January 2002

Cameo: Michael Vartan

By Adriana Leshko

Drew, Madonna... Mom? Unlikely as it may seem, there is a man out there who has what it takes to satisfy everyone from our favorite California girl next door to the ultimate diva to the fussiest potential mother in law. The mystery Mr. Perfect is 33-year-old Franco-American actor Michael Vartan (The Myth of Fingerprints, The Next Best Thing), whose grown-up good looks and unfailingly polite demeanor have had the ladies swooning in the aisles since his 1999 turn in Never Been Kissed.

"To be perfectly honest, the part made me nauseous," says the refreshingly down-to-earth actor of his Kissed character, Sam Coulson, a foxy English teacher who loves Shakespeare and commitment. "That fucking scene on the baseball mound, it still makes my skin crawl! I just think that he was the greatest man ever made, and that people like that don't exist." Happily for Vartan, more, shall we say, nuanced roles have followed, culminating in his costarring role on the ABC hit Alias. In Michael Vaughn, a straight-arrow CIA agent and romantic foil for series lead Jennifer Garner, Vartan has landed his dream role. "I get to do all the stuff that guys fantasize about when they're boys: be a spy, go to faraway places with a pretty girl, save the day. And getting paid for it -- are you kidding me?"

But fear not, the self-described "Mets fan from France" isn't limiting himself to the small screen. This month, his chiseled cheekbones will once again loom large in theaters across the country as he costars in One Hour Photo, a taut thriller starring Robin Williams as a creepy photo clerk who develops some unsavory obsessions. Vartan plays Will Yorkin, a family man whose seemingly perfect facade hides some secrets of his own. It's a chance for the actor to tarnish his golden-boy image and further extend his dramatic range. "I'm not saying I'm not a nice guy," he explains. "But we all have our dark sides and we all have our quirks." Okay, we believe you. Just don't tell Mom.

Scan and transcript thanks to vartanetc.!

© Premiere Magazine 2002

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