Musings on Fan Fiction and A News Story on Gregory Itzin

[ladyofavalon77]

hehe Catching up on my journal posts :)  I've been busy writing entries for "If I Should Lose You..." and it took up a whole night for one chapter!! It was really a good scene with Charles but so difficult to decide who would call who and what the conversations would be.  I ended the piece with a really big cliffhanger but it worries me because Martha might get hurt and I don't know if I like that.  I want suspense but the threat of suspense instead of the actual fulfillment of the threat.  Oh well, something to puzzle over later :)  

The following news article is great because it comes from Itzin's hometown newspaper so the reporter asks alot of personal questions that are both amusing and insightful.  So without further ado, I present the following:

 

St. Mary's High School graduate sworn in as president on `24'

At 10:59 p.m. of Fox's current season of "24," a terrorist in a
hijacked stealth fighter blew up Air Force One, putting President
Keeler in critical condition and giving one of Racine County's own a
pretty hefty promotion.

Actor Gregory Itzin, who has appeared in films such as "Fear and
Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Adaptation," in TV series such
as "Friends" and "The O.C.," and who on the streets of Racine
delivered The Journal Times as a kid, has been cast as Charles Logan,
the latest "24" president. During a few mornings off from shooting,
Itzin, spoke to and e-mailed his former employer from his home in Los
Angeles.

Journal Times: What's your connection to Racine County? Were you born
and raised here, or go to school here, or just pass through once on
your way to Chicago? Gregory Itzin: I delivered The Journal Times as
a youth, does that count? I spent sixth grade through college calling
home Burlington. In many ways I still call it home. My mom passed
away several years ago but my dad, (former Burlington Mayor)
Martin "Marty" Itzin, still lives there. ... I was a Marine brat,
living on various bases stateside up until the sixth grade, when my
Dad retired after 24 years in the Marines and moved back to his
hometown of Burlington.

Were you involved in local or state theater productions before
getting into film and television? I did some acting at an early age.
I think moving around as a kid encouraged my becoming
an "entertainer" ... I was in one-act play contests at (St. Mary's
High School in Burlington, now Catholic Central High School). When I
was in high school, after the one-act plays, I got invited to be in a
production with the local community theater group, the Haylofters,
of "The King and I." I played the prince in that. And the very first
thing I remember being in is playing one of the Three Kings in a
Christmas play.

Were you a fan of "24" before you were cast? I confess to not
watching much TV. Especially now with the proliferation of "reality"
shows. ... When I actually started to watch "24" I saw what all the
fuss was about. It sucks you in with its fast pace and scenarios of
possible jeopardy on a national and personal scale. Add to that,
Kiefer Sutherland gives a driven performance in the lead role. Very
compelling stuff.

We had to arrange this interview around your shooting schedule.
What's it like being President Logan? A character of this complexity
does not come up very often on TV. So I am trying to just lean back,
stay loose, and have a nice ride ... We will see what the outcome of
my playing this guy is. I can't talk about it because I am seriously
encouraged not to disclose any of the information about how the day
ends for the show; what happens in the last hours of the 24 in
question. They would hunt me down and shut me up, and Jack Bauer
knows how to put the hurt on folk. So watch and enjoy.

According to IMDb, you were nominated for a Tony in 1994 for "The
Kentucky Cycle," but the nominee the Tonys Web site lists is "Gary
Itzin." Is this a different guy, or a different guild? Over the years
my name has been mangled in oh so many ways. ... On the night of the
Tony telecast, when the camera was on my face and they announced the
nominee name, they didn't say MY name, they said "Larry Bryggman" and
in turn, Larry Bryggman's face got my name. So it goes.

So, yes, I was nominated (for best featured actor in a play) in '94
for "The Kentucky Cycle" ... It was one of the highlights of my
acting and theatrical career. Something I am very proud of, and proud
to have been a part of.

Do you do theater work now? I still continue to do plays as often as
possible, though it is not fiscally advantageous. ... Since my bread
and butter is TV and film, I am very picky about what I want to spend
my life's precious time on (in theater), so in the last couple of
years I have been fortunate to be allowed to do some plays that I
love and am seriously drawn to. I work with an acting company of very
talented people, and we do plays periodically in a small 99-seat
house for no money. Well, 7 or 8 bucks a performance for gas. ...
Theater is what I enjoy the most. Though the more I learn the more I
enjoy being in front of a camera, too.

You've been in just about every prominent TV series of the past 30
years, from "Charlie's Angels" and "Mork & Mindy" to "The Practice"
and "The West Wing." Do you have any anecdotes about these
experiences, like a run-in with Johnny Depp on the set of "21 Jump
Street" or a conversation with George Clooney on the set of "ER"?
Johnny Depp is a very nice guy. Yes, I worked with him on "21 Jump
Street" and then again on "Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas," where we
chatted each other up and he remembered me from those years ago
on "Jump Street." Or said he did. Very gracious.

I could talk about getting to kiss Angelina Jolie in "Original Sin."
I could do that.

George Clooney is a charming fellow. A guy guy. Martin Sheen is
charming, gracious and enthusiastic, just as you might imagine. Meryl
Streep seems like just good folk, and then you are working with her
and you think: "Oh-my-God-I-am-standing-here-with-a-camera-rolling-
doing-a-scene-with-MERYL-STREEP."

Do you have any other shows or movies coming out this year? Look for
me briefly on "Star Trek Enterprise" as a bearded Starfleet general
on April 29, I believe; as a lawyer - go figure! - on "Judging Amy"
on (an) as-yet-unknown date, and (on) a two-parter for "Boston
Legal." Finally, in the tradition of "Inside the Actors' Studio" host
James Lipton and the Bernard Pivot questionnaire, if heaven exists,
what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly
Gates? "Your tee time is 7:30; and then, after a pleasant lunch,
rehearsals will start at 1 p.m."

You can see Gregory Itzin, who turns 57 on Wednesday, as President
Logan on "24" on Fox (Channels 6 and 32) at 8 p.m. Mondays.

http://www.journaltimesonline.com/articles/2005/04/16/local/iq_3478884.txt

 

Do I really look that stupid...or are you just stupid enough to think so?