Rogue star Michael Vartan answers back

ROGUE star Michael Vartan is no Robert de Niro, just ask him. But he's getting better at his job, and he loves Australia.
It seems it's not a Spring Racing Carnival unless Michael Vartan is here.
Obviously the races are great and so much fun, but I'm here this time solely to promote Rogue and it just happens to coincide with the races. I love Australia and I would come here for the opening of an envelope. As you can see (showing his tattoo), the little Southern Cross action. I got it the week I got back from shooting Rogue.

I've truly fallen in love with this country. I want to move here one day if they'll have me. I love everything about it: the people, the atmosphere, the mentality, the difference of culture in the north and south, the landscape. Everything about this country is fascinating to me. I feel at home here, I feel free, I feel happy. No one cares what you drive, what you do. It's a very, very honest way to live and it suits me. It's pretty much the antithesis of Los Angeles.

I got off the plane two years ago to shoot Rogue and it was a weird feeling. I felt tingly and thought, wow, I love it here. I hadn't even been through Customs. And it took me about two months to realise you really weren't full of s---, that you really are that nice. I thought, come on, this can't be real, no one's this nice. It's a wonderful place and I love it dearly.

Rogue marks the second time you've worked with an Australian director, after Robert Luketic on Monster-in-Law. You've said you didn't have the greatest time on that movie.
I had a great time on a personal level. It was an incredibly easy shoot for me, very short days. Mr Luketic -- who I think is one of Melbourne's own -- is not one of those guys who shoots 14, 15 hours a day. What I meant was my part I felt was rather boring. It was one of those parts I couldn't turn down. You get to work with Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez, you kind of have to do it no matter what the part calls for. But as for having a character, I didn't feel I had one. Most of the time I stood in the corner and smiled.

You're now on the TV show Big Shots. Is it a risk to sign on for a TV series that might require you to turn down your dream movie role?
The funniest question I'm ever asked is, ``So, why did you decide to come back to TV? What would you like to do next?'' Well, you idiot, I'd like to have Matt Damon's career. What do you think? I'd like to work with Leonardo DiCaprio in the next Scorsese film. What a stupid question.

You think I do movies where I don't have any lines because I want to? You think I sign my life off on a six-year deal for television because I want to? No. I want to be off shooting Pirates of the Caribbean with Johnny Depp for seven months in the Bahamas. Are you kidding me?

Funnily enough, one of my strengths is I understand my place in the business very well. I know what is realistic for me to achieve and what things are a bit of a stretch, and I've been around long enough to know I should stay away from certain things that I don't think are that good.

When you say you're realistic, do you mean you're realistic about your own abilities, or about how people perceive you?
I'm not Sean Penn, I'm not Robert De Niro. My agents tell me not to say that, but it's the truth and f--- 'em. I'm a good actor, I've been doing it for 20 years, I've become better as I've gone along and hopefully continue to improve. There are a lot of things I feel I can do that would shock people, but I mean more in terms of how the industry perceives me.

I believe I could land the fifth starring role in the next Pirates. I could be in a movie with Sean Penn, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Joaquin Phoenix and then me. For me to get the lead over Sean Penn in a movie? Pretty unlikely at this point. It could happen, stranger things have happened, but that's what I mean in terms of being realistic. I don't call my agent saying, "Hey, how come I'm not starring across Jessica Biel in the next . . .?'' Well, because no one knows who you are, buddy. Well, not exactly, I've been around, but I don't put butts on seats in theatres.

That's very honest.
It's the truth, isn't it? I'd rather see an Orlando Bloom movie than a Michael Vartan movie any day.
One reason I can be honest about it is I really don't care about the business enough. When I get a job I feel unbelievably fortunate because I know how hard it is to work in this business. But we're not curing cancer, we're not feeding children. It's just a f---ing movie, it's just a TV show.

It's great and entertainment is hugely necessary in this day and age when you turn on the news and everyone's getting killed and blown up. But at the end of the day I can't take myself seriously when an EMS (emergency medical services) worker who's scraping two dead bodies off the sidewalk after a car accident is getting paid less than me.

