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Heirs to the Throne
GREGORY SMITHThe Adventurer Gregory Smith appeared in his first commercial at 14 months but, he says, “I didn’t start taking acting seriously until I was six.” The Toronto-born 24-year-old, best known as Ephram Brown, the oh-so-dreamy lead on the now defunct WB series Everwood, moved to Los Angeles in his teens, landing roles alongside Mel Gibson and Christopher Plummer in films like The Patriot and, more recently, Closing the Ring. “One of the coolest things about acting,” says Smith, “is that you find yourself working with your idols. You absorb things.” With Closing the Ring set for theatrical release later this year, Smith had some time off this winter and visited South America. “Filming Everwood in Utah ignited a passion for the outdoors,” he says. “I’ve been travelling ever since.”
TAYLOR KITSCHThe Hunk Last December, Taylor Kitsch attended an L.A. Kings hockey game with his friend, Gossip Girl heartthrob Chace Crawford – a minor event but one deemed newsworthy by ET Canada and Perezhilton.com. For Kitsch, who appeared in Snakes on a Plane but is best known for his television role as a hard-living football player on Friday Night Lights, the incident was perhaps an introduction to a new tier of fame. But the 26-year-old Kelowna, B.C., native is seeking a different kind of renown. “I want to be a respected actor,” he says. “Not a celebrity.”
A.J. COOKThe Dancer It’s been more than a decade since A.J. Cook gave up dancing for acting, but the Oshawa, Ontario, native says that she’s still “a closet dancer.” Whether she’s hanging out at home in L.A. or working on the set of the hit crime drama Criminal Minds (she plays JJ Jareau), she admits, “I’m always kind of dancing around.” Cook has established herself not only in TV, but also on the big screen (The Virgin Suicides, Final Destination 2). She would like to return to film sometime, but for now, her TV commitments rule: “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” |
