Video ~ Alex O'Loughlin interviewed about his film, Whiteout

This video is of Alex O'Loughlin talking about his soon to be released movie, Whiteout. By the way, the film will be out on Friday, September 11th, 2009.

New TV Squad interview with Alex O'Loughlin

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 Magazine ~ Alex O'Loughlin Resurrected!

It is soooooooooo good to see Alex O'Loughlin being featured in TV Guide again :)

Alex O'Loughlin Resurrected!
by Lisa Bernhard

Not 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.html

Photograph ~ Alex O'Loughlin posing for TV Guide ~ Photo credit Rodolfo Martinez