Peter Facinelli: The Doctor is In
Best known for his portrayal of Carlisle Cullen, the gorgeous patriarch of the Cullen vampire clan in the hugely successful Twilight saga films, Peter Facinelli has proven his versatility; doing comedy, drama and action, on both the big and small screen.
Juggling fatherhood (he and his wife, actress Jennie Garth, have three young daughters) with a film and television career, which currently includes the popular Showtime television series Nurse Jackie, the New York native is getting ready to start filming the third installment of the Twilight saga, Eclipse, with director David Slade.
Peter Facinelli spoke to TeenTelevision for this exclusive interview about what it's like to have the job security of a successful film franchise and a critically-acclaimed TV series which just wrapped its first season.
TeenTelevision: How did you get involved with Nurse Jackie? Was it just a regular audition, or did they ask to see you? Had you been looking to do more television?
Peter: I had just finished Twilight, and I knew the writers from Nurse Jackie, so they called my agent and said, "Hey, there's a part in here that we like Peter for." But, I wasn't looking to do television. Also, because I have a family, I have a steadfast rule that, if a TV show doesn't shoot in L.A., I won't do it. But, the previous year, I had done Damages and I realized that, if it's a cable show and only has 13 episodes, I could do it because it's like going to do a movie. You're only going to work for two or three months and then you're back, and you can go back and forth.
TeenTelevision: What attracted you to this series, in particular?
Peter: My agents sent me the script, and he cover of it said, "Untitled Edie Falco Project," and right there, I knew it was going to be special because Edie Falco was attached. If she was coming back to TV, then it had to be good. And, I was already a fan of the writers because I had done a pilot with them the year before, called Insatiable, for Showtime, which didn't get picked up. It was very well-received, when they did the test scoring, but they could only pick up one show and they ended up picking up the David Duchovny show, Californication, over it. So, I had a relationship with the writers, I was a big fan of Edie Falco's, and I read it and it was unlike anything I had seen.
TeenTelevision: Is it hard to find ways to identify with a character like Dr. Cooper, or to make him likeable?
Peter: If you play anybody who is seen from the outside as a bad guy or a jerk, nobody walks around trying to be a jerk or trying to be a bad guy. They always have motives. When I took on this role, I tried to look at the qualities in him that are likeable. Even though, on paper, the end result was sometimes unlikable, I tried to find the reasons why he does things.
TeenTelevision: What, specifically, did you find likeable about Dr. Cooper?
Peter: For me, I find him very loveable, very sympathetic and I feel sorry for him, at times. Because he's so oblivious to his surroundings and because he's so unaware that people don't really like him, he thinks everybody likes him. He walks around thinking he's the most charming guy in the world, and everyone thinks he's full of it and dislikes him. He also has a lot of issues on the inside, which give him a lot of layers. He's not as confident as he tries to be, so he overcompensates. He has to go the extra mile of trying to look confident because he's not. I feel sorry for him. He's very lonely. He doesn't have a lot of friends. I liken him to a puppy dog, in a room full of people who don't like dogs. He's jumping all over people's legs and wants to be liked by everybody, wagging his tail, and everybody is kicking him.
TeenTelevision: Was it nice to have this to do, in between doing Twilight and New Moon, to give you a break from playing that character?
Peter: Yeah. I enjoy the fact that these characters are both doctors, and they're completely different people. I'm proud to say, "Hey, look at these two people. Even though they have the same occupation, they're worlds apart." The fun of it for me, as an actor, is to be able to step into other people's shoes and play different characters. These two characters are so opposite that it's an opportunity to show people what I can do and the range that I have. It's a nice break because you have this one commercial franchise that's become this cultural phenomenon and, on the other hand, you have this great actor's piece that the critics love and it's got great ratings. Nurse Jackie is a little bit more of a mature audience, so it brings me a whole other audience for my work.
TeenTelevision: Isn't it nice, as an actor, to have the security of a successful film franchise and a critically acclaimed TV show?
Peter: I couldn't feel more blessed right now, especially in this economic period where I have so many friends and family members that it's really having an impact on. I have two jobs to go to. It's a nice time to be working. My family is always there for me. I try not to go more than two weeks without seeing them, when I am on location, so either they fly to me or I fly to them. There are ways that we make it work. I have Skype and we eat dinner together on Skype. It's important to me to keep it all connected.
