BELLOmag #68 Entertainment

BELLO MARCH 2015

WILLIAM

MOSELEY

Kevin

ALEJANDRO

2015

Spring Playlist BRAD’S

BUZZ

ENTERTAINMENT

ENTERTAINMENT

The Many Characters of

Kevin Alejandro WORDS BY GLENN GARNERÂ PHOTOS BY ALEKSANDAR TOMOVIC

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IT SEEMS AS THOUGH WE’VE REACHED A GENERATION OF ACTORS AND ACTRESSES WHO ARE FAMOUS FOR THEIR NUMEROUS INTERPRETATIONS OF A SINGULAR CHARACTER: THE QUIRKY MILLENNIAL FEMINIST, THE VENGEFUL EX-FEDERAL AGENT FATHER, THE SASSY GAY BEST FRIEND...TAKE YOUR PICK.

You and a friend started the Jerry P. Worsham scholarship to send underpriviliged theater students to college. Did Worsham have a particular influence on your career?

Kevin Alejandro, however, proves that the craft is not completely lost. Having portrayed everyone from a witchcraftpracticing nurse to a comic book villain, his newest character can be seen March 9th on A&E. In the American adaptation of The Returned (based on the critically acclaimed French series, Les Revenants), he plays Tommy Solano, the sheriff of a small town graced with the inexplicable return of a few residents who had been presumed dead.

and his team did an amazing job at telling this story. It’s funny, I watched the series in trepidation for fear that I would get too caught up in comparing myself to the other actor, or comparing our show to theirs. So, I told myself I’d watch only one episode to get a feel for it. But of course, before I knew it, I had completed the season. I was floored and excited to be given the opportunity to be part of something so beautifully eerie.

I caught up with the actor to discuss the man behind the many characters.

I found the perfect partner; Leslie and I make an incredible team. We have a beautiful child and, in my opinion, we are a great family.

Q: What can you tell me about your character on The Returned?

A: My character’s name is Tommy Solano. I happen to be the town sheriff.

My character goes on an interesting journey, attempting to paste together all of the haunting and strange events that are starting to reveal themselves throughout the progression of the series. We get to witness not only the procedural aspect of his journey, but how these events directly affect him, and how he deals with them.

The show has an amazing cast including, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who plays your fiancée. What’s it like working with her?

Working with Mary is an absolute pleasure. She is a wonderful human being, as well as an incredible actress.

I feel she teaches me a great deal about being in the moment. We work very well together. I’m excited to see what direction our relationship is headed [in].

Were you a fan of the original series?

I am a huge fan of the original version of this show. I think Fabrice Cobert 27

You’ve played so many characters of different backgrounds. What is one character or genre you’d like to explore?

I have to say Shakespeare is something I’d like to sink my teeth into. Macbeth, to be upfront. This is one of my favorite plays. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to play the titular character. It’s always been a dream of mine.

I read that you sacrificed a lot to move to LA and pursue acting. What did it take to get where you are today?

I wouldn’t say I “sacrificed” anything to move to LA, but I did sell a few things.

A buddy of mine and I saved all of our change in Gatorade bottles and sold a few of our belongings to have the cash to make the move. We ended up with a few hundred bucks, a 1987 Nissan Sentra, several trash bags full of our clothes, and the dream of being actors.

Twelve years later, here we are!

Yeah, man. The same buddy I moved out here with (Stephen Monroe Taylor) and I tried to start this fund in honor of our high school theater teacher. Jerry Worsham meant the world, not only to us, but to all of the students who crossed

his path. He was truly a talented, kind, and inspiring man. I owe so much to him. He taught me it was ok to dream and, even more, it’s ok to follow your dreams. If Jerry were still alive, I think he would be extremely proud of the things Stephen and I have been able to accomplish. I can only hope to be half the man he was.

You’re a family man from what I’ve seen. How do you balance such a busy career with your home life?

That’s easy!

