LOS ANGELES (Back Stage) – Jason Ritter got his first taste of acting when he was a hyperactive toddler with a predilection for set-crashing.
The overalls-clad youngster was observing the filming of a credits sequence for dad John's hit show "Three's Company" when he got bored, wriggled free from his mother's grasp, and inserted himself into the shot.
"They were at the zoo filming all of these little vignettes, and they were shooting Joyce DeWitt with a goat," he recalls. "I just wrenched myself out of my mom's grip and went over to pet the goat and essentially ruined what they were trying to do. But I guess Joyce DeWitt laughed so hard at that, and there was, like, a really sweet moment, so they just kept it in there."
Ritter notes that he apparently developed quite the diva complex about his initial brush with fame. He says with a laugh, "I just saw an old interview with my dad where he said that I would come in and watch the opening credits of 'Three's Company' and then be like, 'All right, I'm done.'"
Things have changed quite a bit since the 30-year-old actor's days of petting-zoo notoriety. Over the years, he has built a solid career via auditions, crafting a resume that marries indies ("Happy Endings," "Good Dick") with mainstream fare ("Joan of Arcadia," "Parenthood").
Ritter has also become known for playing easygoing dudes you can imagine befriending in real life, like clean-cut pediatrician Ethan on CBS's short-lived sitcom "The Class" or the appealing high school English teacher who caught the eye of both a student and her mother on NBC's "Parenthood."
Because of this, he wasn't sure producers would even consider him for the role of haunted man-on-the-run Sean Walker in NBC's twisty conspiracy thriller "The Event," which premieres September 20. After all, Sean has to headline an epic movie-style action drama every week. In the pilot alone, Sean torpedoes through a gut-wrenching emotional journey that involves losing his fiancée under mysterious circumstances.
"I basically thought they were looking for a young Jason Statham or a guy who's more suited for action things -- the type of guy who jumps off cliffs," the actor says.
But the producers were looking for a relatable sort of Everyman, and Ritter nabbed the part.
STAGE FRIGHT
Though his parents were all too familiar with the travails of the acting life (mom is actor Nancy Morgan, paternal grandparents were singing cowboy Tex Ritter and leading lady Dorothy Fay), Ritter recalls that they encouraged him when he revealed his own stage and screen dreams -- mostly.
"Both of them had met with some trepidation from their parents when they decided to be actors, and I think they really wanted to be as supportive as they could be but also in an intelligent way and in a realistic way," he says.
"So when I said I wanted to be an actor when I was 5 or 6, they just were like, 'No.' They didn't want me to go the child-actor route, but they did say if I was serious, I should go to school and learn how to do it." Ritter pauses at the memory, chuckling. "And I was like, 'I don't know. I thought this was gonna be easy.'"
Ritter, who studied at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, the Atlantic Theater Company and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, racked up one of his first credits in a somewhat ill-conceived guest gig on "Days of Our Lives." He and a friend had to shed a few years playing 16-year-olds flirting with 13-year-olds.
His first breaks were dramatic roles: a paraplegic journalist in "Joan of Arcadia," a semi-closeted rocker in "Happy Endings." The latter opened the door to a solid indie film career, which Ritter has kept chugging along throughout the years. In addition to continuing to act in features like this year's Sundance hit "The Dry Land," he stepped behind the scenes to produce 2008's festival favorite "Good Dick," written and directed by Palka.
Ritter acknowledges that comedic roles scared him for a long time, the result of constant comparisons to his dad, who died suddenly of a heart ailment in 2003.
"I would get in (the audition room), and they would talk to me about how incredible he was, and then it was like, 'Now go for it. Now that we've brought up all of your deepest insecurities, open yourself up and try not to feel like we're judging you.'"
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99
Babe Of The Month
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html
No comments:
Post a Comment