiences, then goes from there."
Hailing from Australia, the 30-year-old who guest-starred on "The Shield" still has a pronounced accent off camera. Dialect coaches have helped him sound positively L.A. for "Moonlight," but there's still a bit of the outsider awed by all that Hollywood has to offer.
At a party to celebrate the new fall season, O'Loughlin marvels at all the free food. "When you try to make a living as an actor in Australia, forget about buying a house or investing any money, let alone surviving day to day. You get used to living on rice and ketchup.
"Here anything is possible."
After starring in an Australian miniseries, O'Loughlin (pronounced O'Lock-lin) decided to take a shot at America. "I wanted to work internationally. There are so many wonderful actors and filmmakers and directors I wanted to work with I knew I had to move. In Australia, film is a boutique industry."
He got roles in "The Holiday" and "Oyster Farmer," then started making an impression on television producers. "The Shield" got him noticed. "Moonlight" could make him a household name.
"It's a very exciting time right now -- particularly when you consider CBS picked up four shows out of 500 that were pitched. When you look at it like that you think, 'Wow, I hope I don't screw it up too badly.' I'm really grateful."
More impressive? "Moonlight's" producers dumped the actors surrounding O'Loughlin after the pilot was picked up. At first, "I freaked out. As an actor, you're accustomed to working with different groups of people. But I had gotten to know these people and liked them. To have them all taken away but you're still playing the same character was, well....It's very rare that you get a second chance. Usually, I find myself at a premiere with my head in my hands going, 'Oh, I wish I could shoot that again.' This is a rare opportunity."
To prove he means business, O'Loughlin has studied a number of literary vampires. Anne Rice's LeStat, he says, is a touchstone. "There's a lot of him in Mick St. John...but there's also the Magnum factor." He laughs. "Tom Selleck as LeStat the vampire? Not really. But there have been so many cops and P.I.s over the years you really could fall into a cliche. I'm just trying to find the truth in it."
Meanwhile, he's more than willing to endure unexpected pressures. Earlier in the day, he says, he was hit on the head several times with breakaway vases, "which is why I've been looking for Advil."
Stunts -- a big part of "Moonlight" -- are an O'Loughlin specialty. "I have a martial arts background. I did a few different karates, some Korean martial arts, T'ai chi, kung fu, and I'm always interested in the Eastern way of life. But belts? I had a teacher who used to say, 'Belts are there to keep your pants up.'"
O'Loughlin was in the running to play the new James Bond. Instead, he's the Next Big Thing on television.
"It's difficult to make it in this business no matter where you're from," he says. "Some people would view this as a lucky break for me, but I've worked really hard for a long time. I chip away. I go to auditions. And, now, I just want to be able to do the work. It's a really lucky break."
"Moonlight" airs Fridays this fall on CBS.
Play a vampire and, like Bela Lugosi, you're forever typecast.
Alex O'Loughlin has heard the horror stories and knows "Moonlight," his new CBS drama, could be a case of "fangs for nothing."
"This is the first network television I've done. It's the first pilot season I've been on and typecasting is very, very real. But I've made an effort to play vastly different characters in my relatively short career and that's what I want to continue to do."
Starring as a vampire on network television? It was just too -- pardon the pun -- juicy to ignore.
The character, Mick St. John, is a Los Angeles private investigator who was bitten 60 years ago by his bride. That encounter left him forever 30 and a man on a mission for human blood.
The key to playing him? "You play the private investigator," O'Loughlin says. "You try to find the truth in that and then you add the vampire element. He's a P.I. who just happens to be immortal. The series isn't about a guy who's got fangs and drinks blood. It's about the person."
"The person," O'Loughlin says, "starts with my own experiences, then goes from there."
Hailing from Australia, the 30-year-old who guest-starred on "The Shield" still has a pronounced accent off camera. Dialect coaches have helped him sound positively L.A. for "Moonlight," but there's still a bit of the outsider awed by all that Hollywood has to offer.
At a party to celebrate the new fall season, O'Loughlin marvels at all the free food. "When you try to make a living as an actor in Australia, forget about buying a house or investing any money, let alone surviving day to day. You get used to living on rice and ketchup.
"Here anything is possible."
After starring in an Australian miniseries, O'Loughlin (pronounced O'Lock-lin) decided to take a shot at America. "I wanted to work internationally. There are so many wonderful actors and filmmakers and directors I wanted to work with I knew I had to move. In Australia, film is a boutique industry."
He got roles in "The Holiday" and "Oyster Farmer," then started making an impression on television producers. "The Shield" got him noticed. "Moonlight" could make him a household name.
"It's a very exciting time right now -- particularly when you consider CBS picked up four shows out of 500 that were pitched. When you look at it like that you think, 'Wow, I hope I don't screw it up too badly.' I'm really grateful."
More impressive? "Moonlight's" producers dumped the actors surrounding O'Loughlin after the pilot was picked up. At first, "I freaked out. As an actor, you're accustomed to working with different groups of people. But I had gotten to know these people and liked them. To have them all taken away but you're still playing the same character was, well....It's very rare that you get a second chance. Usually, I find myself at a premiere with my head in my hands going, 'Oh, I wish I could shoot that again.' This is a rare opportunity."
To prove he means business, O'Loughlin has studied a number of literary vampires. Anne Rice's LeStat, he says, is a touchstone. "There's a lot of him in Mick St. John...but there's also the Magnum factor." He laughs. "Tom Selleck as LeStat the vampire? Not really. But there have been so many cops and P.I.s over the years you really could fall into a cliche. I'm just trying to find the truth in it."
Meanwhile, he's more than willing to endure unexpected pressures. Earlier in the day, he says, he was hit on the head several times with breakaway vases, "which is why I've been looking for Advil."
Stunts -- a big part of "Moonlight" -- are an O'Loughlin specialty. "I have a martial arts background. I did a few different karates, some Korean martial arts, T'ai chi, kung fu, and I'm always interested in the Eastern way of life. But belts? I had a teacher who used to say, 'Belts are there to keep your pants up.'"
O'Loughlin was in the running to play the new James Bond. Instead, he's the Next Big Thing on television.
"It's difficult to make it in this business no matter where you're from," he says. "Some people would view this as a lucky break for me, but I've worked really hard for a long time. I chip away. I go to auditions. And, now, I just want to be able to do the work. It's a really lucky break."
"Moonlight" airs Fridays this fall on CBS.
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