Post by buffysmglover on Oct 27, 2007 11:39:42 GMT -5
Milo Ventimiglia Grows Up On 'Heroes'
By ROBIN BROWNFIELD @ Syfyportal.com
Milo Ventimiglia, who plays superpower-absorbing Peter Petrelli in the hit show "Heroes," talked to Men's Fitness magazine about Peter Petrelli, turning 30, and his changing view of himself and his image.
"I'm starting to get into what it takes to be a man in my career and my personal life," said Ventimiglia, who added 20 pounds of muscle to his slender physique over the past year by working out and lifting weights. "I was very slightly built. I didn't have a lot of man weight on me, I wasn't really grown up. It opened my eyes up. That's what Peter is about -- going from this boyish nature to being a man."
It was his slight build and youthful appearance that played a part in his being cast in "Heroes." Show creator Tim Kring was specifically looking for an actor who could play someone on the verge of manhood. "When we first meet Milo's character, Peter," said Kring, "he's a bit lost and unsure of what his role in life is. Then, through the course of the season, he had to go from that to becoming a leading man. So he had to grow into that."
When he embarked on his self-improvement regime, the 5-foot-9 Ventimiglia was 137 pounds. He headed for the gym and began performing a self-designed lifting routine four times a week. He quit smoking. Recently voted one of PETA's sexiest vegetarians of 2007 (he's been a vegetarian all his life), he also had to learn that eating healthy still required more than cutting out meat. "You can be a vegetarian and still eat pizza every day," he said. "For the first time, I started to really pay attention to what I was putting into my body."
As his appearance changed, Ventimiglia mused "People started to look at me and say, 'Wow, you've grown up. Did you get taller?"
The results of his lifestyle changes started to become apparent during the first season of "Heroes." His building muscle mass changed almost appropriately with the changes the character experienced – building up with every power he absorbed and learned to control.
Getting fit also paid off for the show in other ways. The role of Peter is one of the more physically demanding roles on the show. "I get beat up, I'm bloodied, I'm in a flying harness, I'm knocked down. I've definitely had a lot of bumps and bruises," says Ventimiglia, who does most of his own stunts.
"I don't think we would have written a lot of the stuff that we did in the second half of the season had we not seen what Milo could do physically," added Kring.
Ventimiglia also mentioned a date he had recently, where the woman became "increasingly uncomfortable" as she learned more about him throughout the evening prompting her to say, "So you're polite, you don't drink, you don't smoke, you're a vegetarian, you keep yourself fit, and you're successful. What's wrong with you?"
"He's a single guy on the hottest show on television," co-star Sendhil Ramamurthy said about Ventimiglia, "He could have become that guy, the one who's out every night doing whatever it is young Hollywood guys do. But that's not Milo. He's incredibly focused, and he knows what he wants. And I have no doubt that he's going to get it."
"Milo's going to have one of these huge careers that is very much in the director-actor-producer category," added Kring. "He'll be able to control his own projects. He's a very impressive guy."
"Heroes" airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
By ROBIN BROWNFIELD @ Syfyportal.com
Milo Ventimiglia, who plays superpower-absorbing Peter Petrelli in the hit show "Heroes," talked to Men's Fitness magazine about Peter Petrelli, turning 30, and his changing view of himself and his image.
"I'm starting to get into what it takes to be a man in my career and my personal life," said Ventimiglia, who added 20 pounds of muscle to his slender physique over the past year by working out and lifting weights. "I was very slightly built. I didn't have a lot of man weight on me, I wasn't really grown up. It opened my eyes up. That's what Peter is about -- going from this boyish nature to being a man."
It was his slight build and youthful appearance that played a part in his being cast in "Heroes." Show creator Tim Kring was specifically looking for an actor who could play someone on the verge of manhood. "When we first meet Milo's character, Peter," said Kring, "he's a bit lost and unsure of what his role in life is. Then, through the course of the season, he had to go from that to becoming a leading man. So he had to grow into that."
When he embarked on his self-improvement regime, the 5-foot-9 Ventimiglia was 137 pounds. He headed for the gym and began performing a self-designed lifting routine four times a week. He quit smoking. Recently voted one of PETA's sexiest vegetarians of 2007 (he's been a vegetarian all his life), he also had to learn that eating healthy still required more than cutting out meat. "You can be a vegetarian and still eat pizza every day," he said. "For the first time, I started to really pay attention to what I was putting into my body."
As his appearance changed, Ventimiglia mused "People started to look at me and say, 'Wow, you've grown up. Did you get taller?"
The results of his lifestyle changes started to become apparent during the first season of "Heroes." His building muscle mass changed almost appropriately with the changes the character experienced – building up with every power he absorbed and learned to control.
Getting fit also paid off for the show in other ways. The role of Peter is one of the more physically demanding roles on the show. "I get beat up, I'm bloodied, I'm in a flying harness, I'm knocked down. I've definitely had a lot of bumps and bruises," says Ventimiglia, who does most of his own stunts.
"I don't think we would have written a lot of the stuff that we did in the second half of the season had we not seen what Milo could do physically," added Kring.
Ventimiglia also mentioned a date he had recently, where the woman became "increasingly uncomfortable" as she learned more about him throughout the evening prompting her to say, "So you're polite, you don't drink, you don't smoke, you're a vegetarian, you keep yourself fit, and you're successful. What's wrong with you?"
"He's a single guy on the hottest show on television," co-star Sendhil Ramamurthy said about Ventimiglia, "He could have become that guy, the one who's out every night doing whatever it is young Hollywood guys do. But that's not Milo. He's incredibly focused, and he knows what he wants. And I have no doubt that he's going to get it."
"Milo's going to have one of these huge careers that is very much in the director-actor-producer category," added Kring. "He'll be able to control his own projects. He's a very impressive guy."
"Heroes" airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
