There are a handful of questions that fans repeatedly have asked over the years. So, for the record, I’d like to plow through some of your questions.
What was your favorite acting role?
Huckleberry Finn because it was so much fun. It was for a TV movie called Sawyer and Finn. The movie was shot in Sonora, Calif. It was produced by George Schenck and Frank Cardea, who are currently producing the TV series NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
I grew up going to Knott’s Berry Farm; my parents took me there a lot. That’s when I really started loving the cowboy theme. I watched John Wayne movies with my dad. So the Huck Finn part brought the cowboy out in me. The movie was about Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn grown up and how we bluffed our way through the west. It was a great opportunity to work with some famous cowboys like Slim Pickens, Jack Elam, Bob Tessier, and Oliver Clark, to name a few.
Who do you admire as an actor? Denzel Washington. He’s never had a bad role. He’s diverse; he’s very intense. I like him on-screen and off-screen. I like how he represents his family.
What was your favorite movie location? Philippines. But everywhere I traveled there was so much love and so much to learn. In the Philippines, every time I walked through the door, the people there treated me like family. They were so inviting. It was literally like, “My brother’s having a wedding, come to my brother’s wedding. Come in and eat.”
When you accept their invitation, be prepared to eat a lot. I’ve received really lovely gifts from the Filipino people. They go way out of their way; they’re just beautiful people.
Funniest random story about shooting a movie? I played Brian Dennehy’s son in a TV series called Star of the Family. Brian used to always walk around with a spitting cup from when he was dipping tobacco. He left his cups all over the set. One time, I had an entrance for a scene and on the way in, I spilled one of his cups on me. I had to do the entire scene with brown slime going down my hand. It might have been a challenge, but I didn’t allow myself to break character.
What’s your favorite dessert? Lime popsicles.
(July 25, 2011)