I found the perfect partner; Leslie and I make an incredible team. We have a beautiful child and, in my opinion, we are a great family.

Fortunately, we all like to travel, so they come with me wherever I’m shooting.

My wife works from home, so it makes it easier to travel. I think we split the responsibilities pretty well. By that, I mean she does everything (laughs)!

Seriously, though, we’re very aware of each other and we communicate well.

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Photography ALEKSANDAR TOMOVIC www.alekandsteph.com • Styling WARREN ALFIE BAKER www.warrenalfiebaker.com Production and grooming LESLIE ALEJANDRO • Art direction STEPHANE MARQUET • Host JAMES MCCOURT 37

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ENTERTAINMENT

William Moseley: Living the Royal Life

BY GERRAD HALL

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THERE AREN’T TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO WOULD CONSIDER TONY SOPRANO A GOOD ROLE MODEL OR INSPIRATION, BUT THE MOBSTER PLAYED SO FAMOUSLY BY THE LATE AND GREAT JAMES GANDOLFINI HAS INFILTRATED WILLIAM MOSELEY’S PSYCHE...AND IT’S ACTUALLY NOT A BAD THING. “HE’S A TOUGH MAFIA BOSS AND RUTHLESS GUY, BUT SOMEHOW YOU LOVE HIM BECAUSE HIS HEART IS IN THE RIGHT PLACE,” THE 27-YEAR-OLD BRITISH ACTOR OBSERVES OF THE HBO SERIES, WHICH HE RECENTLY BEGAN WATCHING FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Moseley can relate, or at least his latest role, Liam, can. Protocol requires he be referred to as Prince Liam, heir to the throne in the E! network’s first scripted series, The Royals, which premieres March 15. “It’s a very powerful family trying to go through very normal things,” Moseley says, comparing the New Jersey clan to his new fictional family, the British Royal Family.

Best known for his portrayal of eldest brother Peter Pevensie in the Chronicles of Narnia franchise, Moseley’s Liam is a “party boy”- not entirely unlike the momentary image earned by a certain ginger-haired, butt-baring (sure, it was just one time) British Prince – relishing his lavish lifestyle. But that all changes when his older brother dies at war. “It’s like if Prince Harry was set to be the next King of England.

Everybody assumes it won’t happen, and then it does,” Moseley explains of the series, which E! has already given a second season order before the first ten episodes have even aired. “With my character, I don’t think he really wants it. He doesn’t really want the responsibility; he doesn’t really want the billions [watching] every breath and movement.”

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Never mind all the eyes on him, though.

Liam’s harshest critic shares the same palace walls as he: his “very difficult mother,” the Queen, played by Elizabeth Hurley. “I think she fears that her life will end at the waste of this young, wild prince,” he says. “She does everything in her power to force him into this regimen, this organization, this specific way of doing things. And of course, any parent who tries to do that to their kid causes a little strife at home. When you try to do it in a royal setting, there’s no holds barred. Basically,” he adds, “all all hell will break lose.”

whom Moseley briefly met at the 2010 Royal premiere of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the final Narnia movie, in London. He had met Prince Charles a few years earlier at the premiere of the first movie, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. “So I’ve been really lucky, but I haven’t had any other interactions with them other than that, and I don’t know if I will after this,” he says with a big laugh.

Regardless, the show and role are a big departure for Moseley from the familyfriendly world of Narnia, and he’s been

It’s like if Prince Harry was set to be the next King of England. Everybody assumes it won’t happen, and then it does.

And here, hell comes in the form of some physical aggression. “She does bitch slap me in the first episode,” Moseley reveals. “I get backhanded right on the face. So that was an experience to be hit

by Elizabeth Hurley.” Hurley’s Queen, of course, is nothing like what we know of the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth,

ready for the challenge. “I think it was hard to break away,” reflecting on his career the last few years, “and I’m just so happy that I can do something a little bit different, something more risky that’s going to push the boundary a little bit.”

