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Here are various interviews of Eric
Snippets from TV Zone Magazine
(The interview is three pages)
On the stunts in Metamorphosis:
" They put me inside the truck, hooked a cable to it and dragged it down the road on it's side. It wouldn't have been so bad if I could''ve seen what was going on, but Whitney was supposed to have passed out. I was told to, 'close your eyes and lay your head against the window,' which is was scraping across the pavement. At first I thought,' Hey no problem, I'm ready to go' but it was pretty scary when I actually had to do it."
On Whitney's relationship with Clark,
"With Clark, he's gone from utterly despising him, to tolerating him and, finally understanding the guy. Whitney now knows why Lana likes Clark and enjoys spending time with him; it's because he's a good person. So he does'nt get nearly as jealous," jokes Johnson, " although he can still sometimes be over-protective of Lana."
On Whitney's character development.
"It turns out that Whitney isn't a bad person at all, bit rather a scared high school teen. I think Kinetic started Whitney out on the road to adulthood. Hopefully, he'll remain on-track. I can tell you that by the end of the season you're going to see a different side of Whitney, one that's a little nobler and, yes, more grown-up."
 See Magazine
(1998)
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COVER STORY
BY KIRBY
How did an unknown Edmonton actor land the coveted role of the young Brad Pitt in the epic Legends of the Fall? Talent and looks, in that order.
Eric Johnson's blonde-haired, blue-eyed, classic good looks got him the audition, but it was his acting ability that garnered him the role of teen Tristan. In the then 14-year-old's career, this choice role was the sweetest plum. Not that things had been bad - Johnson had kept busy since he was nine stage performing, taking acting lessons, appearing in commercials and bit roles, and enrolling in the Drama Program at Victoria School of the Performing Arts.
After this turning point, however, Mother Nature handed Johnson an uncontrollable twist. He went through a growth spurt that saw him reach a gangly height of six-foot-one by the time he turned 15. He was forced into hiatus for almost two years.
"I kept my confidence, but it was really tough to be told at audition after audition, 'sorry, you are just too tall.' Because I could not change my height," laments Johnson. "If they told me I sucked it would have been easier, because I could have done something about that."
By early 1997, Johnson had filled out, matured and persevered. "Acting is what I always dreamed about doing, since I was nine-years-old," confesses the just turned 19-year-old. "It's a dream come true, I'm so fortunate to be able to do what I love."
Edmonton agent Darryl Mork recognized and admired Johnson's drive. Last year, when Mork was in L.A. he set up a whirlwind trip for Johnson that included 22 interviews in one week, with casting directors, studio heads and producers. Currently, Mork has him connected with Hollywood players such as United Talent Agency and Agency for the Performing Arts.
"Eric's age, look, and talent make him extremely marketable," says Mork, Johnson's manager.
Now, just about everything in Johnson's life is as golden as his hair. There's a lead role in the television special Oklahoma City and a principal role in the movie Heart of the Sun, both filmed last year. By the spring of 1998, he was landing role after role; personal favorites were a lead role as the bad guy in Question of Privilege, in the film The Arrangement, by Michael Ironside, and in the TV series Mentors (all have forthcoming release dates). Shortly thereafter, in a brazen move for an emerging actor, Johnson turned down a three-year contract offer in New York for the infamous soap opera As The World Turns.
Now, if it weren't for hockey pre-empting regular programming, you could have caught Johnson on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show on CBC this Saturday. Fret not, however; you can still see the episode he starred in this weekend, but on Channel 51 (WSBK) from Boston at 8 a.m. Sunday morning.
Following in the footsteps of two successful motion pictures, the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids TV show premièred as a one-hour syndicated series in last year's fall lineup. The series, produced by renowned feature-film director and producer John Landis, marks the first time a Disney live-action feature film has been turned into a Disney-produced, live-action television series.
Currently in its successful second season, the series uses state of the art technology to create its visual effects and has translated that same quality audiences see in a motion picture to television.
"Digital technology has gotten so sophisticated," remarked Landis in an on-line interview. "When I directed Michael Jackson's Black or White video, the morphing was extremely expensive and no one had ever really done it before. Now, you can buy the software and do it on your home computer. It's incredible how technology has advanced and that is how we are able to go far beyond shrinking and enlarging the Szalinski family."
Johnson stars in the episode, Honey, Let's Trick or Treat.
"Mr. Szalinski creates a machine where he can scan through and create images so you can watch instead of just reading a book; you can actually experience what's going on," Johnson explained.
"It's right near Halloween so, of course, something goes wrong. A book of urban legends gets scanned and projected, so now all these characters from the tales come to life: the guy with the hook hand, the poodle in the microwave . . .
