#AlexOLoughlin Having a Chat With Shelby – August 2008

This is a transcript of the adorable interview of Alex with 10-year-old Shelby

A Jericho4Kids Interview

with Alex O’Loughlin

on 25 August 2008

Alex plays Mick St John on Moonlight!

He is an awesome actor and an awesome person to talk too!

Thank you to Alex for taking the time to do this interview! You rock!

🙂

Shelby

🙂

Audio:

Shelby: Alright, ready?

Alex: I am ready.

Shelby: When you were a kid what did you want to be when were … when you grew up?

Alex: When I was a kid I wanted to be a jet fighter pilot, but … ah … I never got there.

Shelby: Hmm.

Alex: I actually got told by my kindergarten teacher that I would probably not be able to do that, because I had asthma when I was a kid. So, I never went for it. But maybe, you never know, maybe that is something I can still do.

Shelby: Yeah, probably. We just met the Thunderbirds yesterday and Friday. But a lot the Thunderbirds wanted to be fighter pilots too.

Alex: Oh, really?

Shelby: Yeah.

Alex: I didn’t know that. See there you go, you do learn something new every day.

Shelby: Yeah. In my research I found out you both act and write.

Alex: Well Shelby I would not go spreading that vicious rumour. I ….. I do …… I do write but I’m not … it’s not my forte. Not … it’s not my strength.

But it is something I enjoy doing very much. And it is something I am trying to do more off. So, but I’m not actually, you know, prolific.

Shelby: Mm ….Which one would you consider your favourite?

Alex: Well I think acting is my favourite, which is why I pursued it the way I have. Because, you know when I was ….when I was a kid I really like dress-up you know. And I did not have a lot of fancy costumes but there was an old trunk, an old chest that my mother had.

And I do not know where it came from. But there was a clown costume in it. And it had …. It was white with big red polka dots all over it. And I used to get into that regularly, most weekends and kind of pretend I was in the circus and stuff. So I prefer acting because I get to play with different characters.

Shelby: Oh, that’s cool.

Alex: Yeah.

Shelby: In 2005 you said, “That losing my ‘anominy’ in this world, I think is something I find terrifying”. How do you feel about that statement now?

Alex: Losing my … say that again Shelby.

Shelby: Losing my ‘anonimy’ in this world I would ….. in this world I think is something that I find terrifying. Being like anonymous.

Alex: Right, yeah, I think … I think, I may have said ….. yeah, anonymity is, is, is something that’s ….when you become famous, which I’m not at all, you know. All of a sudden everybody knows who you are. And …. and private moments are very difficult to come by.

And I still kind of feel that way. I don’t think about it very much, because I can’t … I don’t get that much attention from the paparazzi and … and stuff like that, because I don’t really go to places where there are a lot of paparazzi.

I’m kind of very …. I’m a private person, and so. But that is something that I still….. I guess I still do feel that way. Yeah.

Shelby: Well you have a lot of fans, because I got a lot of e-mails with questions from you fans.

Alex: Okay, well you know. There you go, I better watch out then Shelby, huh?

Shelby: Yeah.

Alex: [Laughs]

Shelby: What was your first acting job?

Alex: My first acting job. Well that was a long, long time ago. Wait, I can’t remember the very first. I think it was probably …. I did a lot of extras work, when I first started many years ago. Before I had an agent. Before I came to America. Before I went to drama school. And, I used to get extras work in commercials.

And I think my first ….. The first one that I can really remember was an extras job on a commercial where I played a  …. a marine. I didn’t really do anything very exciting. I just kind of walked up the street carrying a box with another marine.

So, you know, I figured that it …. I figured that it had to get better than that. That is why I stuck around.

Shelby: Yeah, definitely. How is it different working in the United States as compared to Australia?

Alex: Well, some things … some things aren’t different at all, you know. The work is the same of course. You know the accent is different. I usually have to play an American when I’m working here.

So I have to put on an accent different to my own. But the one major difference I would say is the … is the money factor. Films and television have a lot more money in this country, because the industry is much bigger.