You have to take it with a grain of salt. I feel incredibly fortunate. I get to travel, to come to Australia and talk to you and see incredible things that very few people see in the Northern Territory. Who gets to do that? I wouldn't get to do that if I worked in a hospital, but I'd be saving lives.

It's just my chosen profession. It is what it is. I take it for what it is. I don't give it too much credence, but I don't disrespect it either because it's a very lucky position to be in. And I didn't say I suck as an actor.

So you were never one of those guys who started in school plays and dreamed only of acting?
I never wanted to act. To this day -- I've been doing it for 20 years -- it's the hardest thing I've ever done. It's very hard to be on screen with 30 people staring at you, a camera in your face, a boom up your rear end and another actor who half the time is fast asleep off camera and to pretend none of that's happening and cry and act like your mother's dying. That's a very hard thing to do. It's a strange thing to do as well. "What do you do for a living?'' I pretend to be other people.

Ashton Kutcher’s “Punk’d” Prank Leaves Michael Vartan Unimpressed

Ashton Kutcher has reportedly been forced to ditch one of his pranks on hit
show Punk’d, after victim Michael Vartan failed to see the funny side of it.
Most stars–including Justin Timberlake, Halle Berry and Salma Hayek–have
laughed when they’ve discovered their mini crises were fictional situations
dreamed up by Kutcher.

But, according Us Weekly, Jennifer Garner‘s ex-boyfriend Vartan was far from
amused with the prank chosen for him.

A source says, “They get Michael on a jet, and he finds out the plane is in
really bad shape. He wants off, but the pilot and flight attendants won’t let
him.

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“Things are falling off the plane–it’s really coming apart and they’re
telling him, ‘No, it’s fine, stay.'”

After the prank was revealed, the crew laughed, but a furious Vartan
reportedly refused to sign a release for the segment to be broadcast.

Article Copyright World Entertainment News Network All Rights Reserved.

Q&A: Michael Vartan on Being Gun-Deprived in 'Colombiana'

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Michael Vartan is probably best known for his role opposite Jennifer Garner on TV's "Alias," but the affable French-born actor has made an impression on the big screen in movies like "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar," "Never Been Kissed," "One Hour Photo" and "Monster-in-Law." In the exciting French-American action film "Colombiana," on DVD and Blu-ray this week, Vartan has a sexually charged but emotionally distant relationship with an assassin played by Zoe Saldana.

We chatted up Vartan about all sex and no gunplay for his character in "Colombiana," how he feels about the way "Alias" wrapped up, and the skills involved in picking up his future wife in a Whole Foods parking lot.


Your "Colombiana" character, Danny, knows Cataleya (Saldana) as "Jennifer" and is always trying to get to know her better. Although it wasn't discussed in the movie, how do you think you two met and arrived at this relationship where she just stops by for sex and leaves?

That's a good question and a question that Olivier [Megaton, the director] and I pondered several times. The general consensus was they possibly met in a dive bar in Chicago or New Orleans or wherever their lives could have possibly intersected. It was literally a carnal thing because it's clear from her line of work that she doesn't have much time for R&R. She's still a human being and still enjoys the opposite sex and wants to feel alive in that department, so we decided it was one of those flash encounters. There was nothing scripted out. These two hooked up because they have insane chemistry together.

Saldana kicks everyone's ass in "Colombiana," but she has such a thin frame. When you were around her on set, did she seem tough?

Zoe's definitely petite when you see her in a T-shirt and gym shorts. She's muscular thin, but still quite thin. The first time I met her was at the gym in the hotel in Chicago, and I saw this slight frame from across the room and when she turned around I thought, oh really? She's going to kick all of this ass? Then when I got within three feet of her, there is an essence about her -- I don't know if it's the look in her eye or that she was already getting into character a little bit -- but there was an element of "do not mess with this girl." Zoe has that vibe about her, and you don't want to go there with the character Cataleya.

I was totally surprised and completely impressed when I saw the movie, because her one fight scene toward the end is one of the best I've seen in any action movie. It's so violent and looks so animal, and I couldn't believe it was her! People were taken aback by how physical she could be. She sold it, for sure.

