Alex O’Loughlin – Three Rivers Soundbites.
(Transcript)
Alex: I play Andy Yablonski, staff surgeon, Cardiothoracic, at Three Rivers hospital, which is a …which is a transplant hospital in Pittsburgh.
Some say the best in the world. [Smile]
Alex: I am kind the head honcho here … Andy is young for his position. But he was … he was sort of ushered up the ranks by people in higher positions than him, who saw the potential … the great potential of the natural gift that he has in medicine.
And he’s like … he’s like a race horse in his field. He kind of has to be held back sometimes and disciplined a bit by his superiors, especially Jordan, who we have Alfre Woodard playing. Who is wonderful.
And … but … when they let him go, he goes and does his thing and it’s always … you know, he’s the best.
Alex: We’ve got a fantastic cast. Justina Machado, Kate Moennig, Daniel Henney. You know, Christopher Mackey. Christopher Hanke? What did I call him? Mackey? – You cut that away. [Laughs]
Christopher Hanke, Alfre Woodard. You know, I mean we’ve got veterans, but this is Christopher’s first, you know, major TV or film thing. He comes from the stage …. And of course we have the other end of the spectrum, there is Alfre, who won more Emmy’s than anyone standing on her head.
So we all …. it’s great, we have a very balanced cast. And we all get on really well.
Alex: This role …. It came about relatively quickly. It sort of came together quite quickly for me, before the pilot. And at first I was … I was really sort of hesitant, because it’s … I understood …. when I started to read it, I understood the enormity and the importance of a character like this.
And I don’t really … I’m not really the sort of actor that phones it in, in any way. I kind of … I don’t work like that.
But I … this one was … I knew it was going to take a lot and I knew nothing. I mean I knew what you ….what do you know about transplant surgery and you know, and this level of medicine?
And I was put in touch with Dr Gonzo Gonzales-Stawinski – who is my man. You know, he is the guy who my character, Andy Yablonski is based upon. And he is so amazing. I mean he really was the core inspiration for me to do this.
Alex: It’s a ‘Cyclopaedic Medical Dictionary‘.
Question: Are you going to need that to film? Do you feel that?.
Alex: Desperately! I am going to need it more than anything. Cause I’ve just come of a film, and I had a day off and I came straight back to the show. And I am just trying to get back into Andy. And get … you know.
There is a lot to say in this episode. And a lot of it is coming out of my mouth. I’m fine, as long as I know what I am talking about. And my thing is, if there are procedures that I’m talking about, or conditions of the heart or the lungs or whatever, I need to …. I’m a very visual person. And if I can get some footage or go into an operating room and see a procedure.
Or … you know, in the pilot, everything I talked about – the original pilot – I had seen. I had seen happen. I had witness from the beginning to the end. And so, it made perfect sense. And it’s ….
I try to do that, whether it is … regardless of want the show is, you know, you need to know what you are saying. You need to be well-informed and have a world behind your words. But there are so many words.
I’m building little worlds everywhere. And a lot of it is really hard to say. It’s like who … why would you call this, that? You know, what’s wrong with bubble? Like a word like bubble. It’s simple, it’s effective. It feels and sounds like what it is. Why do you have to call it Hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy?
Alex: This is another world. I mean, I’ve been asked a lot of questions in a lot of interviews recently. You know, “Do you think Moonlight will come back?”.
I mean, I don’t … Moonlight is not coming back. And I’m probably never going to play another vampire. And so, all you fans that only want to see me as a vampire, “Bye!” [Laughs]
Alex: We are currently in negotiations with “Donate Life”, which is the company … You know one of the big organ donation companies. And working towards an affiliation that can go hand in hand with the show. And to bring awareness.
Awareness about the importance of organ donations, you know, to people around the world. So, I’m really, really excited about that.
Alex: Yes, just wrapped ‘The Back-up Plan’ with Jennifer Lopez. It was great, I think. I’m still sort of shaking it off. It was great. There was a lot of work. And I think it’s going to be a funny, a real funny move.
Kate Angelo wrote a really well balanced and funny script. It’s a … I mean, it’s … I don’t see it as a “romantic comedy”. I see Romantic Comedies as kind of chick flicks, which I am not really that interested in, watching. But I go, because I have to, or my girlfriend would break up with me – if I have one at the time, whatever, you know.
So it has elements of that for sure.
Alex: She’s a pro. You know, I mean, she’s been doing it for years. She’s … she’s a super mega, super-duper star. And, but you wouldn’t guess it. You know, she comes on set, she’s prepared, she’s professional. She brings a great light energy and humour and warmth to the set with her.
And a family now, she brings to the set with her. Which is lovely. So, it was so lovely having babies on set, you know like that. Because it is a rarity. I know you don’t often see cutting takes because one of the kids are screaming. Oh, there’s babies here.
Video:
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mary, from the closed down site Alex O’Loughlin.org, for sharing some of her great collection of pictures of Alex with us.
It is always great to know how much his long time fans still adore him and are also still prepared to share what they have of him with others.
Alex O´Loughlin ~ An Intense Study 