"I play the teenage daughter's new heart-throb, the guy to die for. And I'm basically just an arrogant, self-absorbed jerk. I'm actually just looking for a letter of recommendation to college from her father. Once she realizes what I'm like, she dumps me."
For the moment, Johnson has temporarily relocated to Vancouver.
"There's lots of stuff being shot in Vancouver right now - tons and tons and tons of stuff. That's why I'm there. I'm not necessarily that into living in Vancouver but there's so much work there, it's a good opportunity."
Johnson is currently wrapping up the TV series Night Man, which he says "basically comes down to a crime-fighting superhero story. I play a renegade roller-blader who runs a crime ring. I retired at 19-years-old from the roller-blading circuit; now, I'm stealing trucks and cars, robbing malls," he laughs.
And shooting begins immediately thereafter for Johnson's lead role in a two-part NBC mini-series, Atomic Train. The series co-stars Rob Lowe as an investigator who must stop a government railroad convoy from imminent explosion, due to its cargo of nuclear waste.
"The out-of-control train is coming down through the Colorado Rockies and it's hurtling towards Denver. I'm in the city with my girlfriend's family when the whole panic ensues and chaos breaks loose," explains Johnson.
For all the love interests he plays on screen, it must seem to the teenaged home-town girls that he hangs on to his bachelor life as if it were the remote to his TV. Girlfriend-less by choice, Johnson says he's more focused on acting than dating.
"I'll be home for Christmas and I'm definitely going to L.A. in January to be there for pilot season," says Johnson, who has an audition next week for Gwyneth Paltrow's new movie.
And after that? Whatever he likes. "This is all a ride," Johnson observes. "I'm just hanging on." |
Copyright of See Magazine, 1998. All rights reserved.
HEARTTHROB
Eric Johnson
My friends and I are really close. Some of them Im known since preschool and the idea of fame happening to me is really funny to them. Im still my friends dorky friend, Eric Johnson laughs.
Johnson may be dorky to his friends, but he is a hunk on the hit television action-adventure drama Smallville, where Johnson plays Lana Lang's (Kristin Kreuk) football jock boyfriend Whitney.
Johnson recently moved from his hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to tape Smallville in Vancouver. How does the young star get acclimated to his new surroundings? He paints.
Its an adjustment and you find out new things about yourself. I just started painting, which is something I didnt think Id ever do, Johnson says. Johnson became inspired to paint after a turn of events led him back to his past.
My grandmother used to paint, Johnson explains. She did when I was twelve, and recently my mother went up to the town where she used to live, and some of my grandmothers paintings were in a show of local artists. It got me thinking that I wanted to try my hand at it. Im not very good, but maybe one day!
Johnsons artistic side is not only seen on screen as an actor, but can also be heard in his trailer as he practices his guitar between calls to the set.
"I guess Im definitely a wannabe rock star, Johnson grins. I dream of one day playing on stage, but in the end its just something I enjoy. My brother also plays guitar and we often sing and jam together.
Entertaining an audience has been a calling for Johnson since his youth.
Ive liked having an audience ever since I was very young," Johnson says. "As a kid I liked having an audience that I could make laugh."
When Johnson was only nine, he enrolled at a theatre school that put on small productions. He says he was not fond of the program at first because of the hard work it required.
When I was nine I got into theatre school and hated it, Johnson notes. It was frustrating because it became like school. You had homework assignments and that wasnt necessarily the fun part for me. I liked performing. But, it was all worth it once we did the year-end performance and all the parents came and watched the show. That was such a thrill that I ended up being in the theatre school for five years, doing shows and getting involved in professional theatre productions. I hated it until we did our year-end performance and realized that was what it was all about.
Johnson jumped off the stage and on to the big screen at the age of 14, when he appeared in the epic Western drama Legends of the Fall. Johnson played Brad Pitts character, Tristan, as a boy.
On how he landed the role, Johnson calmly explains, They were shooting in Canada in a place that was about three hours away from where I lived. I was just auditioning for one of the characters, like everyone else and it just kind of happened. Id already done a few things on television and an independent film, but this was a film on a grand scale, with all these people working towards a common goal. The thrill of being in a movie of that caliber, it matured me as a person and it gave me so much drive as an actor!
Working on a major film, with an esteemed cast, was not the only highlight of Johnsons experience filming Legends of the Falls.
