Updated at 9:36 a.m., Monday, May 21, 2007
'Lost' actor takes on role of famous adventurer
By JANICE RHOSHALLE LITTLEJOHN
For The Associated Press
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"Places call you," says the 28-year-old actor. "Usually the Virgin Islands call people. China was calling me."
Which is why Somerhalder, not seen on TV since his fateful end in the first season of "Lost," which is filmed on O'ahu, took the role of the most famous Westerner to travel the Silk Road in the Hallmark Channel's "Marco Polo," airing on June 2.
The three-hour movie about the 13th-century Venetian trader's odyssey through Asia is loosely based on the explorer's celebrated chronicles, "The Travels of Marco Polo."
In the film, Somerhalder plays the young, wide-eyed adventurer who accompanies two priests on a mission to convert Mongol conqueror Kublai Khan (played by Brian Dennehy) to Christianity. But the priests turn back during the journey, unconvinced that China even exists.
Eventually, Polo forges ahead through treacherous mountains and blinding desert blizzards to reach the fabled land where he is accepted as a confidant in Khan's court, discovering, among many things, the delicacies of ice cream and pasta, as well as the advantages of paper currency and a postal system.
Accompanied by his faithful servant-cum-companion, Pedro (BD Wong), Polo spent more than two decades exploring the region, before returning to Europe to write his tale that continues to be one of the most important travelogues in history.
"This guy of Anglo Saxon descent walking through places like Afghanistan, it's a surprise that he didn't get killed in his first month," Somerhalder says. "But the thing is, you always know what he did and what he saw, but you never know how he felt about it. He never talked about himself or his feelings, and he never judged anyone, which I think is pretty incredible."
SHOOTING ON LOCATION NO EASY TASK
Shooting on location last summer in temperatures of 110 degrees-plus and high humidity turned out to be an adventure all its own.
"I lost 20 pounds in eight weeks shooting this movie," he says. "The horses would lay down with their saddles on and pass out — we'd have to pour water all over them."
The actor says he was quite taken with China.
"China is this place that had been closed off to Americans like forever," he says. "I remember as a kid growing up in the '80s you always heard, 'Russia and China, you've got to be careful.' Then you get there and there are these really peaceful people. Shanghai is one of my favorite cities. It blew my mind how beautiful this place is."
Like Polo, Somerhalder shares a similar wanderlust.
"I've had these feelings since I was a kid," says Somerhalder, whose father entertained his young son with tales of his travels in the military during the Vietnam War. "Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to travel to new cities, new hotel rooms. I should have been a damn rock star."
"Ian really captured the spirit of Marco Polo, as he himself is a backpacker and does all that kind of stuff," says executive producer Robert Halmi Sr., who remembered Somerhalder on "Lost" and immediately wanted him for the role.
"I liked his look and I liked his acting ability," says the Emmy-winning Halmi, who has produced more than 200 movies or miniseries for Hallmark Entertainment. "But as I got to talk to him in China, I got to find out why he was so passionate about the role."
BOOT FROM 'LOST' OPENED OTHER DOORS
It's been two years since Somerhalder was bumped off the island when his character, Boone, became the first casualty of ABC's mysterious-island hit.
Initially conflicted about losing the gig, Somerhalder, who received raves recently in the Off-Broadway romp, "Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead," now sees the benefit of his TV stint.
"It opened so many doors," says the model-turned-actor, enjoying an apple tart after lunch at a beachfront cafe not far from his newly purchased Santa Monica home. "But it definitely makes it harder to do any other show. It's like when you break up with someone and start dating someone else ... you're always comparing the two."
Speaking of which, his next series is the HBO relationship drama, "Tell Me That You Love Me," in September. It's said to be so erotic that Variety reveals "it makes 'Sex and the City' look like a Saturday morning cartoon."
"It is sexually graphic, but not gratuitous," Somerhalder responds.
Then again, he adds, "It's definitely not what you want your girlfriend's parents watching."
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On the Web:
www.hallmarkchannel.com
