Chris O’Donnell Receives a Star on the Walk Of Fame

@DanielaRuah

@DanielaRuah


As they say in Hollywood, timing is everything and, for child star-turned-“NCIS: Los Angeles” lead Chris O’Donnell, this was certainly the case.

“I got my letter from Boston College and it said, ‘You’re wait-listed,’” the Chicago-born actor recalls of senior year in high school when it was the classroom, and not a film set, on which he had set his aspirational sights. “Then I got a call from David Rubin, the casting director (of ‘Men Don’t Leave’), and he said, ‘You’ve got the part.’ And I couldn’t believe it. He says it’s going to film from July to October. And I sat there thinking, ‘Oh my God. I’m going to miss college.’ And I actually said, ‘Let me call you back.’ Because this was a huge decision. I loved acting, but I was so excited to go to college. I think there was a part of me that was scared, thinking, can I do this? What are the chances that I’ll actually be successful at (acting)? I was the youngest of seven kids and my dad worked his ass off my entire life and I said, ‘I need to have a real job. I can’t just chase an acting career the rest of my life. I need something to back it up.’ So the idea of getting a finance degree, because I also loved business, just made sense. I figured if the acting thing doesn’t work out, that’s what I’ll pursue.And then Boston College sent me a letter and said, ‘You’re off the wait-list. Unfortunately we can’t take you until January.’ And I said, ‘This is meant to be.’”

It wasn’t until sophomore year when a roommate relayed a phone message from Barbra Streisand that fellow classmates noticed O’Donnell wasn’t your average co-ed majoring in finance.

…

“I wouldn’t trade my current job for anything,” says O’Donnell. “It affords me the ability to be in Los Angeles, to see my kids every day and have a steady job. I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years and it’s just crazy. To still be providing for my family like this is so great.
And I love the people I work with. I remember sitting in my house as a kid and watching LL Cool J in videos. If you would have told me that 30 years later he and I would be spending every waking hour together, I would have been like, ‘You’re insane.’ It’s so funny how life brings you together with certain people. He and I have a solid bond and I can trust that guy with my life.”

But while working in television is “very satisfying on a professional and an artistic level,” the itch to return to the bigscreen remains.

“I want to do film again at some point,” says O’Donnell. “And I will. I’m actually excited, when the show ends someday, to take some time off for a while. I’ll be a 50-year-old guy. I’ll be a different person than people remember. And there will be exciting new roles to take on, but this is where I’m supposed to be right now.”

Read the whole article on variety.com.

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NCIS Los Angeles ‘Savoir Faire’ Promo


Next Monday…
KENSI: What do you got for us, Eric ??
ERIC: I got a beach body.
DEEKS: That’s debatable.
ERIC: [annoyed] There’s a dead body at the beach.
… for NCISLA …
KENSI: If the press gets hold of this, this is going to be a feeding frenzy.
… it’s more than a case.
NELL: This could spiral into an international incident.
It’s a time bomb.
SAM: Tik tok.

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NCISLAFamilia Meet-Up 2013 Write-Up (5/6)

LAban800
Surprise Guest Panel
As a special treat, John Scott Mills stopped in. He not only had a lot of behind-the-scenes information to share, but he was absolutely entertaining. As a Digital Imaging Technician, he has access to sound and camera feeds from throughout the set. The audience learned that Chris O’Donnell sings constantly while on the set, and that he has a great singing voice. In fact, according to Mills, Chris once “killed” an Elvis song at a karaoke party, a performance worthy of a Los Vegas stage. Mills added that O’Donnell likes to mess with LL right before a scene. Another interesting observation he has made is that, in between takes, Daniella and Eric sit together, and Chirs and LL sit together, just like real partners. The audience also learned that even the people on the show are occasionally star-struck, like when Jonathan Franks is directing. (It was pointed out that Franks also has a wonderful singing voice.)
When asked about pranks among the cast and crew, Mills said that Osama Shofani apparently thinks it’s a good idea to put water in Don Frazee’s chair so that he goes around all day with wet pants. Messing with an expert in special effects can only result in high-tech retaliation. Shofani once found his car chained to a tree when it was time for him to go home. And on another day, while filming on location, someone kept disrupting the takes by honking their horn. It was discovered that it was Shofani making his way to where they were shooting. His car had been rigged so that his horn honked each time he touched his brake. The audience laughed so hard, imagining Mr. Shofani coming through the streets of LA, pulling up behind other cars at stop lights, and honking his horn as he applied his breaks. Before leaving the panel table, Mills mentioned the monthly Magazine calendar, and that he thought the great villains on the show deserved a lot of credit. Everyone assembled that day agreed.

At the conclusion of the panel discussions, more prizes were distributed. Each person received a CBS tote bag, a “Hetty” t-shirt, and a CBS “Watch” magazine. Coming back from the lunch break, some wearing their new “Hetty” shirts, was time for picture-taking. Then the group gathered outside for a “family” photo. There was plenty of laughter while taking what was supposed to be the more “serious” shots. And then the various personalities really shined though in the final photos of everyone giving their best “goofy” poses. Who would have thought that taking pictures could have been this much fun?

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