It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. For three weeks, I got to run around in the woods and it was absolutely incredible. To get paid to do it was absolutely beyond me. I would have done it for nothing! I still feel that way about acting and I know that sounds really stupid because you are always hearing about actors holding out and renegotiating for more money, but I would do this for free. If someone just gave me two million dollars and said live your life anyway you want, then Id do this, because its what I love to do. Its just so much fun and I get such a charge out of it. Legends of the Fall didnt ignite the passion within me, because that was already there, but it did make me feel that acting was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
Aside from working with some of Hollywoods finest on the big screen, Johnson had a well-rounded upbringing.
I played high school basketball, went on fishing trips with my friends, it was a great childhood. And, I got to be an actor on weekends.
Although he has matured in age and from experience, Johnson is still involved with many activities outside of acting. When not working, Johnson enjoys playing guitar, playing basketball, football, baseball, and camping.
It is easy to see where Johnson gets his diverse talents. While his mother has influenced his creative and artistic abilities, his father has encouraged his professional career.
My moms always been a jack-of-all-trades and changed her career every ten years or so. She was the librarian at my school, then she was a music teacher and now shes a massage therapist. My dad is the manager of a binding corporation that hes been at for 27 years. My dad really instilled a work ethic in me that when I was little I didnt completely understand until a few years ago. Hes had a big influence on me in my professional life, just in the way hes carried out his. He always told me that you only get out of something what you put into it, so the harder you try the more you get out of it. I used to think he meant more money, and then I started to realize that he meant something else. He meant the feeling that you get when you have tried your best and you can be proud of what you have done. The day I learned that was a great, great day. It made me want to work all that much harder in my life to pursue the dreams that hes enabled me to chase. Hes made it possible by working very hard in his job, so theres no way for me to take it for granted or throw it away, not only for me but also for my parents.
In addition to Smallville, expect to see Johnson on the silver screen opposite Dylan McDermott and James Van Der Beek in Texas Rangers. Rangers is the true story of how a ragtag group of youngsters were charged with the dangerous, ruthless duty of cleaning up the West. Every western has horses and every actor must ride. For Johnson, that was a piece of cake--it even allowed him to fall into character, as he eagerly dressed the part of a cowboy.
I had taken riding lessons for Legends of the Fall, for a scene that eventually got cut. They had wanted me riding a horse, so Id spent the entire summer riding a horse. Ive ridden a few times for different shows, but Texas Rangers was great because there is nothing better than getting dressed up like a cowboy and riding on a horse. Its like stepping back in time--its pretty cool!
While acting is now the focus of his career, Johnson has broader plans.
I would love to be on the other side of the camera, eventually. When Im ready for it. I would like to write a great movie and direct a great movie, he laughs. And, if I could write and direct the same movie it would be great!
While his career is just starting to take flight, he recalls a time when he was not quite as lucky and Johnson offers hope for actors.
"Ive been working as an actor for ten years now and I guess when the ball starts rolling they go very quickly. Over the last three years, things have gone very well for me. As an actor, you are always that one step away, and there were countless times I was close to getting something and this time I was actually close enough to actually get it. You have to be prepared the whole time that your life can change with one phone call.
--Shara Rosen
© 2001 PREVUE Magazine. All rights reserved. Photo: © 2001 The WB Television Network. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Prevue Magazine:
ERIC JOHNSON: TALKING WITH THE BIG MAN OF SMALLVILLE HIGH
He's Whitney Fordman, a sandy-brown-haired high school football star, who besides a certain super-powered high schooler named Clark Kent, is probably the hottest hunk on the hit series Smallville. In real life, Ellsworth's played by Eric Johnson, a Canadian actor who was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. With a passion for acting from an early age, Johnson enrolled in a theater school at age 9 and was acting in professional theater and landing small film and television roles even as he enjoyed a childhood filled with sports, hunting and camping. At 14, he appeared in the blockbuster Western drama Legends of the Fall, playing Brad Pitt's character, Tristan, as a boy. Since then, Johnson's credits include Atomic Train with Rob Lowe, Oklahoma City, as a survivor of the Oklahoma City bombing; and Children of Fortune. PREVUE: sat down with the handsome actor on the set of Smallville, where during his down time he practices his guitar. Johnson may be quickly becoming a heartthrob for millions, but here on the set he's just a relaxed, warm and friendly actor, as amazed as anyone at the show's hit status.
PREVUE: Tell me about Whitney Ellsworth?
JOHNSON: He's the all-American high school guy. He's very popular, he plays football, and is the kind of guy that Clark Kent wishes he could be. He seems to have everything going for him, including the beautiful Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk).
PREVUE: It seems like he's got the potential to be more than just a dumb jock role?
JOHNSON: He definitely has a more sensitive side that makes him more than just the typical jock. It rarely comes out, but when it does it makes him kind of special.
