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A CONVERSATION WITH ROB LOWE Santa Barbara Magazine By Wendy Jenson August/September 2005 Santa Barbara Magazine talked with the busy actor before he headed off to England, where he’s reteaming with writer Aaron Sorkin (creator of The West Wing) on the play A Few Good Men. | |||
How are you preparing for your London stage debut?
I have a voice coach I’ve worked with for years. He’s a cantor at the Stephen Wise Temple in LA and I see him once a week. Then I use a CD that we recorded. Your vocal cord is a muscle and you can build it up. The exercises are mostly scales, a lot of it is breathing. I am training for this play as if it were a musical.
Who will you be playing?
Lieutenant Kaffee, the part Tom Cruise played in the movie. It’s a great role-funny and
dramatic at the same time. |
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When you’re at home, what’s your typical day like?
I get up at 9 A.M. when I’m not driving my kids to school. I have my coffee outside and read the newspapers. I take my run, then I go to the office and catch up on phone calls and paperwork. Depending on the season, I coach some of my sons’ sports teams. On Mondays, I serve hot lunch at their school.
Do you have to wear a hairnet?
No, but I have to wear plastic gloves. I am usually on drink duty with my good friend, Alice, one of the grandmas there. Or sometimes I’m the Parmesan cheese dispenser.
You’re friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger, do you call him Governor?
Absolutely! You have to understand, I was on The West Wing, so I am very old school about titles. One of the great thrills of my life was when Arnold ran me through his workout regimen one day. The way that he wanted me to life weights, hyperextending, would make today’s trainer blanch. I don’t think I quite made the cut in his eyes, but I was feeling pretty studly.
Let’s talk about your career. What do you remember about making The Outsiders?
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It was the first big movie for all of us: Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, etc., so whenever
we see each other, it’s a club. We filmed in Tulsa, OK. I lived with all
these guys on the fifth floor of the Tulsa Excelsior Hotel. My roommate was C. Thomas
Howell, who played Ponyboy, my brother. Tom roomed with Emilio (Estevez). Matt was the
big man on campus, so he had his own room. And all we wanted to do was get Diane Lane
to pay attention to us. None of us did very well. How about St. Elmo’s Fire? I can remember that movie capturing people’s imagination to the extent that I went to a Halloween party that year and there were two guys dressed as me. They even had the saxophone around their necks. Actually, I still have it. One year, the auction at my son’s preschool had an ‘80's theme and I came dressed in my wardrobe from St. Elmo’s Fire. It was fun to see who immediately knew what I was doing and then the people who looked at me like, “Why the heck is Rob Lowe wearing a saxophone around his neck?” | |||
That was pretty much my motto for the ‘80's. My head could have exploded from all the chemicals that were on it.
What can you tell us about Austin Powers?
I read that script sitting outside at a local restaurant. I was by myself, laughing out loud. Mike Myers and I had played golf and I was imitating Robert Wagner while we were playing. And that's where he got the idea to ask me to play a young Robert Wagner.
You were one of the early supporters of the Dream Foundation. What other charities
do you support? |  | |||
I love this town and it’s given me so much. The last TV series I did, between July and September of 2004, I put 25,000 miles on my car commuting everyday to LA just so I could sleep in my own bed and kiss my kids good night. I will never leave this place, ever.
Santa Barbara Magazine ~~ August/September 2005