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Entertainment Tonight interviews Alex O'Loughlin!Alex O'Loughlin: From Vampire to Serial Killer
"Moonlight" hottie Alex O'Loughlin returns to CBS tonight for a guest-starring role on an episode of "Criminal Minds," in which a serial killer sends the team a videotape detailing one of his crimes. On the tape, he includes a plea, asking them to help him stop his killing spree. But first, ET checks in with Alex to get his take on his turn to the dark side.
ET: This role is quite a departure from Mick. How do you think your fans will react to it?
Alex O'Loughlin: How do you think they will react?
ET: I think they may be disappointed. You are not as sexy as you were in "Moonlight."
Alex O'Loughlin: There is more of that coming up. There is plenty of that.
ET: Is that why the part appealed to you, because it was so different?
Alex O'Loughlin: Absolutely. I didn't go to leading man school. I went to drama school. I don't want to play the same role, every role I get. The other thing is, my true fans, emphasis on the word true, will follow me wherever I go. I thought it was a well-earned breather between roles.
ET: Did you do any research on serial killers?
Alex O'Loughlin: Not so much on serial killers, as on OCD. I did a lot of research on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
ET: Right, because this character had to open doors twice and not step on cracks.
Alex O'Loughlin: There is more to it than that. OCD is an anxiety disorder. The patterns that people have ... you yourself might have some patterns that you are not aware of. A lot of us do. The patterns that people have in their daily life, such as putting their sunglasses on with both hands, or the way they tie their shoes. There are patterns that we have in real life that ease an anxiety that is inside of us. This is an extreme case of it.
ET: CBS seems to love you. You are doing the new pilot, "Three Rivers," for them. Can you describe your role and talk about the series?
Alex O'Loughlin: We have already done the pilot. The character's name is Andy Yablonski. It is based on a real-life character called Gonzo Gonzales-Stawinski, who is a cardio-thoracic surgeon I have been shadowing for the past couple of months. He has become a great friend of mine.
My character is a cardio-thoracic surgeon. He is a staff surgeon, but he is being preened to become head of surgery at Three Rivers Clinic, set in Pittsburgh. It is called Three Rivers because there are three rivers in Pittsburgh: The Allegheny, the Monongahela and the Ohio, but it is also told from three perspectives: The donor's perspective and the grieving family, the recipient and their family and the surgical team.
It is very different than "Moonlight." It is not about vampires, but there are equal amounts of blood as my last show.
ET: When you worked on "Moonlight," you worked with the American Red Cross for blood donation.
Alex O'Loughlin: That is something I am hoping to take on to my next project. I want to take it to another level and work with Donate Life America, which I will be working with in affiliation with Gonzo and CBS. I want to put something together and do something special for that.
ET: With 'Twilight' now and "True Blood," do you think that "Moonlight" was just one year too early?
Alex O'Loughlin: Many people say that. If they put it on now, maybe less people would have watched it because people are watching the other vampire projects. I just think they pulled it off too early. I think it is a show that took a minute to find its legs, but once we found our legs, our numbers were consistent and we won some awards. We were doing really well and then they canceled it.
ET: Nina Tassler said at the TCA [Television Critics Association] press tour that when they studied the fan reaction to the series, you tested better than the show.
Alex O'Loughlin: That is lovely to hear. It is always funny when you hear things like that, because what do you say besides thank you? I don't get it. I get up in the morning and my hair is all hanging in my face and poking up on one side, I need to shave and I look older than I am. When I stagger into the kitchen to get my breakfast, I don't think, "Oh, look at that handsome guy. Look at that talented special creature."
