Breath of Fresh Ink.com

03-17-2006

Justin Chambers Talks About ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ & ‘Zodiac’

Here is an interview Breath of Fresh Ink’s January Hottie of the Month Justin Chambers

Justin Chambers Could Not Research His Character in The Zodiac Movie: “He was a composite of a few different detectives in different jurisdictions. This character is sort of out of [director] Alex [Bulkley]’s mind, so I had a bit of a creative license to go with him how I thought he would do it. My idea was to go to this town, a week and a half before we started shooting, and just engross myself in the community a little bit. I would drive around and just map out Vallejo, and just try to place myself, living there, at this period of time. I just put myself back in the 60s.”

Justin Chambers Was Affected By the Zodiac Movie Work: “Matt definitely had a lot to deal with, and I think that would be trying on everybody. I was tweaked out a little bit, during the filming. You can see it in Matt’s eyes. Here’s a guy who’s chasing a phantom, and your imagination starts to get carried away because you don’t know who this is or what they look like or what they’re about. It can run the whole gamut. This is a guy who is trying to get the bad guy to protect his family and protect his community. He was very serious and charmless.”

Justin Chambers on the Era of the Zodiac Killer: “Something crazy was going on. The whole sex, drugs and rock and roll was really starting to happen. There were the racial riots in the South. King was assassinated, and Kennedy. I wasn’t there. But, with Matt, all this stuff was going on in the outside, but in his protective little bubble, it wasn’t. And, now, it really was bleeding into it.”

Justin Chambers on Matt Parish’s Stress in The Zodiac Movie: “I probably would have packed up and left. I would have found somewhere else. It’s not worth it. I think anyone, when you really care about your family, will do anything to protect them. But, it’s also his job. Man, that guy was really stressed. He needed to go to rehab too, to detox on the cigs and liquor.”

Justin Chambers on the Upcoming David Fincher Zodiac Killer Movie: “I’m sure it’s going to be very good. I like his films. Somebody said that they’re going to have an ending, which doesn’t make sense to me. Like, they catch the killer. That’s what I heard. I don’t know if it’s true. Maybe it’s just speculation of what could have happened. It’s pretty scary, somebody who hides and sends letters. You don’t know who it is. Is he dead? Was he 18 when he committed these [murders]? He could be alive. Was he from the town?”

For the Ladies, Justin Chambers on His Grey’s Anatomy Character Alex Karev: “Some cool stuff’s going to happen. He’s definitely going to go back to the darker side. He’s going to fall into that. He just has a lot to work out. He doesn’t know how to express himself correctly. I think he’s in love with Izzy, but she’s not.”

Justin Chambers on Contributing to Alex Karev’s Grey’s Anatomy Storylines: “Yeah, you can. I’ve had a few ideas. Sometimes they’ll listen, and sometimes they don’t. I just give them ideas. I’m not a writer. Far from it. Sometimes, we’ll get the script a day before we start shooting. And, throughout even shooting that week, they’ll change things completely, and even take the character in a different way. It’s always a surprise.”

Justin Chambers on Grey’s Anatomy Guest Stars: “We had Laurie Metcalfe. Mary Kay Place came on right before. And, last night, you saw Natalie Cole. That’s what makes the job fun. You come in, not knowing who’s coming in, and you watch their work and get to learn, watching them. They’re usually really gracious, and exciting to watch. It’s a really nice gig.”

Justin Chambers on Learning Medical Jargon for Grey’s Anatomy: “We have a wonderful woman, Linda Kleine, who’s the technician. So, if we ever have a question about a certain surgery or disease, we can just talk to her about it, and she’ll break it down into common folk language. Sometimes, just getting down some of the three or four syllable words is enough work. The show really is about relationships, more than anything, and some of the patients.”

How Grey’s Anatomy Changed Justin Chambers’ Life: “Grey’s Anatomy is the most success I’ve had. A television show like that really reaches a lot of people. We live in a small place outside of Manhattan. No one gives a crap [about what I do], and no one knows. I’ve always been the guy from such and such film, but it was never like people would come up.

“Now, with the impact of Grey’s, that’s starting to change. But, it was kind of cool that way because my kids lived a pretty normal life, and I made enough to pay my bills and got to work. I guess it’s changed, in that way. The popularity of the show has made me more visible and made people more aware of who I am. I get a lot of cat calls. It’s like, ‘It’s a character. Give me a fucking break.’ Some people are like Trekkies with this show. There’s some women out there who are really into it. And then, the guys are always like, ‘Oh, my wife loves your show,’ but they know everything about it too.

So what’s the weirdest Grey’s Anatomy fan encounter? “Nothing too weird. Those are questions for Dempsey. I’m sure he’s had some crazy things happen. We went to some convention recently, and there were a few women that I sort of felt like were elbowing me to get passed me to get to Dempsey. But, it was as if they really believed I was the character, which is great. I’m doing my job. I don’t give a crap. I really don’t. Am I going to ask you out for a drink? No.”

Posted by Chris Evans in Music, Movies, Television, Justin Chambers | RSS 2.0