And so when you have more money in any business it makes ….. usually makes life a little  easier because you can solve more problems more quickly. Whereas when you working with a limited budget, you have to problem-solve creatively as supposed to using …. using dollars.

Shelby: Yeah, definitely. Do you prefer stage or film when it comes to acting?

Alex: Ah, very good question. Well, I love both and they are both very different and they’re both exactly the same. In …. I’ll tell you what I mean.

Stage, as long as we are talking about drama, and naturalistic drama, as opposed to comedy or farce or something like that. Ah … I approach the work the same way, but there’s different … there’s different things. There’s different things that you could get away with on film that you can’t get away with on stage.

If you are acting to an audience that is  a  long way away from you, some things you have to … you sort of have to sometimes act a little larger than you would normally, whereas on film….. The wonderful thing about film is that you can capture the subtleties of real life, because the camera is up so close to you.

Does that make sense?

Shelby: Oh yeah, it does.

Alex: Oh good.

Shelby: Yeah. Is it true …

Alex: I love both of them.  And I miss the stage, because I haven’t been on the stage for a while.

Shelby: Yeah, I like acting on a stage. Every year my music teacher …. my music teacher has a play. And we all act in it. We have no choice into it. But it actually is pretty fun. And this year she decided to do something different. So we’re doing something completely different than a play.

Alex: Oh really?

Shelby: Yeah.

Alex: Oh, none the less, I am sure it will be interesting.

Shelby: Well I didn’t really think it was a good idea, because she said that we would talk about instruments and have also have instruments playing at the same time. And I don’t think that, that is exactly a good idea…

Alex: [Laughs] Well don’t judge it untill you get there. And Shelby tell me, do you enjoy your time on the stage?

Shelby: Oh yeah, definitely.

Alex: It’s great right?

Shelby: Oh yeah.

Alex: There you go. That’s the reason why I do the job I do.

Shelby: Yeah. Is it true that you were one of the actors considered to be the new James Bond?

Alex: Yeah, it is true. I …. I met with the director here in Los Angeles and then I flew to London and I screen tested for the role. Which was ….. which was quite a lengthy process.

And of course Daniel Craig ended up with the job. But it was …. I did go and do a screen test for that role.

Shelby: Yeah, you would probably be the perfect James Bond.

Alex: Well thank you very much young lady. I appreciate that.

Shelby: You’re welcome. How did you get the role of Mick on Moonlight?

Alex: I …. I auditioned. The first audition I went to, I met with the producers of the show. And then I had to go and do another audition which is mandatory for leading a television show for your first time. Which is the audition called ‘going to network’.

And it’s where you go and audition in front of all the executives of the studio and then all the executives of the network. Which is pretty nerve wrecking. And then ….. and then after that they still weren’t convinced, so  we had to shoot  a screen test on film and send that to the heads of the network and studio.

And then they gave me the role after that. So, it wasn’t handed to me.

Shelby: Mmm …. After that you played a detective on The Shield; do you think that influenced you in getting the role on Moonlight?

Alex: I don’t think so. They are very different shows, The Shield and Moonlight. Ah … I don’t know Shelby, it could have, but I don’t think …. I think the aspect of Moonlight that they were really looking for was the vampire element. Ah …. As supposed to the detective element.

That was sort of the tricky part to pull off, for the actor. Of course on The Shield it was all about being a detective.

Shelby: Yeah, definitely. If you could change characters with anybody on the set of Moonlight, who would it be?

Alex: It would have been Jason Dohring, because the character of Josef was probably my favourite character on the show. Uhm …. I just really liked… I liked a lot of things about him. I liked how playful and how mischievous and …. and … and badly behaved he was. And he was just a lot of fun, that character.

And if Moonlight kept going. If they didn’t cancel Moonlight, you guys would have seen a lot of interesting things develop for the character of Josef. But unfortunately …. unfortunately they …. they pulled the pin, so…

Shelby: Yeah. Who made you laugh the most on the set of Moonlight?

Alex: Oh .. Sophia.

Shelby: Who?

