All Photos: Alan Mercer Lighting: Eric V.
Johnathon Schaech was first on my blog in September 2011. http://amprofile.blogspot.com/2011/09/johnathon-schaech.html Since that time he has been very busy working on many film and television projects, along with getting ready to be a first time father. Johnathon and Julie are expecting their first child in September.
I caught up with Johnathon for the photo shoot within hours after his arrival back in Los Angeles from Bulgaria after filming several weeks of ‘Hercules 3D’ which will be out in March, 2014. He trained very hard and built up his body for his role as the bad guy in the film.
Johnathon, who currently plays a famous actor on the hit TV show ‘Ray Donvan,’ has recently made appearances on ‘The Client List’ and ‘Drop Dead Diva.’ His latest film, ‘Phantom’ is now out on DVD. He is probably best known for playing Jimmy in 1996′s ‘That Thing You Do!’
He just announced he is set to have a recurring role as ‘Castor,’ uncle to Matt Lanter’s teenage alien ‘Roman’ on the CW’s upcoming midseason drama about two teens who struggle to maintain a romance in a time in which Atrians (the aliens) and humans struggle to integrate. ‘Castor’ is said to have a dark and shady past as a radical militant Atrian.
AM: Johnathon you have been very busy since the last time we talked. You haven’t had a vacation have you?
JS: No, I actually missed a vacation last week. Every year I take my family on a vacation but since I was in Bulgaria I missed it this year.
AM: That’s tough, but I bet you’re happy to be working!
JS: I’m blessed to be working.
AM: I loved seeing you on so many good TV shows this past couple of years.
JS: At one point I was going from ‘The Client List’ straight to ‘Ray Donovan’ shooting scenes for both shows on the same day. I was the bad guy on the finale of ‘The Client List.’
AM: Would you rather play a good guy or a bad guy?
JS: That’s a great question. I’ve been playing a lot of bad guys.
AM: Why do you think that is?
JS: It’s because I can play a bad guy. When you play a bad guy he’s never a bad guy.
AM: Not if you play it right.
JS: Men do things in life that they may regret, but they do things for a reason. Even in playing the bad guy in ‘Hercules,’ I was fighting for my family. At that time in history that’s what you had to do. So I may be portrayed as the bad guy but in my mind I’m a good guy.
AM: I love that.
JS: I never really play a character as a bad guy, even in ‘Prom Night.’ He was just in love and everyone got in the way. I’ve been playing a bunch of great characters and I’m blessed to be able to do this and utilize different accents and change my body.
AM: So you enjoyed working on ‘Ray Donovan’ too?
JS: I can’t wait for people to see the work on ‘Ray Donovan.’
AM: People seem to like that show a lot! It’s a hit.
JS: It seems to be. The numbers are really high. The producers are so nice to me. They were so nice they actually flew me in from Bulgaria where I was shooting ‘Hercules 3D’ for the premiere. They paid for everything. They were enthused that I made it.
AM: So you flew all that distance just for the premiere?
JS: Yes, it was a long flight. It takes18 hours to get to Los Angeles. It turns everything around. Jet lag is so hard but the one thing that gets me past it is all the training I have been doing.
AM: How long did you train for this role?
JS: I trained really, really hard for twelve weeks.
AM: You stay fit all the time don’t you?
JS: Yes, I was fit, but I weighed 170 lbs. I gained 30 lbs. of muscle for this role. I weigh 200 lbs now. I knew I could do it because of muscle memory. I hadn’t lifted weights in a long time. I did the TRX every single day. That really makes your abs pop.
AM: Are you going to keep this body?
JS: It’s too much muscle. The diet part isn’t fun. I have always kept to a diet. I’ve never been a glutton. An actor needs to keep their body fit and able to move back and forth so they can be whatever the role requires.
AM: It’s great to see your career moving forward. Your personal life has made quite a change.
JS: Yes, we are having a baby in September. We are so excited!
AM: Was that the most exciting day ever when you found out?
JS: Yes, I have pictures of the plus sign on the pregnancy stick.
AM: You’ve been wanting to be a dad forever right?
JS: Yes pretty much. I found the perfect soul mate to do it with now.
AM: Is there marriage in your future?
JS: We are going to get married eventually. We want a real unity and not just a big wedding. I’m really looking forward to playing the leading man in my life with the added dimension of being a father.
To learn more about Johnathon Schaech please follow him on twitter https://twitter.com/JohnSchaech