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If I told you how long it’s taken me to get it together or to a point where I’m happy with it, you would think I’m a complete failure.

It’s something he admits that he, like many, was initially skeptical about.

“I read that E! was doing a scripted drama about the royal family, and it just didn’t sound like a reputable premise,” Moseley explains of his hesitation.

“But once I got through the script and I saw where the writer/creator, Mark Schwahn, was coming from and the pace of it and the movement and style, I was really drawn to it. I could see why it would be right for E! It’s very scandaland celebrity-driven, but it’s also very modern, very contemporary, very right now.”

wanted] to make him one of the guys - a guy that guys would like and that girls would like – and a very down-toearth person in a very extraordinary setting.”

For his part, Moseley has kept his focus on what’s on the page rather than rely on any preconceived notions he had of Princes William or Harry. “I feel like the writers have drawn from certain things – rumors or scandals or something like that – that’s happened within the Royal Household, but mostly it’s very fun and light,” he assures. “I think when I was trying to play the character, all I really thought about was to make him as normal as possible. [I

That movie led to an unexpected opportunity, landing Moseley a 2012 appearance on NBC & Esquire Network’s American Ninja Warrior.

Moseley explains how attending a Venice Beach, CA taping of the extreme obstacle course to support stuntmen-turned-friends he made on that movie helped build his own bravery as he watched the competitors. “I was kind of thinking, ‘You know, I feel like I could do that. I feel like maybe

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Extraordinary settings are where Moseley seems to thrive, be it physically, like surfing California’s coast (“Manhattan Beach or Malibu, at least three times a week”), or professionally, like the fantastical world of Narnia. Or combining both, as he did in the 2013 parkour film Run, “which I think only a handful of people have seen.”

there’s a chance that I could do this,’” he recalls. Speaking with one of the show’s organizers, he got his chance.

“I was really disappointed with myself because I didn’t even research; I just did it. I should’ve seen there are these things called Devil’s Stairs, which you do by climbing with your hands. They’re like pull-ups, and the third one up is a little bit higher than the other ones; you have to go underneath. So I just went for it and I slipped.”

But the point is, he “went for it,” a mantra Moseley seems to live by these days. He’s even written his first screenplay. “If I told you how long it’s taken me to get it together or to a point where I’m happy with it, you would think I’m a complete failure,” he almost disappointedly, yet humbly, notes. He has two more movies in the can, and there’s more of Liam in store for him this summer as he shoots Season 2 of the new series.

Whatever life brings his way, Moseley is having a royally good time.

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Photography DARREN TIESTE www.DARRENTIESTE.com Styling TOYE ADEDIPE www.TOYEADEDIPE.com Grooming AMBER DUARTE at One Represents using Amika + Aveda skincare 45

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ENTERTAINMENT

SO FRESH:

The 2015 Spring Playlist

BY HIKO MITSUZUKA & BRAD LIBERTI

THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY BITTER COLD AND CRIPPLING SNOWSTORMS ONE CAN ENDURE. AND SINCE SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER (WE PROMISE, EAST COAST, WE REALLY DO), WE COULD ALL USE SOME TUNAGE TO HELP THAW US OUT OF THE LATEST BRUTAL SEASON AND PREPARE US FOR SOME SUNNIER DAYS. LEAVE THOSE WINTER COATS IN THE CLOSETS, AND LISTEN UP: anyone itching to pack a bag and escape to a tropical destination this season.

4. “My Heart Is Open” by Maroon 5 feat. Gwen Stefani

1. “Cool” by Alesso feat. Roy English

It’s not quite as stirring as Pink and Nate Ruess’s “Just Give Me A Reason” from 2013, but this match-made-inheaven duet will do just fine.

Blast things off with this soaring track that samples Kylie Minogue’s “Get Outta My Way” (we know, right??) and showcases some smooth vocals from L.A. producer-singer, Roy English.