Columbia Pictures 

 

Are all those tattoos that we see in your sex scenes with Saldana real?

They are real and personal tattoos, mostly family stuff like things that symbolize my father and grandmother. I was thrilled that for the first time in many years I had a part where they said, "Keep the tattoos. It looks good." Thank God, because the thing about covering up tattoos is that it is almost impossible -- it takes so long -- and the last thing you want to do as a guy is get up even earlier and spend another hour in the makeup chair. It was nice to not have to hide them this time.

Danny never gets involved in any of the gunplay or fight scenes in "Colombiana." Were you itching to do so, or were you content letting Saldana play shoot 'em up?

No, no. I was itching big-time. The minute we wrapped, I said, "Come on ... sequel. Danny becomes a bad guy and starts shooting everyone." Ultimately, the reason I took this part was, first, because they offered it to me. As an actor, unless you're Brad Pitt, you go where you are wanted. I got to be part of this really cool, kick-ass movie. I loved the backdrop of the cartel, which was always fascinating to me. [Cowriter] Luc Besson is the bomb when it comes to this genre. He's French, I was born in France, so there are a lot of elements that were attractive to me. Obviously, I'm a dude and would like to shoot a gun and be a part of the action, but sometimes you just have to do your job.

The tagline for "Colombiana" is "Revenge is beautiful." Do you agree?

I guess it depends who you are taking revenge on! Well, probably not. Maybe sometimes it's necessary, but beautiful? Probably not.

Do you think Danny ever sees or connects with Cataleya after the end credits?

I really do think that this movie open itself nicely to a sequel. Danny could be a plant or someone who is gaining her trust -- there are so many way they could go about it. If this was the end of it, I would say he probably would never see her again. The only way he would see her again is if she wanted to see him. He would have no way of getting in touch with her if she didn't want him to.

Are you happy with the way your "Alias" character Michael Vaughn ended his run? We last saw him with Sydney, and he was married with children and semi-retired.

Yeah. As crazy as that show was, it was always going to be a challenge to wrap it up. As far as my character goes, of course he ended up married and retired, because he never had a hair out of place and ate apple pie and ice cream all of those years. He was the quintessential all-American, "I want my daughter to marry that dude" character. It makes perfect sense that he would ride off into the sunset with his wife and 2.2 kids. There was nothing hiding in the closet about that character at all.

How scary were your scenes with an unhinged Robin Williams in "One-Hour Photo" in which he interrupts your sexy time with a knife?

The biggest challenge in that movie was keeping a straight face. It's not what happened on camera that was challenging, it's what happened between takes. The Robin Williams we know and love from all of his comic appearances is how he is in real life -- it's not an act. So we're shooting a scene with a knife at my throat and I'm totally naked with this young actress whom I literally met that day, as if that isn't awkward enough. In between takes, Robin Williams is cracking jokes about my penis size because the air conditioning is on. I said, "Dude, you might have seven brains and can switch in and out of characters with grace and ease, but I cannot go from tears of laughter to intense fear in 8.3 milliseconds. You have to settle down!"

It was a fun atmosphere considering the movie itself is kind of dark. Robin was so creepy in that movie, and he literally went from that character to who he is in real life instantly. I have such admiration for that, as well as jealousy and disgust because I wish I could do it.

Columbia Pictures 

 

You recently married your wife after meeting her in a Whole Foods parking lot. How does one strike up a romance over groceries?

I saw her in the store and I tried to jockey myself by her in the express lane, but I had no idea what I was going to say or do. That didn't work, so I said to myself, if you see her in the parking lot you owe it to yourself to go up and say hi because life's too short, seize the day and all that crap. I don't remember exactly what I said, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't that eloquent or seductive because her response was, "No, I don't feel comfortable giving you my number." She did take my e-mail address, and we kind of had a pen-pal relationship for a while. The rest is history, I guess!

Where can fans see you next?