Alex: Sophia, who played Beth.

Shelby: Hm..mmm

Alex: She has a very good sense of humour. And we would …. Not a day would go by, where we weren’t laughing. We used to laugh … we, we, we … she made it … she made it a pleasurable experience.

She’s a very funny person.

Shelby: Yeah. Do you think there’s any hope of a movie for Moonlight?

Alex: I don’t know. Perhaps. I haven’t heard any … any … any whispers of it, but I don’t see why not. I mean, it is a good premise. And the thing with a movie is, you kind of have to have a definite ending.

So, you know we had approached that like any TV show, the opposite of that. You’re not looking for a definite ending, you’re looking for a continuation of the story. But I don’t think ….. I don’t think it is a bad idea, you know. It would be quite a good movie.

Shelby: Yeah.

Alex: Maybe you should write to Joel Silver and …. and suggest that.

Shelby: I will.

Alex: Good for you.

Shelby: This is a fan: As the co-founders of the Red Cross blood drive, Barbara Arnold and I are grateful for your participation for the blood drive, since they launched back in April. Could you please ….. could you please ….  could you please commit on the ever . … Oh, could you please comment on the ever increasing need to support the Red Cross and describe how you feel about the continued involvement of fans of the show for holding blood drives in your name, as a part of Moonlight’s continuation.

Alex: Absolutely, it’s been overwhelming how many people have … have stepped up to be involved with The American Red Cross. It’s an organization  that needs constant support and it saves many lives every year. And it’s …. it’s an organization I’ve been very proud to be associated with and a part of, you know, however I have been able to.

And it’s been …. I am just very grateful that myself and my involvement, and the show that I was such a big part of could assist in any way in bringing as many people as it did into this. Because, so many other people in need are going to benefit from it. And yeah, I am very grateful to be a part of it.

Shelby: Yeah, that’s from Christine. That’s her name.

Alex: Thank you Christine.

Shelby: Oh and the next question is from Pam Stockberger.

Alex: Okay.

Shelby: Do you have any plans to record your own music?

Alex: [Laughs] Not in the immediate future. I’m …. I’m unfortunately not, not quite as good as I would like to think I am. If I was a little better …. Maybe if I practised  a little harder, then that would be on the cards.

But no, I’m, I’m …. my music is really just for me.

Shelby: Yeah. Do you plan on working in theatre again?

Alex: Yeah, absolutely. I mean I don’t know when. And it’s … of course you can …. It’s not something …. I don’t have any theatre work lined up at the moment.

In fact I’m probably …. I’ve just signed a deal with CBS to …. to start working and developing a new show with them. So it mean I will be in television again  for a little while.

But you know this career is .. this is my career, and it will last the duration of my life, I hope. And so I absolutely will end up back in the theatre.

Shelby: Mmm. And then, this one is from Ann …. Angela Neglio.

Alex: Good.

Shelby: And she’s 13. And she wants to know what your favourite colour is?

Alex: Blue. I love blue.

Shelby: Mm, cool. And why do you think Mick wore black even though black attracts the sun? Do you think it was just because black is a perpetually  cool colour?

Alex: Yeah, I think so. I mean I think black is a …. black is a …. black kind of goes with everything. It doesn’t stand out sort of. It fits in more than it stands out.

You know, you can … you can go to … as a detective as well wearing black … I mean he can go …. if he was wearing blue pants instead of black pants it would be harder for him to fit in. And at a …. at a dinner or at some sort of function that he needed to go to or and so ….

But also I think it is his … his style and his taste. He liked those sort of darker … those darker shades.

Shelby: And then the dark black represents  a vampire.

Alex: There you go.

Shelby: Yup.

Alex: There you go.

Shelby: Yeah. And also she wants to say, ‘Have a great day’. And she hopes everything works out well with you. And she hopes you had a great birthday with lots of cards and lots of presents. And she said that she send you a birthday card too.

Alex: Thank you very, very much. I had …. I had a great birthday. I went to ‘Radiohead‘. The ‘Radiohead‘ concert last night. I don’t know if you know that band? But they’re …. They are  pretty cool.

