Brad Rowe Can Do Anything

All Photos:  Alan Mercer   Lighting:  Eric V.

I have always loved Brad Rowe’s acting work. When I originally started this blog he was one of the actors I wanted to feature so I’m happy he’s here to celebrate the third anniversary with me. Brad is one of the nicest people in Hollywood. He is also one of the smartest people I have ever met in my life.

Brad Rowe began his career in movies with a big splash in ‘Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss,’ which also launched the career of Sean Hayes. He became a semi-regular on the sitcom 'Newsradio’ in 1998. He went on to star in several films like 'Stonebrook’ and 'Body Shots’ and more television appearances on shows like 'Wasteland,’ 'Leap of Faith’ and 'The Outer Limits.’ His credits are just too long to mention all his work.

He took part in Tony Zierra's 2009 documentary’My Big Break’ which follows the early careers of Brad, Wes Bentley, and two other actors. This film is a rather fascinating look at the reality of Hollywood.

In 2007, he played Shaun, the romantic interest of the central character in the critically acclaimed film ’Shelter.' This is one of Brad’s finest film works showcasing his range as an actor. Many people have seen ‘Shelter’ a dozen times or more.

He appeared on ’General Hospital’ as Murphy Sinclair in 2010. More recent appearances include ‘The Mentalist,' ‘Cold Case,' ‘CSI: New York,' ‘Ghost Whisperer’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother.' He also spends time filming his own documentaries.

A University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate, Brad graduated with a degree in Economics and originally worked as a finance manager for political campaigns in Washington D.C. before moving to Los Angeles, to pursue a career in writing and acting.

　

Brad is a volunteer who teaches weekly classes helping the homeless and economically disadvantaged find jobs. He is also the host of the talk radio Podcast series titled ‘MIPtalk: Conversations with the World's Most Interesting People.’ Here Brad and his partner Noam Dromi talk to experts in their different fields in ways that us common people can understand.

　

Brad and his wife Lisa have a son named Hopper. Special thanks for Jim Forgetta for arranging this.

AM: Brad, why are you back in school?

BR: About seven years ago I made a conscientious shift from just acting to the original reason I came out here to LA, which was to be a screenwriter and to produce.

AM: So were you wanting to be an actor originally?

BR: Really, and I say this in the most complimentary way, I fell into acting, total dumb luck. I started out in the business schlepping scripts with four different agencies and I got shoved in the pile to go out and audition for some stuff and that’s how I got started in this business. 

AM: So once you got started acting you did enjoy it, right?

BR: I fell in love with acting, studied hard and worked a ton over the past fifteen years, but seven years ago I started writing and producing documentary films. I’ve worked on a couple social documentaries including a couple of award-winning films.

AM: What are the documentaries about?

BR: One was called ‘Women On The Edge’ which is about immigrants coming in from Mexico to the United States and the other one is on homelessness in Los Angeles. From that I have since produced dozens of short biographical films on philanthropic characters, some of the best public servants out there like the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. I’ve had a chance to travel around the United States and the world a little bit digging up really interesting stories.

AM: That sounds fascinating. Are you writing a new screenplay now?

BR: On the screen writing side I got really excited again about telling meaningful, as well as fun, stories. I have a nice social commentary type of project, but in a fun vane like 'The Anniversary Party’ called ‘For Better Or For Worse’ which I may end up directing this summer. It’s going to be a lot of fun. 

AM: What is the story about?

BR: It takes place in one house over one weekend with a crazy wedding celebration. It just so happens that the two people getting married are two grooms. The matriarch of the whole family will be played by Ruta Lee. She’s recently widowed in the movie. Her conservative husband is gone so she is able to accept her son for who he is. This movie was born out of the social message of the Prop 8 campaigns. So anyway getting back to your question as to why I’m in school. I’m at UCLA in the Luskin School of Public Affairs getting a masters degree in the public policy program.

AM: When did you start?

BR: I just started in September. I looked at schools all over the United States, but they accepted me first and quickly. So quickly that I wasn’t expecting to start school until next fall, but last August they told me I could start right away. I was totally unprepared for it but I thought why not!

AM: Why did you decide to do this?

BR: I wanted to get involved to augment some of the entertainment projects that I am working on. I wanted the ability to participate in political conversations at a meaningful level with policy makers to understand and be able to work with statistics and information. I want to help move along political agendas in this era that seems to be totally stigmatized. It’s frustrating for me to see what has happened to the political structure of our country, but it’s also inspiring for me. One of my first jobs out of college was as a campaign finance manager for political campaigns. Since my son was born I have been very involved in community issues. I’ve been teaching now for the last ten years downtown with the homeless population.

 

 

AM: What do you teach?

  

BR: I teach goal setting and stress management courses. I really just want to take my education to the next level.

AM: What are you going to do with this schooling?

BR: I don’t know right now. I’m one quarter into it. It’s going very well and I’m having a great time. I love being on campus four days a week. I’m connected with some great advisors and mentors. I don’t know if come Spring of 2013, if this is going to add fuel to fire of what I’ve been doing with film or my podcast talk show, ‘MIPTalk: Conversations with the World’s Most Interesting People.’ I don’t know if it’s going to continue blazing down that trail or if it’s going to be a pivot in some way.