PREVUE: What does he think of Clark Kent?
JOHNSON: It's changing. He didn't really have a problem with Clark until Clark got a bit too close with his girlfriend and that got him a little upset. Now, he's realizing that he's gone a little too far and trying to be a bigger man and not let that bother him. He's not really friendly with Clark and is just is tolerating him right now.
PREVUE: So you've got the prettiest girl in the school...for now! What's she like off screen?
JOHNSON: Kristin's great! She's a lot of fun. She doesn't like my jokes though!
PREVUE: She doesn't have a sense of humor?
JOHNSON: She's got a great sense of humor. It's more like I tell bad jokes. I guess I get that from my dad. When we're sitting there waiting for a shot to be set up, sometimes I'll tell a really bad joke. I guess I'm not a naturally gifted comedian.
PREVUE: How is working with Tom Welling who plays Clark Kent?
JOHNSON: He's not only a fantastic actor, but he's also a fantastic person. He really carries a tremendous load on his shoulders. I get days off, but Tom works six days a week!
PREVUE: Tell us about your getting the role.
JOHNSON: I first started auditioning for the show last December, so it's almost been a year since I first heard about Smallville. There were countless auditions, which progressed up the line until I finally auditioned for the producers and director David Nutter.
PREVUE: Was that the point that you knew you had the part?
JOHNSON: Then there was a trip to L.A. for the network test.
PREVUE: Network test? That sounds nerve wracking.
JOHNSON: It can be, because you walk into this room and it's somewhat dark and it's full of studio executives. They're watching you do one scene and it all comes to that one scene. I've been in network tests before and this was the first time I wasn't nervous. I guess that was a good sign.
PREVUE: So now that you have the role are you happy?
JOHNSON: Don't tell anybody, but I'd do this for nothing. That may sound funny when all you hear about are actors demanding more money, but I love to act. It can be hard, because you can be there for fifteen hours, but it's always fun. If someone said, "you're rich so now go out and do whatever you want to do." This would be it. It's just that fun.
PREVUE: Smallville's generated a loft of buzz. Has it sunk in that it's a hit?
JOHNSON: Not really. Up here in Vancouver we're very far from all the buzz, the publicity, and even the commercials. I guess it's a good thing, as it allows us to focus on our jobs, instead of our getting sidetracked. The network sent us up a stack of press that's been generated and I was just amazed.
PREVUE: How long are you signed on for?
JOHNSON: Five years.
PREVUE: The show has already been picked-up for the rest of the season. Does it click that you might be doing this for the full five seasons, or more?
JOHNSON: I learned very early on in this business not to count on anything, because it's bound to change. I never think about whether the show could go on for years, although I think it's a great show. When we're doing that fifth season, then I guess it will seem real to me. I guess its the starving actor that's still in me. It's the feeling that I've got to fight for my job every day.
PREVUE: So now that your not the struggling actor, have you run out and bought your BMW?
JOHNSON: (laughing) I'm keeping fairly reserved as far as all that goes! I got myself a PlayStation 2 and that's been about it for my splurging.
PREVUE: We've received several emails requesting an interview with you. You've definitely made the teen heartthrob list, so we've got to ask some key questions. Married?
JOHNSON: (laughing) No.
PREVUE: Girlfriend?
JOHNSON: Not right now.
PREVUE: So, are you ready for your first 10,000 love letters?
JOHNSON: (laughing) No, no, I'm not. It still seems really strange to think that someone would to write to me. My brother called me and said "there's a fifteen-year-old girl that has a website dedicated to you. I just couldn't believe it!
PREVUE: You will be appearing on the big screen in the Western Texas Rangers with Dylan McDermott and James Van Der Beek. It looks to be a lot of fun as one of those "ragtag group of youngsters banded together to clean up the old West" stories in the Young Guns vein. Can you tell us about your role?
JOHNSON: It's a very small role. I have something like three lines. The great part was that I ended up being up there for four weeks, riding horses and shooting guns. In the story, Im part of the posse and it was loads of fun. I got to play cowboy for four weeks. Talk about every boy's fantasy!
PREVUE: You played the young Tristan in Legends of the Fall, and now your on Smallville. Are you surprised to be a success at the age of only 22?
JOHNSON: (laughing) I'm not so much surprised as relieved! My friends are just glad to see me working! Now I know that certain decisions I made earlier have paid off, even though they seemed questionable at the time.
PREVUE: What type of decisions?