Shelby: Yeah. And .. uhm … Those two were from fans from  Adoring Alex and Alex O’Loughlin Info Network.

Alex: Okay.

Shelby: Those are two websites. And those people are from them.

Alex: Great, great.

Shelby: Will you have any input on your new show?

Alex: Yes, I do have input on my new show. I’m …. I’m developing it with the writers …  with a team of writers. But with the head writer at the moment and I am putting together a team and I am also going to be producing it.

Shelby: Mm, that’s cool.

Alex: Yes, it is cool.

Shelby: And then from Lisa Coltrate,  “What’s your favourite part of working on Moonlight?”

Alex: My favourite part of working on Moonlight?

Shelby: Yeah.

Alex: Uhm …. Well having somewhere to go every day and work, is pretty good in itself.

As an actor you don’t always work. You know you usually have big gaps between jobs. And that can be a little frustrating.

So actually having a job to go to every day is pretty wonderful. So my favourite part of Moonlight was definitely when I got to transform into the vampire.

Shelby: Mm, that’s cool.

Alex: Yeah, it was cool. It was great fun.

Shelby: Oh yeah. Did you have any qualms about being a vampire on a TV show?

Alex: No, not at all, no. It was something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve always kind of had .. you know my inner geek has always been in love with vampires and vampire stories and the mythology of vampires and so.

When I got the job I kind of felt like I knew what to do already. If that makes sense.

Shelby: Neat.

Alex: [Laughs]

Shelby: And then Gretchen Woody, would like to know about your likes, dislikes, hobbies and favourite things.

Alex: Okay, likes ….. I like music. I like food. I like … I like going home to Australia and see my family. I like the beach. Dislikes … uhm, I don’t like nasty people. I don’t like …. What else don’t I like? I don’t like it when it’s too cold. I like it for a minute, but then I kind of … I like living in a sunny place like California. Uhm, I’ll come back to the dislikes. And what else? Favourite things?

Shelby: Yup, like your hobbies.

Alex: Okay, well motorcycles, one of my favourite things. Hiking, you know, mountain climbing and hiking. You know in the wilderness, being outdoors is one of my favourite things. And being with my family again.

Shelby: Mm … cool. Those were pretty good.

Alex: They’re pretty good right?

Shelby: Yeah.

Alex: What do I get an A+ on that?

Shelby: Sure.

Alex: Great, thank you.

Shelby: And a pop tart.

Alex: [Chuckle]

Shelby: And at what age did you pick up the guitar?

Alex: About 12 or 13, I picked up the guitar. There was a guitar that my mom had that had one string on it. And I sort of told myself to play a …. a riff to an Iron Maiden song. And I fell in love with the instrument.

I’m not actually ….. I’ve never had a lesson, I’m self-taught. So I’m not really that good. And I’m not … I know chords and I know, but I don’t necessarily play conventionally. I sort of  play in my own way.

But ….. but it’s always been part …. It’s been a part of my life since 12 or 13.

Shelby: Yeah, and then she would also like to wish you a Happy Birthday. And that’s from René.

Alex: Thank you very much.

Shelby: And then Cathy would like to know, “Is there rumours that part of the deal with CBS was for Alex to pick the theatrical shows?”

Alex: Yeah, Yeah, yeah.  In my new deal you mean?

Shelby: Yeah. What kind of shows would you like to pick?

Alex: That is part of the deal, so I’ll be  testing .. I’ll be testing not only television shows ideas but also testing film ideas …. feature film ideas. That we will be aiming for, you know, to shoot in hiatus time, when a television show actually gets picked up.

Shelby: Mm, that’s neat. And can you satisfy the curiosity of a pest Moonlight fans by telling us more of what was in store for Mick and Beth had the show not been cancelled?

Alex: [Laughs] Well, you know, things kept changing right up to the last-minute, so there’s actually not that much I can say.

And the other is …. it is probably in my best interest and  the best interest of the show, just in case anything ever happens with that show, that I don’t give away anything. But there were … So no I am sorry that I can’t satisfy the curiously of Moonlight fans.

