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about. In the beginning I was shy and wasn't on that play. And that role—I just f***ing love really comfortable expressing myself in front of Bobby. He was a really intense human being and other people. But I have always been into stories, flawed in many, many ways. But at his core he and I wanted to be a part of a group of people was so honorable and sacrificed himself completely for his sister. who are telling a story. What was it like being on the London stage Did your family support your career? They were very supportive. The thing my par- after being on TV? ents gave to me and my brothers—and something It was absolutely fantastic. When you're making that I hope my wife, Margherita, and I give to a TV show, there are so many people in your our children—is the concept that anything is pos- space, and the start and stop and the waiting sible if you work hard at it. When I told my around. But on stage, you walk out there and parents I was going to try my hand at acting, I you're just flying through it. I did 106 perforremember exactly what my dad said: "Read lots of fiction." It was a really Chambray shirt, Vince good piece of advice. ($185). Copley Place, You found success pretty early in 617-236-5535; vince.com. Jeans, your career as the star of the TV Edun ($248). The series Party of Five in the 1990s. Tannery, 711 Boylston St., 617-267-5500; I certainly was shocked by that. I was edun.com. Offshore concerned it might be too early, Diver watch, Audemars Piguet because I felt very green. When I did ($18,900). European the pilot there was a snowball's Watch Co., 232 Newbury St., chance in hell that it was going to turn 617-262-9798; into a six-year show. But when that audemarspiguet.com. Shoes, Mr. B's ($200). happened, I thought, This is an amazAldo, 180 Newbury ing opportunity. I looked at it like St., 617-266-0501; aldoshoes.com graduate school—to be working in front of the camera every day, for eight months of the year. The writing was really good, and I had so much to learn. It was a great chapter in my life. When you started Lost, did you expect the show to become such a huge hit? I've learned to not have a lot of expectations. Whether or not a show finds an audience is a mysterious thing. But when I first read the script, I thought, Wow, this is super cool. I remember the night it was premiering, and there was quite a bit of buzz about it. But I was cautiously optimistic because it's so much about timing. So the next morning, when we heard that tons of people tuned in and that it was a quote "hit," that was rewarding because I felt mances, and it was incredible how much the play the show deserved it. Charlie Salinger on Party of Five and Jack grew in that time. When you're shooting a film Shephard on Lost are both reluctant heroes— and a director asks you to do 10 takes, you're the strong guy holding it together for like, Jeez, don't you have it already? That was a everyone else. You did a drastic turnaround lesson for me, because after 106 shows I was still after Lost when you starred in the London discovering things in the material. production of Neil LaBute's play In a Forest, After that production, you did something else that was radically different: playing a Dark and Deep. There were so many challenges in that. First, it sadistic murderer in the movie Alex Cross was my West End debut and a two-hander. I and losing 40 pounds for the role. knew that I could fall flat on my face, but I had Playing a hyperintense villain—I wasn't sure I such an incredible experience working with Neil could pull that off. All the preparation, both physically and psychologically, was really rewarding. That role was the furthest that I've ever played from myself. Your newest project, the zombie apocalypse movie World War Z, is being released this summer. It's the biggest movie I've ever been a part of. I was just a real fan of the books, and I'm a huge fan of Marc Forster, who I've gotten to be friends with over the past few years. I just think he's a fantastic director and has incredible taste in any genre that he takes on, so I'm excited to be a part of it. What kind of character do you play? He's a Navy SEAL who rescues Brad Pitt and his family off of a rooftop in Philadelphia. He ends up looking after his family amidst this chaos, while Brad Pitt's character tries to find a solution to the zombie apocalypse. The movie is the setup for the possibility of a trilogy. My role would be more developed, I think, if there were to be more films. But I just was really excited to be a part of it in any way. You spend your time off in Oregon. Can you talk about your life out there? We live right up against the Cascades, looking at snow-covered mountains. It's beautiful. I spend a lot of time with my family, and I'm an avid pilot—it's one of my true passions. I'm constantly trying to develop myself more as a pilot. Or I just read and hang out with my kids. We have a teenage daughter who is a sophomore in high school and a little boy who's a fifth grader. There are periods where I get into a project and I'm gone physically and emotionally. So when I'm completely ensconced in our home and our family, those are really good times for me. Are there philanthropic causes you're involved in? Every couple of years, I go back to Deerfield or Columbia and give a few days of my time to connect with kids…. I gave the commencement speech at Columbia in 2007, which was a real honor. One of the recurring themes was that we ask our young people to decide what they're going to be in this world too soon. I encourage them not to narrow the field—to prepare themselves, to be well-rounded, and to approach learning with a real passion, but to try everything and let life guide them. BC BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 094-097_BC_F_CS_LateSpring13_NEW.indd 97 97 4/10/13 12:36 PM