Dustin Milligan: Runaway Canadian

Okay, this guy is adorable! You might have caught him briefly (he got killed!) in Final Destination 3. He's from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territory, now calls Vancouver his home and he's one of the few Canadian guys we've spoken to who says he really doesn't like hockey. Dustin Milligan plays runaway teen Henry Rader in the new CW drama "Runaway" which will be shooting in Toronto. Seems that Henry is very in love with the girlfriend he had to leave behind when his family went on the run and he constantly risks exposing the family to danger when he contacts her. Hey, a guy risking his life for you is hot!

Dustin is poised to hit big movie stardom with four notable feature films coming out in the next year; He's in The Land of Women with Meg Ryan and Adam Brody, plays Pierce Brosnan's son in The Butterfly Wheel, coincidentally, is in similarly-named project The Butterfly Effect 2 (sequel to the Ashton Kutcher film) and is in the thriller The Messengers. So, let's meet this hunky guy with the beautiful eyes. Picture him in dark gray suit, light gray shirt and dressing it all down with funky black tennies with loosened white laces.

TeenTelevision: You'll be 21 on the 28th but you've played a lot of teen roles in both TV and film. Is it getting boring for you?

Dustin: Yeah. I get cast as a teen, a young teen. A lot of times it's high school drama. 'Who am I going to take to prom? and 'I can't believe I failed the test'. That's why I'm excited about "Runaway" because there is an element of danger involved. As the older brother, I'm kind of responsible more as an adult than a teen.

TeenTelevision: We've seen you and your castmates playing and punching each other on the arms. It seems you are like a real family already.

Dustin: Yeah. It's been really nice. With Donnie [Wahlberg], Leslie [Hope] and Sarah [Ramos]...I love that girl. She's really funny and Nathan [Gamble] of course [Nathan is eight]. With his blonde hair, he's like Dennis the Menace. It's been really good and I think something that will carry the show through is that we really get along quite well.

TeenTelevision: You play an older teen boy who is basically forced to go on the run with his family. Would a teen guy do that?

Dustin: Well, very much, in the pilot, I don't want to go. I'm in love with my girlfriend back home which is something I'm sure we can all relate to on some level. But, I think you know that there's that unspoken bond. There's always something there where you know that your father wouldn't lead you astray in any way and you have family responsibilities and have to protect each other.

TeenTelevision: You play Pierce Brosnan's son in the upcoming The Butterfly Wheel. What was that like?

Dustin: Pierce Brosnan was one of the nicest guys I've ever met. You always hear a lot of stories but when I was there, he was wickedly brilliant. Him and Gerard Butler. We call him Gerry. He was really awesome too.

TeenTelevision: What do you do in that film?

Dustin: That movie I actually have a very small role. It's about kidnapping stuff. I play Pierce's son who spontaneously and inconveniently shows up in the middle of a kidnapping ordeal. It's a nice point in the film because it adds some humanity to Pierce's character.

TeenTelevision: Is there a secret to playing a teen son?

Dustin: You just show up and say mom and dad a lot. No, really, you pout and furrow your brow a lot. Ultimately we're all somebody's son so it's just from experience. But, I was kind of a loud, outgoing, generally happy teen. Traditionally, teenagers aren't that way. I'm just kind of borrowing from my friends' lives a little bit.

TeenTelevision: Are you looking for more feature films to shoot during hiatus?

Dustin: Yeah and that's something that I'm really looking forward to. If this show goes well, during hiatus, I'd obviously like to do a film. Still not sure what it's going to be. In our show, at least my character is aimed at teens so I'll probably try to avoid so-called "teen" movies so I can get a variety.

TeenTelevision: What is it like being on covers of teen magazines then?

Dustin: That's just kind of exciting. That's good bonus stuff that comes with it. It's fun to see what that's about for a bit.

TeenTelevision: Final Destination 3 got you some attention even though you were killed early.

Dustin: I know. That was brutal. But, just even having that credit helped. As much as I know I look like a 17-year-old, I'm the cliché 20-year-old actor saying he wants to do more adult roles. [laughs].

TeenTelevision: Have you seen the DVD for that film? There's a sort of write your own ending thing on it.

Dustin: I'll have to check that out. When I was on set they were doing all the DVD stuff and letting the characters go around with a camera. I thought that was neat. It's really interesting what they are doing with DVDs now, making them more interactive, showing stuff on the internet. Pretty cool.

TeenTelevision: Any summer films you've seen that you like?

Dustin: I've seen Superman Returns which was pretty wicked. It's Superman so you've gotta be pretty stoked about that. I'm looking forward to seeing "Pirates" even though it's long. I'm sure we'll all be going out to movies together on the weekends and I'll see more stuff.

TeenTelevision: Ever thought what it would be like to be on the run?

Dustin: That was one of the first things I thought about. But, when that danger is actually real.. obviously it does happen. There was this family with four or six kids that was on the run for like six years. This stuff happens. It's hard for most of us to think of that as a reality. That's the mind-frame I had to get into to prepare for this role. If I was the older son, I think I'd go along with it.

TeenTelevision: Did you ever have to leave someone behind?

Dustin: In life? [grins] No. I don't have a girlfriend. I'm on a show. I've got to hold out for that.

TeenTelevision: Being from Canada, are you rooting for a hockey team?

Dustin: I'm not interested in hockey. I don't really like it. It's really violent and kind of boring. I like soccer!

TeenTelevision: Whoa.. one of the few Canadians I've ever heard say that. Best of luck on the show!

Dustin: Thanks so much!

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.