But there were some big things in store. And some big twists and turns. The new character DA Talbot was going to facilitate a lot of that. But yeah, no longer ….

Shelby: Uhm, cool. There were rumours that he and Holly got married recently.  Is that true?

Alex: No, that’s not true. I’m not sure where that rumour came from? But Holly and I have not gotten married, since you know, [laughs] at all.  But …. But we’re still together.

Shelby: Mm, neat. And then Joanne Clark. She doesn’t suppose that you get to follow all the football competitions in Australia to closely when you are over here in USA? But is there a particular kind of Aussie football you are into? And if so, which team do you support in the NRL or AFL?

Alex: Well, good question. Well I don’t really have a team in the NRL but I love the game. I love watching.

There’s the two kinds. There’s the National Rugby League. And there’s two kinds of rugby. And I love …. I love both, Rugby Union and Rugby League.

But the AFL, which is the Australian Football League, is the game that I played when I was younger in school.

And so I follow that game with enthusiasm and the team that I vouch for really is Sydney because that is where I come from, the Sydney Swans.

Shelby: Cool. And then Natalie would like to know, “What was the most memorable time for you on the set of Moonlight?”

Alex: Hmmmm…. A tricky question. Because it was quite a journey. It was quite a …. quite a …

Shelby: Was it getting out of that freezer?

Alex: What’s that?

Shelby: Was it getting out of the freezer?

Alex: [Laughs] I get out of that freezer a lot Shelby. No that was only … That was memorable.

But you know any time you have to do a scene you …. where they require you to take off your clothes in front of everybody on set, that’s kind of … it is always a little bit odd.

You know, doing that in front of lots of  people that you don’t know. But my most memorable about the show?

Shelby: What?

Alex: I think … I … again I think it was sort of having the opportunity to play a vampire, you know. All that make-up and contact lenses and the teeth and the whole thing.

Because it’s not something you get to do every day. It’s not something that I’ll probably ever get to do again in my life. So that was pretty great, you know. It was a lot of fun to really let go and play, when I was doing that.

Shelby: Yeah, definitely. And Christine would like to know, “What were your favourite birthday present whenever you were a kid?”

Alex: Mmm … let me see. My favourite birthday present.

Shelby: A vampire costume?

Alex: It was probably a skateboard and a new pair of air walk shoes when I was 10 years old. Because I wanted it so bad.

Shelby: Mm, cool. For my birthday this year I really want a Blackberry?

Alex: What? How old are you?  ….  You’re 10 years old, right?

Shelby: Yeah.

Alex: I guess you’ve got to work …..

Shelby: What?

Alex: You’ve got your own website right?

Shelby: Yeah.

Alex: Well that makes sense then.

Shelby: Yeah.

Alex: That makes a little more sense than your average run of the mill 10-year-old getting a Blackberry.

Shelby: [Giggle]

Alex: I would not know what to do with a Blackberry when I was 10.

Shelby: [Giggle]

Alex: There was no such thing. I was barely able to use the telephone at home when I was 10.

Shelby: Yeah. And Juliana would like to know. Congratulations on your new deal with CBS. Even though things are still in development stages, what input would you give as to what type of character you would like to play?

Alex: Well, thank you first of all, for the congratulations.

And I think at this stage I’m kind of open to any sort of character within reason. But what we are really focusing on, is the type of show that we want to make. And overall what sort of story we want to tell.

So, I don’t think it is going to have … I don’t think it’s going to be a genre show like Moonlight was. It’s going to be more …. more of a drama. A naturalistic drama.

But yeah, I am open … I’m open to playing any sort of character at the moment. As long as the story is good.

Shelby: And then Alyssa would like to know. Did you enjoy working with Holly? And did you enjoy her kicking your butt?

Alex: It was great, because you know, we ah … we never had before. And we sort … we haven’t since. And it’s not something that happens every day and so, we didn’t know each other professionally.

You know, we knew each other personally and at home and stuff. But not professionally. And that was … it went really well.