"The Big Wheel" episode of "Criminal Minds" airs tonight at 9 p.m. on CBS. http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/04/73321/index.html
Photograph ~ Serial killer, Vincent (Alex O'Loughlin), from the CBS television series Criminal Minds
Matt Mitovich, from TV Guide, has posted a new chat with Alex O'Loughlin.Today's News: Our Take
Alex O'Loughlin Previews Criminal Turn, Opens Up About His Post-Moonlight "Tailspin"
by Matt Webb Mitovich
'Alex O'Loughlin says of his Criminal Minds appearance, "Yeah, it's a little different." '
Can a serial killer played by Alex O'Loughlin slake his thirst for murder? The star of TV's too-short-lived Moonlight talked to TVGuide.com about his compelling guest spot on CBS' Criminal Minds (Wednesday, 9 pm/ET). Plus: Why Alex O's fans should give his new medical drama a chance.
TVGuide.com: Where have ya been, man? We had a long stretch there, after Moonlight went bye-bye, where the fans were missing you terribly.
Alex O'Loughlin: Yeah, I didn't work for like 10 months. I went back to Australia for a minute, and then I went and sat in a forest for a couple months and got my thoughts together. I did a bunch of writing.... Essentially, I went into a bit of a tailspin and left the country, to Mexico, out of phone range. I was kind of upset.
TVGuide.com: Well, nearly a year later, not a week goes by that I don't get a reader asking not if but when that show is coming back. Exactly what measures were taken to possibly save Moonlight?
O'Loughlin: I don't know exactly what happened after they cut it. I know they talked to CW, they talked to TNT ... a bunch of people.
TVGuide.com: Is there anything you can share about what was going to happen next on the show?
O'Loughlin: What I do know is that there was going to be some really cool stuff going on with Eric Winters' character, [the ADA] who was gathering the list of vampires.
TVGuide.com: Turning to the April 29 episode of Criminal Minds: [Series creator] Ed Bernero told me that your serial killer reaches out to the BAU for "help" — and he put "help" in quotation marks.
O'Loughlin: There are a few twists, and I can't tell you what they are. But the thing that I love about this episode is that we find a very disturbed character — a guy whose life is run by obsession and by compulsion, and he can't stop this pattern of killing. But he wants salvation. He finds a child, and the child represents perhaps the last bit of innocence within himself. This is what I drew from the character when I first read the script, and I hope that's what we see when the show plays. The episode was written by a friend of mine, Simon Mirren, who is very, very talented.
TVGuide.com: Paget Brewster told me that you had the women on the set all atwitter.
O'Loughlin: Oh, boo. Come on. I must have missed that! [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: You went from taking lives on Criminal Minds to saving lives on the CBS drama pilot Three Rivers. Sell me on the concept.
O'Loughlin: It's set in Pittsburgh, where the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio rivers meet, and it's told from three perspectives — the organ donor, the organ recipient, and the surgical team. That of course means that in every episode, someone dies and someone potentially lives, so it's always very high-stakes. The show is really well-written and smart and sensitive. It's a beautiful little hour of TV.
TVGuide.com: I just know that some of your Moonlight fans are concerned that the premise, on paper, doesn't sound dynamic enough for their Alex O'Loughlin.
O'Loughlin: It's absolutely dynamic enough. I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can't do Moonlight again — it's finished. The bottom line is that my true fans will follow me where I go.
TVGuide.com: I take it that your Three Rivers character, Dr. Andy Yablonski, is not Australian.
O'Loughlin: [Laughs] No, he's not. They offered me the role, and I was like, "Can I at least audition as an Australian?" "G'day! Do you need a new heart?"
TVGuide.com: And they weren't buying.
O'Loughlin: No, they weren't.
TVGuide.com: Was Three Rivers the first project that CBS sent you as part of your talent deal with them?
O'Loughlin: No, no. They had a bunch of other things.
TVGuide.com: Did they try to add you to any existing series?
O'Loughlin: Mmmm.... There was talk about a couple bits and pieces that we didn't take seriously.
TVGuide.com: When are you doing the Jennifer Lopez movie?
