Movieline
by Jen Yamato
Movieline (Movieline.com)
23 November 2010 [retrieved April 2014]
(Only the portion of this article pertaining to Young Americans is copied here. The point is that Antin went out of his way to recruit an Adonis to play the role of Hamilton Fleming.)
(Yamato): Is it strange that coming into Burlesque, many folks don't realize that you've done so much before -- like your previous acting roles or the series that you created, Young Americans?
(Antin): A lot of people don't. Every now and then there are people like you who saw it and loved it. But stylistically, Young Americans was a staggeringly beautiful show, and a lot of attention was paid to detail in creating a beautiful world and environment.
The other thing that an entirely new generation may not realize they have to thank you for is introducing the world to Ian Somerhalder, who made his acting debut in Young Americans.
Oh yeah! I found Ian Somerhalder. He had never acted before, but his picture came across my desk and I said, "Get that kid in here! I think he could play the role of Hamilton." I just liked the way he looks and I wanted to see if he can do it. He was a Guess model at the time and they kept saying, "He's doing a shoot for Guess," and kept cancelling. I said, "But I want to meet him for a TV series!" Finally he came in and I took him to the network and coached him. I actually shot him myself in my office and went through a long process of helping to get him on TV.
Was he not already sold on transitioning into acting at the time?
He was sort of thinking about it, exploring it, and he was going out for things. But he hadn't done any [acting]. He was just a model. Not just a model -- he was a successful, beautiful young model, but I knew when he came to my office that there was something special about this guy. ... Ian's like my son! I feel like his dad. I love it. He's great, such a charming, lovely, fabulous guy. You would love him. He's also an incredibly bright, thoughtful, earthy guy. Really smart. He is really one of the most beautiful specimens I've ever seen in person. He's so staggeringly beautiful that it's jaw-dropping. You know what they said to me at The WB? "You're putting too much make-up on him, there's too much blush on his cheeks." I'm like, "He doesn't wear any make-up. That's his f***ing skin." He's one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen, and he's a fabulous guy.
Antin's account of how he hired Somerhalder to play Hamilton Fleming seems consistent with what Somerhalder reportedly is cited as saying in an article, "American Beauties," by Jennifer Graham, TV Guide, 2000 (exact date unknown):
Somerhalder: "I had to shoot a "Guess?" campaign for five days when my agency called and said that Young Americans was interested in seeing me. I couldn't get away, so I went to Paul Marciano [co-chairmans of Guess?] and said, 'Look, there's this great script. I think I can do it.' He was like, 'Go.' I read for it and booked the pilot a week later."
Interestingly, Katherine Moennig, who played Jake (Jacqueline) Pratt reportedly told press interviewers twice that Antin had Somerhalder and her audition together.
A no-byline article titled "Katherine Moennig" in Enterteenment News (vol. 1, issue 1: summer/fall 2000) reportedly cited Moennig as saying that after her modelling agency referred her to Antin, "She tested for the part in New York, then went out to LA for the show. When asked who she bonded with first, she quickly answered Ian.
Similarly, Christina Radish, in an "Exclusive Katherine Moennig Interview" published on the Rawley Academy fansite of 4 October 2000, cited Moennig as saying that "she met Somerhalder when she tested for the role [of Jake]." Radish elaborated: "When asked what the auditioning process was like for the show, Moennig explained, 'I read for it in New York. ... I was modeling at the time and Steven Antin, our creator, knew the president of the agency I was with. He called her and he said, "I'm looking for this girl who can play a boy, who has to be androgynous," and she brought up my name. So I tested in New York and two days later they flew me out to L.A. I got the role and two weeks later we filmed the pilot. ... Ian and I ... auditioned together, and we just hit it off right then and there.'"