It wasn’t actually that different to work than with any other actor. I sort of … there were moments when I forget that it was my girlfriend. But it was a real blast. And it was lovely to be able to  …. cause you don’t  get to see your family and friends that much when you are the lead on a television show.

And so it was nice to be able to spend that week or however long it was with her. And so, we could take lunch together and hang out together while they were changing the set and that sort of things. And that was fun too.

Shelby: Oh yeah, definitely.

Alex: Oh Shelby I’ve just been told we’ve got time for two more questions. Is that okay?

Shelby: Okay.

Alex: Okay.

Shelby: If you had a superpower, what would you do? What would you have?

Alex: Wow, that’s a great question. If I had a superpower … geez …. I better be careful about this one. It would be something to do with helping other people. But I am just trying to think which superpower…..

What do you think? What do you think the best superpower would be to assist to help other people?

Shelby: Uhm, I don’t know. I’d like to be …. I don’t know.

Alex: I don’t know either. I mean the obvious one is to fly. You know because that’s something ….

Shelby: Yeah, I‘d like to fly too. And like  …..

Alex: We as humans look up to the birds and go, “Wow, that would be wonderful” ..

And the other thing is you could like, Hancock you know, or like Superman fly all over the world and kind of ..

Shelby: Yeah.

Alex: And help people everywhere. But I don’t know, it might be. I don’t know. Sorry, I wish I could  answer that straight away. What about like something like changing seawater into fresh water?

Shelby: Okay, that’s good.

Alex: I don’t know? What do you think?

Shelby: That’s cool.

Alex: [Laughs] That might help us for a little while, but we couldn’t do that to all the seawater because then what would the fish do? Right?

Shelby: Yeah. We could stop global warming.

Alex: Hey, I you could do that sort of thing as a superpower. That would be fantastic to patch up the earth.

Shelby: Yeah.

Alex: Yeah, now we’re talking.

Shelby: Can I ask two more questions?

Alex: You can. You know what you can absolutely ask two more questions.

Shelby: Okay. Uhm …. This is from Stephanie.

Alex: Okay.

Shelby: She looks forward to the day when they come begging you to take one of the roles of James Bond, because it is coming. [Giggle]

So if you had to choose one person, fictionally or real, that you would like to play on screen, who would it be and why?

Alex: Hmmm. That’s a good question too. First of all thank you very much I would love to play James Bond one day as well. And maybe that … maybe that …. that just might happen yet. So let’s keep our fingers crossed.

But who would I play if I could play one person? The Dalai Lama would be really interesting, but I’m not sure that I can get away with that. [Chuckle]

So I don’t know. I think … I think… I think it is more fun for me playing … I think, I seem to invest more when I’m playing a real person. Because  … I don’t know.. in that you have your work has to be based on research that has actually happened.

You can’t just make stuff up. And .. but if I had the opportunity to play a character that made a difference to people, you know. And was an important figure in history for the right reasons, then that would be great.

Shelby: Yeah definitely. Then the final question. What would you say to the Moonlight fans and would you come to the convention in September?

Alex: What would I say to the Moonlight fans just generally?

Shelby: Well yeah, like … if you could say anything to them, then what would you say?

Alex: What I would say. First of all what I would say to the Moonlight fans is that you guys are the most amazing fanbase that I ever experienced. You without … without you we wouldn’t have had the show that we had. We certainly wouldn’t have gone for as long as we went.

And because of you so many people around the world recognize Moonlight and  got the opportunity to see it. And … and fall in love with the characters as we did.

So from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all. I mean  … It means the world to me. And I hope that you guys can …. can follow me onto my next project. And get to know those characters as well, whatever that might be. And whoever they may be.

The convention in September I fear I may be working. It’s a little early to be able to say yes or no to that yet. But if I’m not working, then I will be there. But if I am I won’t be able to.

Shelby: Hmmm, that sounds good.

Alex: There you go.

Shelby: Yeah, alright. Thank you.

Alex: Shelby, thank you very much. It was lovely to meet you.

Shelby: Thank you and the very same to you.