O'Loughlin: That films in like two weeks. She plays a 40-year-old girl who hasn't found the one and wants to have a baby, so she gets artificially inseminated. Then she meets the guy of her dreams — and that's me!http://www.tvguide.com/News/OLoughlin-Criminal-Minds-1005531.aspx
Photographs ~ Alex O'Loughlin on the red carpet at TV Guide's Sexiest party, and as serial killer Vincent from Criminal Minds tv show
As usual, Alex O'Loughlin gives a great interview! In this chat, they not only talk about his new projects but also our beloved Moonlight. Do you think that, as a boy Vampire, Mick St John would kick Selene's (Kate Beckinsale) tail? I would like to see that fight ;>
Oooooooo.... I totally agree that the Vampyre film Alex recommends ("Let the Right One In") is a must see!Moonlight's Alex O'Loughlin talks guest spots, TV pilots, and vampire smackdowns
by Mike Moody
Moonlight is history, but Alex O'Loughlin is still in demand. The actor, who garnered a huge fan base playing Moonlight's good guy vampire Mick St. John, returns to TV this week. O'Loughlin will guest star as a conflicted serial killer on CBS's Criminal Minds on Wednesday.
For O'Loughlin fans, the guest appearance is only a tease. What they really want to see is their favorite Aussie actor starring in a new weekly series. They might get their wish if CBS picks up Three Rivers, a drama pilot starring O'Loughlin as an organ transplant surgeon.
I got a chance to speak with O'Loughlin this week. We chatted about his new projects, his love for the vampire genre, and how Mick St. John could totally kick Kate Beckinsale's ass. Click through for the conversation, plus preview images and video from the actor's appearance on Criminal Minds.
Mike Moody : Moonlight got the axe, but you've landed a high-profile guest spot on CBS's Criminal Minds and you're starring in a new pilot for the network, Three Rivers. How does it feel to be so in demand at a major network?
Alex O'Loughlin : It feels good, Mike. It feels good. I mean, as an artist, you spend a lot of your life maybe not working and training, reading and really trying to further yourself. And the reality is a lot of us never really get to make a living at it. So it brings me great joy to be in demand. It's a lovely feeling. I've worked hard for a long time to be able to choose what I want to do ... It's a lovely feeling.
Mike Moody : You play a serial killer who's possibly seeking redemption in Criminal Minds. Can you draw any parallels from that character to Mick St. John from Moonlight, or is this something completely different?
Alex O'Loughlin : It's definitely different, which is what drew me to the part. With Mick St John, the only thing the two have in common is that they are both in control of what they're doing, but Mick was more in control than this guy. This character has a crippling case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which now runs his entire life. He's had to stop working to maintain his anxiety, and it takes him all day and every moment to control it. And the killing is part of that as well. It's a form of control for him, and yes, he is seeking redemption.
Mike Moody : Did you study the effects of obsessive-compulsive disorder before taking on this role?
Alex O'Loughlin : Yeah, I actually had it. I think a lot of us have a certain degree of it, I know I do, but I'm not crippled by it. When I was a young boy in elementary school I was quite a blatant example of a child with OCD, and I remember how it used to make me feel and how difficult it was. I also did a lot of reading and I studied the effects of OCD on children and how it continues from childhood to adulthood if left untreated.
Mike Moody : Let's talk about Three Rivers, the CBS pilot you're starring in. The character you play is based on a remarkable real-life surgeon, Dr. Gonzalo Gonzales-Stawinski. What was it like getting to know the doctor and playing a character based on him?
Alex O'Loughlin : Well, I don't get star struck by many people, but I'm completely star struck by this guy. I love this guy so much. He's become such a great friend of mine. He's a rock star, he's a hero, and he's so cool. I spent many hours shoulder to shoulder with him in the operating room, and I've never met anyone like him before. I've really been affected by him. He's a great source of inspiration to many people. He gives life to people, and he's a wonderful, funny guy and really enjoyable to be around.
Mike Moody : Three Rivers can be called a "show about doctors," but it seems to be more than that. What's unique about this project?
Alex O'Loughlin : It's not a show about doctors, it's about transplant surgery, and it's called Three Rivers because it takes place where the Allegheny River and Monongahela River meet with the Ohio River in Pittsburgh. And it's also called Three Rivers because it's about three perspectives of transplant surgery: the recipient, the donor and the surgical team. That's what unique about it.