JOHNSON: Not taking certain roles and not getting locked into long-term contracts on shows I didn't like. There were people saying, "you're not doing anything right now, so why don't you just take this? Come on, you're a kid from Canada, it's a good opportunity." I guess I was just shooting a little higher and it paid off. It's a relief that it all happened. On top of that, I get to live in a beautiful city, Vancouver, which is only an hour-and-a-half flight from my hometown of Edmonton!
Copyright: 2001 PREVUE Magazine. All rights reserved.
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From being Brad to being envied by Superman... |
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Eric Johnson - An exclusive interview by Kim Ziervogel | I first met Eric Johnson six years ago when he was a high school student and I was a journalism student. He had just made his big screen debut in Legends of the Fall. And what a debut it was, spending screen time opposite Sir Anthony Hopkins. Not too shabby for a 15 year old from Edmonton, Canada.
"It was my first glimpse at Hollywood movie making. And just the grand scale of things blew my mind away," says Eric, sipping on a coffee.
Now at 22, Eric will be making another huge leap for his career. He will play Superman's rival on the new WB show Smallville. You know the WB, the same company that has brought TV viewers quality programming like Dawson's Creek and Felicity. Oh yeah, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but that got bought up by UPN (that's a different story though and has no place in this one.)
"I play the high school All-American football star with the cheerleader girlfriend. (I'm) the epitome of normal which Clark Kent wants to be, because he is very not-normal, and isn't one of the popular kids and is sort of striving towards this normality that I have. It seems that I have everything that he wants. And we don't really get along," explains Eric on his character Whitney Redmond on the show.
Smallville is the Midwestern American town where Clark Kent aka Superman was raised by his adopted earth parents. The show, which takes place in modern day, focuses on his teen years with him coming to term with his abilities and at the same time having to deal with everything every teenager has to deal with in high school life.
So how does an Alberta born and bred boy come to play the All-American football hero? The blond hair, blue eyes, strong 6'2" frame might have something to do with it. Or it just may be Eric's drive to succeed in the industry. Eric has spent his share of time auditioning. He has come close a few times before to landing a regular part on series television too. Eric auditioned for Smallville executive producer David Nutter when he was casting for Roswell and Dark Angel. But not getting those parts didn't deter him and he kept at it. Most recently he starred in the Canadian production Scorn, a film about a young man who kills his mother and grandmother to get his inheritance.
"This is all I've done. I didn't want to give in," he leans forward in his chair and his voice raises enough to have the next table turn and look at him, "I said, I'm going to do this and I'm going to make a go of it. There were sometimes when work was slow but I didn't want to give up on it."
And now until at least December he won't have to do anything else. Smallville has been slated to shoot 13 episodes with the possibility of another nine being picked up. Ironically the show is being shot in Vancouver, Canada.
"I think definitely our show has the formula to be a success. They're appealing to the teenage audience which is one of the biggest audiences in terms of consumer dollars spent in the age group so it's appealing to that and it's also appealing to people who like Superman because Superman has a huge following also," Eric's enthusiasm for the show bubbles over and he starts to shift in his chair on this rainy day in his hometown.
"It's sort of like a fantasy teenage show but it's smart too. It's not dumbed-down. They want to make it an original show about an unoriginal character. You know?" he asks rhetorically adding, "It's a combination between the teen element of Dawson's Creek with the fantasy level of Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
Although Eric's biggest roles to date have him portraying rather dislikeable characters, (he protests his character in Smallville isn't a bad guy -- "I think I'm just a typical teenage guy in high school so you know not everything I do is going to be nice,") he is quite the opposite in real life.
This is the biggest thing to happen to Eric's career and he knows it. He is gearing up for what comes along with a series that has the potential to make him a star and land his face on covers of magazines like "Teen People" and "16".
"This is definitely going to be a huge step because all of a sudden it puts you onto a U.S. series and that's the most recognizable people on TV.... other than news. It's exciting and at the same time it's scary too," he grins self-consciously.
Right now Eric has both feet planted firmly on the ground and that's where he wants to keep them. "When I'm living at home in Edmonton, I live with my parents. And I go and hang out with my friends and I play on a softball team."
So I ask Eric when we sit down and talk again six years from now where does he want to be? He replies: "I'm going to be talking about the new film that I just wrote and am producing locally here in Edmonton," he giggles. "I want to wait and learn some more stuff before I screw up. Nobody will ever give me money again to make a film."
He concedes though that acting is his first love and he is still looking forward to learning a lot and honing his craft before going off and telling other actors what he wants from them.
Watch for Eric Johnson to become a staple on the covers of all those teen mags. He has the dreamy quality to be pin-up material in every girl's bedroom and nice enough to have their parents' approval.
Copyright of www.ones2watch4.com
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