I've got two movies in the can that I'm hoping will eventually come out. One is called "Demoted" and the other is called "High School." I was on "Hawthorne" on TNT, but that just cancelled a few months ago, so I'm very much looking forward to pilot season and maybe working on a new show. That's the great thing about being an actor: You lose a job and it's scary because you don't have that stability of paycheck to paycheck, but that means another window opens. It sounds so corny, but it's really true. I could be a bank robber or an astronaut next. There are so many possibilities, and that is always interesting.

Enquirer: Jennifer Garner ‘secretly hooking up with former lover Michael Vartan’

Many of you have mentioned in the comments that Jennifer Garner was married to Scott Foley when she is rumored to have hooked up with her co-star, Michael Vartan. Foley has denied that this was the case, and blamed their breakup on the pressures of stardom. I’ve also heard rumors that Garner dumped Vartan for Affleck and that there may have been some overlap there. A 2003 interview in which Garner was openly flirty with Affleck when they were both with other partners (Garner was still married to Foley and Affleck was engaged to Jennifer Lopez) suggest this may have been the case.

Now the National Enquirer is claiming that Jennifer Garner has reconnected with Vartan and that they’re “secretly hooking up.” There are no specifics, though, and this story seems to have originated in OK! Magazine. It’s probably BS, but I wouldn’t mind it if Garner was getting hers, too.

In a bombshell twist, the National Enquirer has learned the betrayed beauty, 43, has been secretly hooking up with former lover Michael Vartan – who’s also dealing with a broken marriage!

“Jen’s still in pieces over what Ben did to the family, how it’s all fallen apart in such humiliating circumstances,” said an insider.

“She’s tried to keep things amicable, but the longer time passes the angrier she gets that Ben threw their marriage down the drain.

“Staying on good terms is proving impossible. She even declared, ‘I hate you,’” the insider added…

Now she’s leaning on her “Alias” co-star Michael, 46. The two dated from 2003 to 2004 before she married Ben in June
2005.

Ironically, Michael split with his wife of three years, Lauren Skaar, last July.
“Michael’s been a total rock for Jen throughout this whole nightmare,” said another source. “The both kno exactly how the other feels.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, August 31, 2015]
Garner is probably way too busy to “hook up” with anyone. She’s been on set in Atlanta working, and when she’s not there she’s been seen having family outings with Ben. That’s got to be awkward, but it does serve to further the narrative that they’re doing the best thing for their kids. I would be more likely to believe that she’s talking to an ex, not necessarily “hooking up”. Vartan is somewhat mysterious but he strikes me as a sympathetic ear.

Imagine how delicious it would be, and how jealous Ben would get, if Garner started dating a high profile guy again. I would love to see that, but you know she’s going to protect her down home mom image at all costs. If she’s getting some we’re not going to know about it.

Alias’ Michael Vartan to star in E! series that’s definitely not about Tom Cruise’s love life

Michael Vartan, best known for his role as Jennifer Garner’s dreamy-eyed CIA handler on the long-running spy series Alias, has been cast in a starring role in The Arrangement, a new scripted drama from E!. The show, which centers on a young actress whose apparently spontaneous romance with the world’s biggest movie star is revealed to be part of a consciously manipulated PR machine, is definitely not intended to remind audiences of stories—including those detailed in the Scientology-focused book and documentary Going Clear—about the highly stage-managed public romances of movie star Tom Cruise.

Vartan will play the friend and mentor of as-yet-uncast movie hunk Kyle West (whose name may or may not be an anagram for “Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental”). Vartan’s character, Terence Hoffman, is West’s producing partner, and is invested in the ongoing success of “The Arrangement,” the legal agreement between West and young actress Megan Morrison, who should definitely not be confused with former Cruise-paramour and Homeland co-star Nazanin Boniadi, who was supposedly groomed and vetted by the Church of Scientology to be the actor’s potential bride.

The Arrangement will be E!’s latest attempt at scripted entertainment, after the underwhelming The Royals and a planned mockumentary inspired by HBO’s The Jinx. Its fellow reality-focused cable network, Lifetime, recently built up a lot of positive buzz with the Bachelor-esque UnREAL; it’s possible that The Arrangement’s look at the dark intersection between celebrity and love is intended to capitalize on that other show’s success.