Milo Ventimiglia Interview, Rocky Balboa

MoviesOnline recently caught up with actor Milo Ventimiglia at the Los Angeles press day for his latest film, "Rocky Balboa,” in which writer/director/star Sylvester Stallone returns to the character that launched his career and became a cultural icon around the world.

Milo Ventimiglia stars as Robert Balboa, Jr., Rocky’s only son who has spent his life trying to emerge from his father’s famous shadow. The actor, who has worked primarily in television the past decade on such series as "Gilmore Girls” and "Heroes,” notes that as in the original film, Rocky starts the tale down and out. "He’s got to turn things around but he needs the people he loves at his side,” says the young actor. "And they’re not there. This film really connects emotionally with the first one. They’re both simple, human stories.”

Ventimiglia is currently one of the stars of NBC’s acclaimed drama series "Heroes,” playing Peter Petrelli, a male nurse and politician’s younger brother who is plagued by nightmares that he can fly. "Heroes” follows the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities.

Ventimiglia recently starred in Tom Fontana’s series "The Bedford Diaries,” which focused on a group of college students in a human sexuality class. He quickly garnered attention when he joined the casts of two critically-acclaimed television dramas: "Gilmore Girls” as the quiet and complicated Jess and NBC’s "American Dreams” as a 1960s war radical. He was also a recurring character on David E. Kelley’s drama "Boston Public.”

Before joining "Gilmore Girls,” audiences became familiar with Ventimiglia when he starred in the Fox series "Opposite Sex,” which secured him a holding deal with Warner Bros. His other television credits include guest-starring roles on primetime series such as "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” "C.S.I.,” "Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” and "Promiseland.” Segueing effortlessly between the big and small screen, Ventimiglia’s passion for the art of acting keeps him drawn to both studio and independent features. In addition to "Rocky Balboa,” his film credits include the Disney film "Stay Alive”; the Wes Craven/Kevin Williamson thriller "Cursed”; the indie film "Dirty Deeds”; "Sheer Bliss”; and "Massholes.”

Additionally, he starred in the short films "Nice Guys Finish Last” and ‘Must Be the Music,” which debuted at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews. He currently resides in Los Angeles and enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding and wakeboarding. He also has a passion for restoring vintage muscle cars. Milo is a fantastic guy with a great sense of humor and we really appreciated his time. Here’s what he had to tell us about starring opposite Sylvester Stallone in the final chapter of the Rocky franchise:

Q: So you’re the trouble maker for the hero.

Milo: Yeah, Peter the troublemaker. (referring to his "Heroes” character)

Q: Did you grow up watching these films and what was it like being in one?

Milo: I did. I was negative one when the first one came out. But, by the time the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th one… I pretty much grew up in the Clubber Lang, Ivan Drago era (boxers in Rocky 3 and 4). That was more my time. I’ve always been a fan of the films, even the fifth which I think some people didn’t care for as much as the first four. I’ve always enjoyed them. I thought they were great, entertaining, and I really got into the underdog story and how if your mind is in the right direction and your heart is full of the right kind of stuff, then you’ll succeed. You’ll triumph over adversity, over anything.

Q: How was working with Stallone?

Milo: There’s kind of that fright and excitement all at the same time. When you first meet someone of his stature where it’s literally, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m in the room with Sylvester Stallone.’ But he disarms you. He looks you in the eye when he talks to you and he speaks clearly and he’ll make you laugh and he’s very kind and warm-hearted. So, being on the set with him and actually going through the process of playing his son….he created a world of comfort so that I could play the part and be expressive.

Q: How hard was it to follow in the tradition of Sage Stallone?

Milo: Sage Stallone and two others. If you’re gonna talk about Sage, you’ve gotta talk about two other actors that played Robert Junior. I think, if you look at the previous films where Robert Junior is around, the conflict, the struggle that he had to deal with, I think there were only positive things for me to learn and to grow from and to build on top of what those previous actors had created.

Q: Did Sly mentor you in any way?