AM: This ties into your podcast show ‘MIPTalk doesn’t it?

BR: Very much so!

AM: How did you get started doing these shows?

BR: MIPTalk was a baby born from a co-writer friend of mine, Noam Dromi, who has recently had a wonderful ride of success. He wrote ‘A Dolphin Tale’ so he’s had a really nice year! Noam is a really bright life-long learner. He’s a real smart guy and he and I started this almost four years ago.

AM: What was your goal with the podcast?

BR: We wanted to create a forum where we could have conversations with people who were outside the realms of what we were used to talking about, which is box office and Nielson ratings. We didn’t really know what it would be. We’ve had a chance to be exposed to thought leaders, trailblazers, people who are doing bizarre things in the arts, people who are cutting their teeth on interesting projects in science and academia. It has really formed itself. We somehow found a large wonderful audience. About 60% is international. We do mostly long form interviews and we get great feedback.

AM: You must have a well-rounded interest in lots of different topics.

BR: Yes, that’s who I am, but it’s really been brought out. MIPTalk has flushed those colors out. I don’t know the first thing about DNA or paranormal activity and how to capture it on film. I don’t know the first thing about what it’s like to be in solitary confinement. I don’t know what its like to be the mother of a child who’s suffering from a severe mental illness. I don’t know what it’s like to be fighting against the crime cartels in Mexico! I don’t know these things, but I can sure try and set up the interviews. Then I can do my best to research it and understand what these people stand for. 

AM: You make the conversations easy to understand for those of us that aren’t as smart.

BR: I always try to take it from the layman’s side. I like the conversation to bounce back and forth between the lay area and the expert. I let them tease us with their extraordinary knowledge they have and also bring it back into terms that are easily understandable.              

AM: With all this going on, is acting becoming less important to you after fifteen years in the business? 

BR: No it’s not. I think acting is as much a part of my life as it ever has been. It fuels all these other things. When I first started acting it was about learning all these skills like sense memory, what are my obstacles, how do I break down a script, learning to memorize my lines, being professional and showing up for auditions...that’s what the first several years were about. Then you do it for over a dozen years and it seems like something different happens. You show up on a set and you are carrying your briefcase.

AM: What do you mean by this?

BR: It’s a given that I’ll show up knowing my lines and ready to do the work and have some fun with the other actors. Certainly as I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to be grateful for the playtime that it is. So much of the other parts of the business are such a pain in the ass that when you actually get to show up on a set and there’s a crew and the director wants to mold the scenes and you can participate in the sandbox with other talented actors...holy cow! It’s such a treat. It blows me away.

AM: There are quite a few steps before there is a finished product isn’t there?

BR: I feel so grateful when the magic happens...first of all that you get a job! Second, that it’s coming together and you’re actually shooting it. Third, that you actually get something in the can and finally sometimes these things do magically come together and actually work! When you watch it on television or the movie screen and you see the joke that was funny or you connect with someone who has been afraid of a part of their self. You are like a tour guide. You take people on these journeys and that is amazingly powerful. 

AM: Brad, two of your most famous films deal with gay themes. You have ended up being a gay activist. What do you think of that?

BR: When you get to be someone who has, to some level, become iconic in the gay, lesbian, transgender community, it’s amazing. This is such an important time in that communities development in America. We’re really at the forefront of this social development that is the normalization through the political process...more than most countries. The numbers are huge in support of gay marriage, the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, but right now it’s still illegal to be open about your sexuality in the workplace in a lot of states in the country. There’s a long way to go but the conversation is out there.

AM: Can you see progress being made?

BR: There has been some progress made. I truly believe that by the time my son is an adult, gays will be able to get married. I call this a civil right issue and I can’t think of one that is more important right now. When you look at people through the lense of the state, they should all be equal and given an equal right to call themselves a married couple. A domestic partnership is not equal or the same and certainly when you look at the legal rights that are still being withheld to a lot of gay couples, it is not right. We all know on a judicial level that it’s not right. I even think a lot of people who think marriage should only be between a man and a woman know it’s not right.

AM: Do you respect people who disagree with same sex marriage?

 

 

BR: I do respect people who have this belief. I really do, but as long as marriage is a state institution...it’s the same way I wouldn’t want the state to with hold a driver’s license to a gay man or woman, you can’t be a state institution and discriminate. You just can’t and it’s not allowed on any other level for anything. To get back to your question, it has been a real pleasure to be in the middle of that conversation just by the very fact that I’ve done two gay themed films.

AM: They are both so popular!

BR: They are popular...it’s really neat that the question has come up. I’m very proud of how fun and good ‘Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss’ turned out to be, but I’m REALLY proud of the message that ‘Shelter’ was able to get across. A lot of older people who have a gay son or daughter have come up to me and told me they didn’t understand being gay until they saw this movie and how much it helped them.

AM: Brad, you are just a really great actor. I don’t think there’s a part you couldn’t play.

BR: Well hey! I hope I get a chance to do a few more roles. Whether it’s gay or straight the thing that attracts me to a project is the script. I love how the sexuality was incidental to the story in ‘Shelter.’ It was about two people who needed to find each other.

To learn more about Brad Rowe visit http://www.miptalk.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/BradRoweOfficial