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He's worked with Jennifer Garner and Bradley Cooper on the TV series "Alias" and David Schwimmer in the movie "Pallbearer." He played Jane Fonda's son in the movie "Monster-in-Law." Currently actor Michael Vartan finds himself operating with Jada Pinkett Smith. He plays chief of surgery on TNT's hit series "HawthoRNe," which airs 9 p.m. Tuesdays. The bilingual 41-year-old was born in France to an American mother. He spent much of his childhood between France and the U.S. after his parents divorced.
Does playing a surgeon subconsciously add to your sense of worth as opposed to when you're playing a less-educated character?
[Laughing] That's a good question. It does give you somehow a false sense of accomplishment and ability in that department. I went to visit a friend in the hospital the other day, and I strangely recognized some of the equipment and remembered some of the names. I just thought "Oh, that's kind of cool." But no, in reality, not really. We have an amazing team of technical advisers that make us look a lot more intelligent than we really are.
Do you feel you've hit your stride as an actor?
See the No, I don't. I'm hoping one never does. It's probably what keeps people going. I find acting very difficult. I'm not trying to be self-deprecating or flippant, but I still don't really feel like I'm that good at it. It's a very hard thing for me to do. I've worked with a lot of actors who I respect and who are very talented, and seeing them and their process on set, it always seems so easy for them. I'm secretly very jealous. It takes a lot for me to be able to remember my lines and act relaxed and have some sort of notion what the character in the scene is about and then bringing all that together when you hear "Action" and to do it in front of a room full of people, even though it is the crew. It's all very difficult. So I'm still waiting for that one job where I feel like "Yeah, I got this.
Is it true that your family encouraged you to go into acting?
Yeah, I never wanted to be an actor. I moved back to the States when I was about 18 and tried to convince my mom to [let me] go to art school because that was the only way I could trick her into moving back here from France. Of course, I dropped out of art school within three weeks, and she said, "Well, you better get a job because you are not going to sit around the house being an 18-year-old bum." I got the random jobs. I was a waiter of course. [laughing]
What made you think you should go into acting?
Nothing. A family friend was doing a documentary called "The History of the Black Leather Jacket," which turned out to be a very cool little project. It had Dennis Hopper narrating and was a history of how the black leather jacket got this cool sort of persona. So anyway, he needed a sort of wiry, awkward, teenage kid. There were no lines. That was the No. 1 reason I got the job. He asked me if I wanted to do it, and I said, "Absolutely not." He said, "I will give you $300 a day." I said, "Absolutely, yes!" I remembered being painfully shy and the whole thing being incredibly awkward. It's a weird business.
You have worked with very well-connected actors -- currently Jada Pinkett Smith. Does that change the chemistry on the set?
That's actually a pretty interesting question, because I would say no in general. I do remember the biggest sort of break I got was "Never Been Kissed" with Drew Barrymore and the first couple of days on that set how nervous I was doing a scene with her. It was all so surreal and bizarre. I was very nervous. This was quite a few years ago, and I didn't have the experience I have now. I felt completely out of my league. It was very intimidating. I think it was Drew's first foray into producing, so not only was she a co-star, she was my boss. There were a whole slew of emotions going through my mind. She was amazing to work with and did everything she could to relax me. [laughing]
You were born in France, but your parents divorced and you chose the United States as your home. Was it really because of the mandatory military service in France?
Well, kind of, that was sort of the straw that broke the camel's back. I moved to France when I was 11 for educational purposes. My parents thought maybe I'd get a better education over there, but all through junior high and high school I felt American. I always wanted to come back to the States, and I couldn't obviously until I was no longer a minor. You are right though, coupled with the fact that there was a year of mandatory military service in France. It was the perfect excuse to come back to America. Europe is very different than the States. Truly, America is the land of opportunity. If you work hard, there is a very good chance you are going to succeed. Europe is very much about who you know, and it's connections. I knew at the very least, having no college degree, I could do something with my life here.
What was your father's reaction because he stayed?
Yeah, he lived there 'till he passed away. You know my father was an amazing person who always supported me no matter what I wanted to do. He used to tell me, "If you want to be a garbage man, be the best garbage man you can be." And don't think that thought hadn't crossed my mind. [laughing]
Is there any real difference between how filmmaking is approached overseas vs. here?
The biggest difference that I notice is actors are treated a lot more like a member of the crew when you are in Europe and a lot less like these deities and prima donnas. You carry your own lunch to the lunch tent. No one brings it to your comfy trailer. It is more of a feeling that the actor is just as important as the dolly grip, as the costume supervisor. Everyone has their part to play. It's frankly a way of working that I like a lot more. In the States there is such a disconnect between "the talent" as they call it and the rest of the crew.
Does it really take more effort to date someone famous like Jennifer Garner as opposed to a nonpublic personality.
It's different because you can't go anywhere without being scrutinized or photographed. Other than that we are all human beings, and we all go through the same ups and downs.
Are you in a relationship now?
I'm engaged to a non-actor, a wonderful woman. We're getting married next year. I'm a very, very lucky man. It's definitely been a wonderful change in my life ... when love strikes you really don't have a choice. I'm thrilled she's not [an actress] because of what we just talked about. It alleviates a whole layer of nonsense and public BS, which is great.
Finally, have you used your mastery of the French language to impress your dates?
I have not and I will tell you why. There's a very specific reason for it. There are few things on this planet I find less attractive than a thick French accent on a dude who is trying to pick up a girl. It's the creepiest, most slimy, kind of move ever, whether it's real or not, I don't care. When a woman has a French accent, it sounds beautiful. I never wanted to be that creepy guy. I never have. [laughing]
Mackenzie Carpenter's video program, "Omnivore," is available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.
