Star: JENSEN ACKLES
Role: Eric Brady, DAYS OF OUR LIVES
Birthdate: March 1,1978
Age: 19
Family Ties: Parents Donna and Alan (an actor who has appeared in WALKER, TEXAS RANGER, THE CHALLENGER and GUILTY OF INNOCENCE) reside in Dallas, Texas. His older brother Joshua is a college student in Texas, and sister Mackenzie attends grammar school.
Hidden Talent: Jensen can sing! He played the lead role of Tony in his high school's production of "West Side Story."
Buzz in the Chat Rooms: Acklites have commented that the actor is "hot," "cute," and "innocent." However, there's a small contingent who suggest that Eric is hiding something big, and may even be secretly working for Stefano. Stay Tuned.
Jensen Ackles went to work at the age of 4 appearing in print advertising and commercials for Nabisco, Wal Mart and Radio Shack. A decade or so later in 1995, Ackles attended an actor's workshop in Dallas, and was spotted by a talent agency and management firm from Los Angeles. Impressed with the young actor's work, the Hollywood bigwigs quickly signed Ackles. He was then encouraged to make the move to California, although only after he finished high school. With his parents' blessing, Jensen followed the agents' advice and soon hit paydirt. Within a week of his arrival in L.A., he booked his first job there... and on his first audition, no less! It was a guest star stint on SWEET VALLEY HIGH, but soon thereafter, Ackles landed a regular role on the NBC sitcom, MR. RHODES. Although the show got canceled, it left the door open for the actor's eventual move to Salem.
The soft-spoken teenager tells SOAP OPERA DIGEST ONLINE how his dad's advice has helped him brave tough auditions; and talks about leaving the Lone Star state to live in Hollywood and his hope to be Sami's much-needed voice of reason.
LONE STAR!
SOAP OPERA DIGEST ONLINE: Your resume is quite impressive, let alone long, and you're just out of high school! DAYS is the latest feather in your cap. Tell us about landing the role.
JENSEN ACKLES: It took forever, it was like a two-month process. They saw people all over L.A. and New York, so it was drawn out. I didn't think I got it, so I just kind of forgot about it. But then all of a sudden I got a call! It was surprising. It was a relief as if, "Finally, I know!" I was excited.
DIGEST ONLINE: So how does it feel to have landed a real plum part on daytime?
ACKLES: Great. My mom is all over the Internet getting all the gossip. She's really into it. It's funny.
DIGEST ONLINE: Who was your screen-test partner and what did they have you do?
ACKLES: I screen-tested with Alison [Sweeney, Sami]. She's really a sweet girl and really nice, so I'm excited to work with her. [The scene we did] was a brother and sister type thing. They just wanted to see the chemistry between me and Alison. I don't know if they'll ever use that scene, but [my character] kind of got on her case about being a mean character..I told her, "I've got to straighten you out now, because you've been pretty bad while I've been gone." Hopefully, that's where they'll take me.
DIGEST ONLINE: You could be Sami's voice of moral reason?
ACKLES: Exactly. That would be cool.
DIGEST ONLINE: How are your friends and family reacting to your DAYS job?
ACKLES: They're ecstatic. They were telling me, "We can't believe that you'll be on TV every day!" I was on a series this past fall, MR. RHODES, so they watched me on that. But when I got DAYS OF OUR LIVES, they were telling me, "Man, less than a year, and you've already had two jobs. That's crazy."
DIGEST ONLINE: Had you ever watched DAYS or any soaps before coming to daytime?
ACKLES: My mom watched ALL MY CHILDREN, so that was in the house when I grew up. I never really watched DAYS. A lot of my friends, the girls who are my friends, that is, watched DAYS, so I knew a little bit about the show. But lately I have been watching DAYS, picking up on the characters and storylines, so I won't be completely blind when I go in there. [Laughs]
DIGEST ONLINE: Have you been living in L.A. long?
ACKLES: I moved out to L.A. September 1. I graduated high school a year ago last May. At the end of last summer, I decided to move out to California, so I haven't been here quite yet a year. It took some getting used to coming from Texas, but it's kind of grown on me.
DIGEST ONLINE: How does it measure up to your hometown of Dallas?
ACKLES: It's a lot different. A lot more crowded and more traffic. Everything is closer together. In Dallas, everything is spread out and wide open. There are fields between parking lots. There's free parking! [Laughs] That's the biggest thing I enjoy. But L.A. is cool. I mean the people are a bit different, the culture is a bit different. In Dallas, the people are bit more laid back. In L.A. they're a bit more aggressive. It's fun, though. I like it.
DIGEST ONLINE: Your dad is an actor. What advice has he given you on the business?
ACKLES: He's been acting ever since I was born, so he knows a lot about the business. The biggest advice he instilled in me was not to long for a job or not to be disappointed. He just says, "Just go in there to auditions and say to yourself, 'If I get it, I get it. If I don't, I don't. It's no big deal.' " I've taken that advice to heart. It helped me. You know, if a job is meant to be, I'll get the job. If not, there will be something else down the road.
DIGEST ONLINE: You appeared on the PBS series,
ACKLES: [Laughs] The show was filmed in Dallas, so I got it when I lived at home. I had an agent [in Dallas]. I did a lot of catalogue modeling, and a couple of commercials when I was in high school. Then I did WISHBONE. It was real fun. I just juggled it with school.
DIGEST ONLINE: In high school, you starred in a production of "West Side Story," so obviously you sing.
ACKLES: Actually, it's a funny story. I had never sung in front of people before [doing that musical]. Just in the shower. When the audition came around, I guess I did well. I had never taken choir or voice lessons. The teacher worked with me a little bit, so it turned out good. I was very nervous the opening night, because we opened in front of 1,500 people. They were all my friends, too. Wow. My dad has sung for a while. He sings in church. I can carry a pitch, but that's as far as I go.
DIGEST ONLINE: What was it like working on the primetime show, MR. RHODES?
ACKLES: It was such a blessing to have as my first job, because I didn't know anybody when I moved out to L.A. MR. RHODES had five kids on it my age, so immediately I had five friends. We hung out every day, and did things off-set. The crew, the cast on that show was so nice. Everybody got along, which is so important.
DIGEST ONLINE: What was your experience like working on CYBILL with Cybill Shepherd?
ACKLES: I played Cybill's godson, who got married. It was a guest shot. She went to a wedding and I was the groom. I had a couple of scenes with Cybill Shepherd. It was neat working with her. She was actually a really nice lady.
DIGEST ONLINE: You also appeared on a show called SWEET VALLEY HIGH at the beginning of your career in Hollywood. You've seemed to work non-stop since?
ACKLES: That was the first thing I did out [here]. That was even before I decided to move out to L.A. I just came out to visit for two weeks, and test the waters. I think that was my first audition that I went on, and I booked it. So I was thinking, 'Hmm. Maybe I should come out here and try again.' [Laughs] So I did, and here I am.
OnlineHost: Copyright 1997 Soap Opera Digest