5. “Bang Dem Sticks” by Meghan Trainor

2. “Truffle Butter” by Nicki Minaj feat. Drake & Lil Wayne Nicki and her A-list crew bring the verbal heat over one of the smoothest and sexiest grooves since Sade.

This rump shaker is just the kind of jam that M.Train needs to help evolve her style and keep her on the charts.

6.

“Feel Right” by Mark Ronson feat. Mystikal It’s hard to believe that it’s been 15 years since New Orleans’s own Michael Lawrence Tyler (a.k.a. Mystikal) first broke through, commanding the country to “Shake Ya Ass,” but as this soulful gem off of Ronson’s excellent LP proves, the man hasn’t lost any of his swagger.

3. “The Island” by Parade of Lights

7. “Outside” by Calvin Harris feat.

Ellie Goulding

The electro-pop-rock group from L.A. has concocted the perfect anthem for

Not only does he look damn good in his skivvies (thank you Armani), but the

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Scottish DJ-producer knows how to make some crowd-pleasing EDM. And here is Exhibit A.

8. “Pay No Mind” by Madeon feat.

Passion Pit Here’s a sparkling track from the 20-year-old’s debut album (out this month). Roll the car windows down; you’ll wanna blare this one.

9. “We Are The Kids” by Walk The Moon “We’re venturing into unmarked regions of the map with these songs,” says guitarist Eli Maiman, “but we’re leaving breadcrumbs along the way so people can follow us.” And after listening to this mesmerizing track from the fantastic Talking Is Hard, you’ll never want to quit them.

10.

“Better To Be Loved” by Francesco Yates This Canadian crooner is delivering the funk on this soulful single. Get in on it before he makes his inevitable crossover to the U.S. 46

ENTERTAINMENT

BRAD’S BUZZ

BY BRAD LIBERTI, ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR twitter and instagram @bjl233

1. Chappie The idea of Neill Blomkamp, the South African auteur whose nihilistic vision of our modern society has birthed District 9 and Elysium, taking on a “family film” is reason enough to get me in the theater. But throw in the fact that his frequent collaborator, the delightfully twisted Sharlto Copley, plays the Wall-esque titular hero - Andy Serkis style - and I literally cannot wait.

2. Cinderella Honestly, between last year’s Maleficent (watchable only for Angelina), this past Christmas’ Into The Woods remake, ABC’s Once Upon a Time, and of course, my ever-present Frozen fatigue, I’ve been feeling a tad bit fairy tale-d out as of late. But tell me that Cate “The Great” Blanchett is starring in this colorful live action version from Disney as the wicked… ahem, misunderstood...stepmother, complete with designer duds and her fiercest red wig since Elizabeth, and I’m already practically salivating.

3. The Last Man on Earth From his weird but hysterical work on SNL and 30 Rock to his criminally underappreciated film appearances in works like MacGruber and Nebraska, Will Forte is an undeniable onscreen MVP. And who knows...? Maybe America will finally realize it when with this wacky comedy about - you guessed it - the last man on earth premiers this month on Fox. Let’s just hope that the show’s better than Mulaney.

4. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Fans went nuts when they heard that Tina Fey and her 30 Rock co-creator, Robert Carlock, would be returning to television as part of NBC’s Fall 2014 lineup, but then the usual network rigmarole threatened to kill their latest effort before anyone even got the chance to see it. Now that the comedy – starring Ellie Kemper as an escaped cult member trying to adjust to life on the outside - is on Netflix, all parties seem happy, and I can binge watch this entire thing in an afternoon.

5. Secrets and Lies No, it’s not a TV remake of Mike Leigh’s superb 1996 dramedy starring Brenda Blethyn, but rather a retelling of a popular Aussie drama about a small-town man who finds the body of a young boy and is subsequently blamed for the death.

Not that it really matters, though, because this Gen Y-er will be tuning in for ‘90s superstars Ryan Phillippe and Juliette Lewis.

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