Post by xxaugustaxx on Aug 5, 2008 14:55:47 GMT -5
In midst of TV success, local actor comes home to the stage
Published: Thursday, December 28, 2006
It's a long, long way from Springfield to Beverly Hills, and no one knows that better than television star Eric Millegan.
Millegan, a 1991 graduate of Springfield High School, bubbled with enthusiasm the other night as he talked about his acting career. It began when he played a shepherd boy in the chorus for Eugene Opera's 1981 production of ``Amahl and the Night Visitors.'' Most recently he has been playing the geeky Dr. Zach Addy in the Fox television crime drama "Bones."
Television is a considerably more lucrative job than the stage roles he's had in recent years, and the 32-year-old Millegan is now enjoying a spacious apartment in Beverly Hills after spending much of the past decade sharing a cramped New York studio apartment with his partner.
He is back in town to see his family for Christmas and to play Frederic in Eugene Opera's "Pirates of Penzance" at the Hult Center this weekend.
Millegan knew "Penzance" director Mark Beudert from the University of Michigan, where they both studied. When Beudert called him up to talk about singing in the opera this winter, the young actor had no hesitation.
"I had been off the stage for two years, and I miss it," he said. ``And I was coming home for Christmas anyway.''
Performing in the 2,500-seat Silva Concert Hall will be very different from playing to a television camera, he said. "Here I have to be bigger. I have to make sure the audience always sees my face."
While he loves the fame and money that television has to offer, Millegan would like, eventually, to get back to New York.
``I grew up with musical theater," he said. "And maybe I like Broadway better than TV. You know, I lived in New York for 10 years, and I went to every single show - several times. That's a dream!''
Unlike some actors, Millegan watches himself on television - religiously - and can tell you in an instant when to catch his coming appearances on the air.
"Yeah," he said. "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah! I learn from watching it. You learn what works, and what doesn't work, and what matters, and what doesn't matter. I like seeing when I do well. And I'm miserable when I do badly."
He also follows his audience reaction closely. "If you're writing about the show on the Internet, I've read it," he said. "You know who loves us is USA Today. They write a love letter to us every week."
Millegan isn't simply enjoying the money he makes off "Bones" for himself. Recalling that he spent three summers at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan, he has coughed up more than $6,000 to send another Springfield High school student to Interlochen. "There are three places I really owe my career to," he said. "Springfield High School, Interlochen and the University of Michigan. This way I can pay back two of them."
- Bob Keefer
rgweb.registerguard.com/news/2006/12/28/ar.millegan.1228.p1.php?section=arts
Published: Thursday, December 28, 2006
It's a long, long way from Springfield to Beverly Hills, and no one knows that better than television star Eric Millegan.
Millegan, a 1991 graduate of Springfield High School, bubbled with enthusiasm the other night as he talked about his acting career. It began when he played a shepherd boy in the chorus for Eugene Opera's 1981 production of ``Amahl and the Night Visitors.'' Most recently he has been playing the geeky Dr. Zach Addy in the Fox television crime drama "Bones."
Television is a considerably more lucrative job than the stage roles he's had in recent years, and the 32-year-old Millegan is now enjoying a spacious apartment in Beverly Hills after spending much of the past decade sharing a cramped New York studio apartment with his partner.
He is back in town to see his family for Christmas and to play Frederic in Eugene Opera's "Pirates of Penzance" at the Hult Center this weekend.
Millegan knew "Penzance" director Mark Beudert from the University of Michigan, where they both studied. When Beudert called him up to talk about singing in the opera this winter, the young actor had no hesitation.
"I had been off the stage for two years, and I miss it," he said. ``And I was coming home for Christmas anyway.''
Performing in the 2,500-seat Silva Concert Hall will be very different from playing to a television camera, he said. "Here I have to be bigger. I have to make sure the audience always sees my face."
While he loves the fame and money that television has to offer, Millegan would like, eventually, to get back to New York.
``I grew up with musical theater," he said. "And maybe I like Broadway better than TV. You know, I lived in New York for 10 years, and I went to every single show - several times. That's a dream!''
Unlike some actors, Millegan watches himself on television - religiously - and can tell you in an instant when to catch his coming appearances on the air.
"Yeah," he said. "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah! I learn from watching it. You learn what works, and what doesn't work, and what matters, and what doesn't matter. I like seeing when I do well. And I'm miserable when I do badly."
He also follows his audience reaction closely. "If you're writing about the show on the Internet, I've read it," he said. "You know who loves us is USA Today. They write a love letter to us every week."
Millegan isn't simply enjoying the money he makes off "Bones" for himself. Recalling that he spent three summers at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan, he has coughed up more than $6,000 to send another Springfield High school student to Interlochen. "There are three places I really owe my career to," he said. "Springfield High School, Interlochen and the University of Michigan. This way I can pay back two of them."
- Bob Keefer
rgweb.registerguard.com/news/2006/12/28/ar.millegan.1228.p1.php?section=arts