Milo: I think I had the great good fortune to watch Sly the artist. To really watch him in all arenas; as an actor, not many people get to see him turn that character on. They don’t understand that he’s playing a role and when he turns that role on, he gets a very slow look in his eye and a sweet smile on his face in the way that he approaches the world. To read the script that he wrote and see him composing those shots, I took it as an opportunity to quietly watch, quietly observe someone that had created this world, that knew the world so very well but, at the same time, comfortable enough to where, if I had ideas, if I had thoughts, that I could go up and talk to him. He really did create an environment that was welcoming of ideas and welcoming of suggestions, and welcoming of wanting to bring ideas that were going to better the film and going to make it wholer and more rich and more real and more accessible I think to anybody. That’s what these films really are. They’re accessible to people.

Q: Any fatherly advice on a personal level?

Milo: I still have phone conversations with him and we touch base and check in with one another. I learned about a month and a half ago that he watches the TV show that I’m on (Heroes). That’s kind of an amazing thing when you hear that this person you got to work with and had looked up to for so many years is actually following what you’re doing. That’s a nice thing to know.

Q: What directions did Sly give you on set?

Milo: I remember that both of us, we have a little problem with our mouths, crooked mouths. I remember him telling me (in Sly voice) ‘make sure your mouth is warmed up because it’s cold out’. You could see the two of us when we were filming in Philly, standing in front of heat lamps just (demonstrates ooowwww, ahhhh ) moving our mouths. Otherwise, it freezes up which was kind of nice. We got to bond on that. We both have the crooked mouth and if it’s below 32 we’re fucked and our face freezes up. So to see he and I before a take, we’re outside in Philly where it’s 20 degrees just owwwww, ahhhh. He had a lot of great advice. He just created that warm, welcome environment to want to bring this character to life, to do something amazing and magical with it that hadn’t been done before.

Q: Your character is a little embarrassed when his dad wants to come out of retirement. Has a relative ever done something that embarrassed you and, if so, what would you do about it? Would you talk to them or just ignore it?

Milo: I wouldn’t ignore it. I think ignoring something that’s bothering you is like putting a band-aid over the Grand Canyon. It’s doesn’t really cover it. It doesn’t really heal. It doesn’t solve anything. Without a name, of course I’ve had family, I’ve had friends, I’ve had people put me in embarrassing, compromising situations but I think, when you talk to somebody and you’re up front with them and you tell them how it made you feel, with anything, hopefully there’s an understanding and a want [on their part] to not do that again.

Q: Can you talk a little about the emotional scene outside the restaurant where your character tells Rocky how he feels?

Q: Is this perfect timing for you with "Heroes” taking off?

Milo: Not so much perfect timing as just an odd coincidence. Honestly, every day I just try to show up and do the best work I can do and focus on the work of the day. I think a lot of actors will be enticed, be excited by the prospect of what accolades the job they’re working on is going to bring them, what awards or party invitations it’s gonna bring them. For me, I think I was just fortunate enough to be in some great company and to be a part of some projects that people are enjoying and looking to for entertainment and education.

Q: Are you surprised at how well "Heroes” has done and can you tell us what might be coming up for some of the characters?

Milo: If I were to say I was surprised at how well the show is doing, I’d probably look like an idiot. From day one of reading the script, "Heroes” blew me away. Just the surprise of the twists, the turns, character development and the build, I really was blown away and then add everything else, the writers, the production team and all the directors that have come through, it really has just grown into this wonderful world. It does stretch across, an American influence or an American appreciation where I hear about people in the U.K., in Australia, Asia is really looking forward to the show having seen bits and pieces of it.

Q: What can you tell us about what’s coming up?

Milo: What’s coming up? I guess I’d just have to say, if you were blow away by what you saw in the first half of the season, you’re really going to be blown away by the second half. When there’s that fairy dust sprinkled on things and that excitement like ‘Are they really going to do this? Oh, my God, they just did it.’ It’s going to be kind of ‘hold your breath’ television.

Q: Did you get into boxing more after this film and what do you do to stay in shape?

Milo: I think, over the course of my life, I’ve seen a handful of boxing bouts on television with some friends but I never followed it too much. I saw my very first match when I was in Vegas and we were shooting the film. We saw Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor fight and what was I think the bigger surprise to me wasn’t the match itself but the fans and to see people just excited for the bloodletting. It kind of reminded me of Roman times where there’s a coliseum and people’s excitement to see if the lion was gonna get the gladiator. It was just an amazing spectacle. Keeping in shape now? With my work schedule, it’s tough to get to the gym but I get there when I can. I jump a lot of rope, don’t drink, do drugs or smoke so….

