Brandon
Barash will be the first to tell you that he's nothing like Johnny
Zacchara. "I don't go around flashing guns at everyone who gives me
a hard time around town," he jokes. Both are handsome, driven,
well-layered and well-spoken, but that's pretty much where the
similarities end. "I
like to think that we all have a little bit of our characters inside
of us and it's up to us, as actors, to really draw upon the elements
of the character we have inside of us in order to bring truth to the
character," Barash says, "I'm definitely a lot less brooding and a
lot more carefree as Brandon than as Johnny! I think I'm a little
more lighter in the feet than he is. He always has the weight of the
world on his shoulders and Brandon is kind of a
roll-with-the-punches type of guy."
Since joining the
show, Barash has had plenty of opportunity
to get a grasp on just who his character is and how that character
relates to others on the canvas. "Johnny is a
volatile kid and he's very childish in a lot of ways. I think, in a
way, he's unsure about what he wants out of life but (also) pretty
sure," the actor observes, "He thought, for so long, that he wanted
this mob life because it's all that he
knew, but then he met Lulu and realized that there is more to life
than guns and glory and an indispensable bank account. It's a lot of
fun to play him because it's one of
those things that the writers have a lot of fun playing with what
his destiny is going to be. My job every day is to keep that
truthful, and the beautiful thing is, that as regular human beings,
we have no idea what our destiny is, but we can live day to day,
moment to moment, with as much truth as possible. That's definitely
one of the things that makes Johnny fun for me."
Johnny's
sister, Claudia, is "the
only one that can really get to Johnny, and can make him think about
his life and what he's doing - who he is, really. And she's the one
person that can call him out on his BS! And she's the one person
that he will listen to. They're kind of kindred spirits." And as for
Trevor and Anthony, two other powerful forces in Johnny's life?
"They're just obstacles,
essentially," Barash notes. "And in
Johnny's mind now, with the story you'll have unfolding, they are
obstacles in the way of Johnny living life true to who he believes
he is at the end of the day. His true instinct is to veer away from
(the mob) but his trained instinct, the way he's been bred and
groomed, is to fulfill the destiny of being the next Zacchara mob
boss. But I think he knows better."
That's not to say
that Barash doesn't have a dream story because most actors do. "It
was fun performing on stage at Super Soap Weekend - I think it would
be fun for Johnny to be a rock star, just to fulfill my own selfish
desires," he laughs, "I also think it be an interesting story if
Trevor ended up being his father. He (Stephen Macht) is brilliant.
And then all of the hate that Johnny feels for his father would
almost be validated, and it would be very interesting to see where
that story would go. I think the writers have done a decent job of
spelling it out, without spelling it out!" The actor also has a
dream co-star: Lisa LoCicero (Olivia). "I think she's a fantastic
actress, very talented, very layered, and I think it would be fun to
play pretend with her!"
In
the meantime, the USC-educated actor is enjoying whatever the show
hands to him and says his first day was a pleasant surprise. "It
was interesting. I only had a couple of scenes and these scenes were
really just chasing Lulu around, laughing, and torturing her - and
look like I was torturing her!" Barash smiles, "Then there was a lot
of dirt and trees so I couldn't stop sneezing! It was actually a
great experience. I knew from day one on that set that I was part of
a family and it just so nice to be there. It was really, really
awesome." Barash is also continually surprised at the reaction to
Johnny from the fans. "It never ceases to amaze me," he marvels, "I
absolutely was and still am surprised. I feel very lucky to have
been thrust into a show that's been on for 45 years, given a pretty
weighty storyline, and to have people support it is just a gift."
Speaking of gifts,
Barash had quite a talent for basketball while in high school, and
admits that he actually fell into acting by accident. "I wanted
nothing else than to play college basketball and be a surgeon," he
remembers, but fate would not have it so, thanks to an injury and a
girlfriend at the time who made other plans for him. "Without my
knowing it, this girl got me an audition for the school musical -
the guy who had been cast in it had just backed out to play
basketball! I was furious with her for getting me this audition
because I never wanted anything to do with acting. It was just in
the way of what I wanted to do. I told her, 'I will audition for
this but I'm doing this only for you!' But it felt good to
step into somebody else's shoes and figure out what makes somebody
else tick and what thoughts are really the catalyst for the words
that come out of this character's mouth. It became (very quickly) an
obsession! I fell in love with it (acting) on the spot, got cast in
the role and here I am! It was like unlocking a box that had been
locked inside of me for years and all of a sudden had all this great
stuff to offer. It was really nice."
"I
would be a guard at USC (basketball) because I'm not tall enough to
play anything else," Barash giggles, but that was not the only
aspiration he had. Around the time of his college graduation, the
actor had his life mapped out in what he calls his 'thirty-
year
plan,' and yes, acting is a part of that plan. "I want to have the
kind of career where I can write, direct and star in my own films
and also score the music because that's a big aspiration of mine,
and have the clout and career to say, 'They're doing that show on
Broadway, I want to go do that show on Broadway.' They're very big
goals, but I have no doubt that with a step in the right direction
every day... I will be somewhere, enjoying my achieved goal, I will
tell you that!"
As for
Johnny's future, "You will definitely see Johnny's loyalty to his
family tested," Barash previews, "He's starting to come into his
own... of course that doesn't come without struggle." And
undoubtedly, the actor will love every minute of it, along with the
viewers. "I would not be here without each and every one of them,"
he says gratefully, of his fans. "Just the fact that I have their
support and have had it means the world to me, so keep it coming!"
I
would like to thank Brandon Barash for this most enjoyable interview
and to Amy Pham for making the arrangements.