Mike Moody : Do you think it will appeal to Moonlight fans?
Alex O'Loughlin : I think it's going to appeal to a lot of people. It's a different genre. I love the vampire genre, though. I always have. Actually, I want to recommend a film, Let the Right One In ... It's directed by Tomas Alfredson.
Mike Moody : I've seen it. It's great.
Alex O'Loughlin : You've seen it?
Mike Moody : Yeah, I liked it.
Alex O'Loughlin : Oh, it's f*ckin' brilliant. Yeah, I'm a huge vampire fan, but (Three Rivers) is a different show, and I love it. It's really smart, it's grown-up, it's clever, it's funny and sensitive, it's got everything.
Mike Moody : You've been involved with a few causes, like the American Red Cross, that seem to stem from the roles you take on. What are your hopes or goals for Three Rivers, not on an entertainment level, but on a social or awareness level?
Alex O'Loughlin : My hope is to become involved with Donate Life America or an equally large non-profit organization to educate about organ donation. I want to be in a position where we can leverage the philanthropical aspects of what we do with TV spots, PSA's and campaigns.
Mike Moody : You have a few big movies coming up, including White Out with Kate Beckinsale, who was in the Underworld films. Did you two trade vampire stories on the set?
Alex O'Loughlin : A little bit, yeah. It was more like, "Who was the better vampire?" I was the better vampire! No, I was the better vampire! No, I'm a boy, I was better and I'm stronger than you!" (Laughs) We went back and forth, and I think she finally said, "You're an idiot" and walked away. But the bottom line is Mick St. John would kill what's her name, I don't even remember her name, from the (Underworld) movie! Mick St. John would kill her!
Mike Moody : So you're obviously a big fan of the vampire genre. Is there any chance you'll return to genre television or maybe do a genre film anytime soon?
Alex O'Loughlin : Sure, why not genre film? Why don't we do a big film? I'd love to do more genre work. I don't know about anytime soon, but it's not out of the question for me.
Mike Moody : Audiences really responded to your onscreen relationship with Sophia Myles on Moonlight. Any chance you might work with her again?
Alex O'Loughlin : Yeah, maybe. There's nothing set up, but she's a friend, and you never know. It's a small world and we have a scarcely small acting fraternity, so I wouldn't be surprised if it happened. She's great.
Mike Moody : We look forward to seeing you on Criminal Minds next week. Anything you want to say to your fans about the show?
Alex O'Loughlin : Tune in. Come on! Show up! It's a good episode. I think you'll like it.http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/04/28/moonlights-alex-oloughlin-talks-guest-spots-tv-pilots-and-va/
Photograph #1 ~ Mick St John (Alex O'Loughlin) from Moonlight television show
Photographs #2 & #3 ~ Serial killer Vincent (Alex O'Loughlin) from the CBS tv program, Criminal Minds
TV Guide's Matt Roush fields great fan questions about Alex O'Loughlin and his new tv show pilot, Three Rivers.Ask MattQuestion : There's been a lot of buzz about the Three Rivers pilot. I don't think I've ever heard this much about a pilot being filmed before. Is this an indication that it has a higher than normal chance of being picked up for the fall schedule? Do the networks push certain pilots to the top of the heap for better chances of being chosen? Alex O'Loughlin fans (me included) are chewing their nails off waiting for news on new pick-ups. Any inside news about this? The show sounds fascinating beyond the fact that it will star our handsome and talented Aussie hunk. —Cindy RMatt Roush : The buzz about Three Rivers is magnified by the fandom for Alex O’Loughlin. Nothing wrong with that, but keep it in perspective. Industry buzz, including in the Hollywood Reporter just this week, indicates the show is a “strong contender” for fall, no doubt enhanced by the star’s enthusiastic following, especially since the demise of Moonlight on the same network. (There’s a reason he was given a high-profile guest role on Criminal Minds in an episode airing next week.) Is all of this enough to clinch Three Rivers an on-air spot? Maybe, maybe not. For me, the show makes some sense because with ER gone, there’s an opening for a new medical drama with sexy leads. The transplant-surgeon angle also sounds promising, but just the very idea of Alex O’Loughlin around blood (even if it’s being pumped into patients instead of being drained from necks) no doubt has millions swooning. Hard not to see why.http://www.tvguidemagazine.com/ask-matt/ask-matt-say-it-br-aint-so-tony-750.html?page=2
