An Interview With Ian
By Beate Chelette
When you started your career you played Neil in 'Peter Pan' and John in 'I remember Mama'. Tell me about your plans. Are you going back to the Broadway (sic)?
I'd love to be back at the Broadway (sic). The stage is one of the most exhilarating mediums for actors performing. You are in front of a live audience and that is something you don't feel in any other area of the entertainment industry other than the stage. It is a real adrenaline rush, it is really exciting. And if it is not the Broadway (sic) then any other stage somewhere else.
What is your favorite Musical?
In college I did Oklahoma, that was a lot of fun, probably West Side Story, that is beautiful.
Seems like everyone sings in 90210, why are you not singing?
Sing? I just don't record it. I sing all the time. I was singing on my way hear in the car to a tune from Billy Joel to the music in the radio.
Who are you closest to from the cast of 90210?
I would say the guys. We have a real camaraderie, we spend a lot of time together on the set. And the girls pretty much hang out by themselves. We all interact together quite a bit but I seem to be closer with the guys. We share a lot.
So it is almost like in the 90210 Series?
Oh yeah, art imitates life.
Your character Steve is a real flirt and doesn't take life very serious. What do you and Steve have in common and where are you different?
What we have in common is that we look similar and we have a similar sense of humor. From there on I am much more responsible than Steve is. I take life very seriously. I try to be very responsible and I know that life does not give me a dress rehearsal. And I am a very goal oriented person. And Steve is not, he is very haphazard in his goals. Whatever seems to be the trendy thing at the moment is what Steve will pursue. I tend to think more long term.
Do you have any influence in the development of Steve's character?
Absolutely! Quite a bit. It is my life in his words. When the scene is actually written and it is not congruent with the way Steve Sanders would behave or say things then I will say something to the writers and we will hammer it out and improvise on set.
What is your personal style in clothes? Do you like being preppy as Steve does?
No, I wouldn't say. Steve is not preppy to me. Steve is more casual with a flair towards high fashion. He is very up to date with his fashion, that is for sure.
Talking about athletics, can you give your fans some advice on how to stay in such good shape?
I work out a lot. I try to eat right although I can't always. A lot of Treadmill and weight lifting. It is more a cross training. Not just body building. Aerobics to strengthen my stamina and increase my strength.
Then I heard that you like a lot of dangerous sports, that you are an adrenaline junkie?
I really have a need for speed, I don't know where it comes from. But I get off on going fast. I ski, I race, I race wave runners. I will be probably starting to race for 'Team Yamaha" Bungee Jumping whenever I can. Racing cars, I have an old Corvette...
Wasn't that your childhood dream?
Oh yes, I had a play toy. Then one day I am driving down California Street, where we work and there it was standing on the curb.
And it was actually for sale?
Yes it was. So I turned around and bought it on the spot. I thought it was a great price for what it was. I fixed it up and made it into a... well I put a different engine it. It has over 500PS right now. So it doesn't just go fast, it is one of the fastest things in Los Angeles on the road, let's say legally on the road.
Tell us about your upcoming film 'Flash Frame'.
Flash frame is a story about an innocent man. It is an action adventure film. It is a real thriller, actually. I play a computer programming expert for software games.
When is it going to be released? Will it be a feature movie?
No, I don't think so, it will be released sometime new year and probably on one of the local cable channels. I don't know how it is going to be released foreign. It was pretty exciting.
We can imagine how difficult it must be to try to break away from the nice boy image and pursue other things while being taken seriously as an actor?
I need to do things that are as far away from Steve Sanders as possible. So that is why we did this. I just saw the final version.... and it was a lot less.... well, they cut a lot out, thank god. The love scenes did get a little too steamy.
What are your future career goals?
Are to produce films for me to star in and others just to produce. And eventually own the rights to whatever I produce. Establish a library of films and then start an international distribution company for my products.
What other hobbies do you have other than athletics?
All my hobbies are athletic oriented. I like to restore old cars. Other than the Corvette, I am working presently on a 1968 Camero. Refurbishing it, doing some minor adjustments to the engine. Restoring it, painting it and fixing the engine. Then I am going to ship it to New Jersey for my brothers.
How old were you when you discovered that you are dyslexic. How did you even know it was dyslexia ................ What did you and your parents do when you discovered it.
I did not discover it, it was my teachers. In first and second grade when I was learning to read. My teachers noticed that I wasn't able to do the work on par with the other students. We had some tests done and it was discovered that I was mixing and flipping numbers and letters. Which makes it impossible to do math and very hard to write and it was very obvious in my writing. I make an N a C and a small d a b or a n backwards. Once that was diagnosed I spend one hour a day every day from second to sixth grade with a special education teacher. I was very fortunate, because not every kid in public schools has access to it.
My parents reacted to it by getting me into these special programs. It was just down the hall in school. So I saw the teacher one-on-one every day one hour. And through reinforcement, flashcards through conditioning I was able to overcome dyslexia. By sixth grade I was reading with my peers on the same level and had no trouble with math and English through my high school years. And I went on when other people stop to college and did my MBA.
What is your advice to your fans that have problems at school and discover they may have a serious learning disorder just as you had?
One thing that happens when you are learning disabled, not to get frustrated. Understand that it is not you. It is nothing you did, you are just a little bit more challenged and it is through no fault of your own. This is what makes everybody different and don't become frustrated but try to overcome it. Dyslexia is an overcome-able thorn. And you can succeed and flourish.
Is there a new special woman in your life?
I am currently dating someone special. She is a magnificent. What is truly incredibly about this girl is that she is more beautiful inside than she is outside. Which is really hard to believe because if you do get a chance to see her, she is stunning.
You symbolize for many female fans the perfect protector type man. How do you see yourself?
Perfect protector? I don't know if I want to be with someone who needs to be protected. I want to be the type of husband my father was to my mother. Caring, supportive nurturing, whatever it takes to protect. The whole idea of protecting just contains danger. I try to be in all of my relationships to be very supportive and understanding and to if at all possible to help my girlfriend shine brighter than she does by herself. I am flattered that they look at me as a protector. However I did get into a barfight once!
Just once?
Just once. I abhor violence. But someone stepped over the line with an ex girlfriend and I had to put him in place. We had a fight. And I was the one who was able to walk out of the bar.
What are the most important things in your life. Name three things?
In no particular order, my family, my friends and my work.
We heard that you are very close to your family. Do you go back a lot?
Not as much as I'd like to. Being given that they are living in New Jersey I don't get a chance as often as I want to, to see them. But we speak all the time on the phone. 3 or 4 times a week. I have two older brothers, Jeffrey and Barry. Barry came out recently with his wife and his two kids for ten days. It was great, I love it. That is one thing I miss out here in California. My family. I got some great friends that are like family but it is not the same.
Is there a motto you live by?
Keep in mind that life does not give you a dress rehearsal. As far as I know we get to do this only once. And I want to capture every goal I set for myself and climb as high as I possibly can. And I want to do and accomplish everything I set my mind to. Do everything right the first time.
So what about when you make a mistake?
I don't beat myself up over it every time it does not go my way. I think how that is really a disguised solution over something else. Every problem is a solution if you look at it. And put the right spin on it.
Do you believe in God?
I do believe in God but I don't rely on God. I am the one that plans out my own strategies to achieve the goals that I set for myself.
and last question:
If you could say one thing to the teens of today, what is the most important thing you would want to share with them?
I have always believed that creation is sheer will and if you put your mind to it, it will happen. You just have to find the right path to it.
Go To The Top
Back To The Article Page
Back To The Main Page