Q: No boxing for you?

Milo: No. I don’t want to get hit. (laughs) That was actually one thing watching Antonio and Sylvester for ten days. They hit each other and I realized, I don’t want to be a boxer so it’s kind of bob and weave as far as you can. Gettin’ hit is no fun.

Q: Rocky is such a big part of American culture. How did you feel when you got the part in this movie?

Q: It says here you enjoy restoring muscle cars.

Milo: Where did you learn that, online?

Q: It’s all in the press kit.

Milo: And that I also like wakeboarding and something else that I have no idea what the fuck it is? (laughs)

Q: It’s a lie? (laughing)

Milo: Actually, no, I do. I have a great appreciation and affinity for classic ‘60’s cars. I think it’s gotten blown out of proportion. Do you ever wish that online you could browse your job history and could delete and erase it and start fresh? I’d love that if you could actually do that online and get rid of any of the stuff that, when I was young, trying to build a resume, you have a special skills section on your resume and it’s gigantic when you first start but, as you build up with work, it gets slimmer and smaller but yes, I love classic cars.

Q: What do you have?

Milo: I have a ’67 Chevelle Super-Sport. Her name is Evelyn.

Q: Any other interesting hobbies besides wakeboarding?

Milo: Yeah, wakeboarding on the back of my Chevelle. I’m really into photography. I like photography. I actually got a picture that I took on set from Rocky published in Entertainment Weekly… in the holiday movie preview is a picture of Sylvester in the cemetery sitting in front of Adrian Balboa’s grave. That was my picture. They trimmed about three inches off the side and they cropped it and I was so upset. It was supposed to be a two-page spread and the photo editor called and said, ‘Hey, Milo, we lost an ad page. It’s going down to one page from a two-page spread.’ I’m like ‘Okay, well, it’s a pretty wide frame. How much is an ad page worth? Can I just buy one and make up a company like inflatable bananas and, all of a sudden, I’ve got my two pages back? Can I do that, please?’ But, photography is my hobby. I like taking pictures.

Q: Digital or film?

Milo: I haven’t really gotten into digital. I’ve tried but I like film. I’m a big film guy. I just got an assignment for a magazine where it’s all Polaroid. That’s cool to capture a different medium and different format. My style of photography I like to see the way that we see as people. I like to see a large range as opposed to just a little box.

Q: Was the ad page too expensive for you?

Q: Do you want to write or direct?

Milo: I’m a terrible writer. I have directed before. I’ve done some stuff for Warner Brothers and I have a couple of things coming up in the hopper. I favor the other end of things. I like producing. I like directing. I’m terribly nervous in front of a camera. It’s a nerve-wracking thing to be bare naked with your emotions and have it documented on film forever. So the prospect of being on the other side of the camera has always been very enticing to me.

Q: Could you resist the urge to run up the steps and ‘do the Rocky’ in Philadelphia?

Milo: Well, I didn’t run, I walked. It was my last day of filming and it was right before it was about to snow and I was about to get on a plane. As I’m walking up the steps of the museum, I see tens, twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, almost a hundred people running up and down the steps jumping up and down with their arms [up] and I’m like ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. Seriously?’ And I watched it and, as I got closer, I realized it was our film crew with all the locals of Philadelphia. And anybody that day could come out and run up the steps and they put all of these people at the end of the movie which is great. I think it was such a generous thing to give back to Philadelphia.

Q: Is there a cast member on "Heroes” that you haven’t had a chance to work with yet that you’d really like to work with?

Milo: Leonard Roberts, Ali Larter. I think I’ve worked with everybody else. That was the nice thing about my character. I got to bounce around. But I haven’t worked with Ali or Leonard or Noah yet.

Q: Thank you.

Milo: Thanks, guys.

"Rocky Balboa” is currently playing in theaters nationwide. I invite you to read my review of the film and my interview with its star, Sylvester Stallone.