It is soooooooooo good to see Alex O'Loughlin being featured in TV Guide again :)Alex O'Loughlin Resurrected!by Lisa BernhardNot every actor’s return to TV merits a countdown clock. But check out Alex O’Loughlin’s MySpace page, where a flashing display reads: "23 days, 16 hours, 47 minutes, 38 seconds until my guest spot on Criminal Minds."A little over the top for a one-week gig? Not to the millions of obsessed, feverish (and mostly female) fans who hunger for the mere sight of him—the ones who swooned over his sexy vampire, PI Mick St. John, on the CBS drama Moonlight. When the show was canceled last May after just one season, they protested. Not just in e-mails and chat rooms, but also in ads in Variety and on the backs of buses.“I had never seen a group of people fall so deeply in love with a character I’d been a part of,” says O’Loughlin. CBS didn’t revive the show, but the network still felt the love for O’Loughlin, giving him a development deal for a new series as well as the juicy guest shot on Minds.In the episode airing April 29, the Australian actor plays a serial killer. A smart move for a sex symbol? “It’s funny you should mention that,” says O’Loughlin, 32. “This lovely lady, a fan, came up to me the other day and asked exactly that. And I said, ‘Hang on a minute—if the character has no path to redemption, then it’s difficult for me to play. But this guy, at the end, breaks through his own wall and touches another person. It’s a transition to epiphany.’ If people can’t see that, I’m not doing my job.”From all accounts, O’Loughlin does his job well. Says Minds coexec producer Simon Mirren, “You know it’s a good [performance] when the crew starts hanging around the monitor. They came up to me and said, ‘This guy’s great.’ From my point of view, the more an actor can inhabit something that’s the opposite of him, the more producers can be surprised by it.”That may be why O’Loughlin is following Minds with yet another sharp turn, as cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Andy Yablonski in the CBS fall pilot Three Rivers. Costarring Julia Ormond (CSI: NY), the Pittsburgh-based drama focuses on an organ transplant team, with O’Loughlin’s role inspired by real-life surgeon Dr. Gonzalo “Gonzo” Gonzales-Stawinski. “I absolutely love him,” says O’Loughlin of Gonzo. “I’ve sat in on five open-heart surgeries with him in the last few weeks. And what I realize is, I play a very, very important person. It’s completely changed my life.”Known for taking work home with him (“I walk in the shoes of the character 24 hours a day”), O’Loughlin also takes his work to heart. While shooting Moonlight, he became a spokesperson for blood donation with the American Red Cross. For Three Rivers, he’s hoping to work with Donate Life America, an organization promoting organ and tissue donation.Giving back comes naturally to a guy who gets so much—especially from his fans, who shower him with gifts, including a humidor loaded with expensive cigars. As for his personal life, O’Loughlin dated Aussie actress Holly Valance (Prison Break) for four years, but “we’re having a time-out,” he says. Hear that, ladies?Another treat for fans: O’Loughlin costars in this fall’s feature film “Whiteout,” opposite Kate Beckinsale. The Antarctica-set thriller casts him as a “young, bold smart-ass.” (“Omigod, what a stretch,” he jokes.) And get this—in one scene, O’Loughlin runs across the ice, wearing only boots and a furry hat. Start the countdown clock now!http://www.tvguidemagazine.com/feature/alex-oloughlin-resurrected-687.htmlPhotograph ~ Alex O'Loughlin posing for TV Guide ~ Photo credit Rodolfo Martinez
