ABC's Interview with Push Star Jason Behr

    This is an interview  that was taken from the ABC official website when Push was still alive.

Actor Jason Behr is on the rise -- an up and comer whose considerable talent and smoldering good looks have continued to catch the attention of both fans and casting directors since his arrival in LA just four years ago. Jason had already garnered guest starring roles in television series like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "JAG" and "Profiler," as well as a regular role on Showtime's "Sherman Oaks," before joining the cast of "Push" as CSU track star Dempsey Easton.

We caught up with Jason last week to get the scoop about his burgeoning career -- and we also managed to get a few answers to some of your most frequently asked questions about the young star whose heartthrob status, if nothing else, seems all but guaranteed.

Q. So, Jason, what have you been doing this summer?

A. I moved back up to Los Angeles, and then I took a nice, long, extended road trip with some family and friends. I went to go see Mount Rushmore and went to the Badlands to see the Devil's Tower, went through Colorado and Vegas.

Q. Did you win?

A. Uhhh... I had some great steak! Then I went back to Minneapolis for the Fourth of July and that was it! I've just taken a nice long break and now I'm trying to get back to work.

Q. You were born and raised in Minneapolis, right?

A. Basically. I did a lot of travelling around when I was younger but I finally settled down there around the age of 10.

Q. So tell us your "Hollywood story." How did you get from Minneapolis to LA?

A. I was doing a lot of theater back there. I was doing some commercials and some voice over and some print work. The way it works over there is you have one agent for everything. So I was doing that and I met a manager who was on vacation -- a golf/fishing trip in Minneapolis. And through a mutual friend set up a meeting and he said, "Well, hey, kid, whenever you get out to LA give me a call." And I worked real hard and saved up some money, and about six months later I packed up and moved out to LA.

Q. How old were you?

A. I was 19.

Q. Wow. And how old are you now?

A. 23.

Q. Your fans of "Push" really want to know more about you... specifically your athletic interests. Are you a sports fan? Do you play?

A. Yeah! Basketball -- and I've been trying to play a little golf, but mostly I've been playing a lot of basketball lately.

Q. What is it about basketball that you love?

A. I don't know! I've just always played basketball. When I was a kid we didn't have a team in Minnesota so I, you know, kind of took on the Chicago Bulls. And then when I moved out here I was sort of partial to the Lakers so they're my two teams.

Q. And who's your favorite player?

A. Boy, God, I wonder who that would be!?! [Laughs]. Gheorghe Muresan! [Laughs] And Michael Jordan. I just respect the man's accomplishments. On the court and off the court -- I think he's quite the role model. I got to actually go to Chicago twice this year to see him play. I've been watching this guy since he was at North Carolina, and I really respect him and I think he's so talented, I think he's a great player -- he's probably the greatest player that ever lived. But I think he's a really great person as well. And because I got more opportunities this year I was able to do something that I've wanted to do for so long -- I got to actually go to Chicago and watch Michael Jordan and the Bulls play in Chicago. It was amazing. I'll never forget it.

Q. Your character Dempsey is very passionate about sports as well. What motivates him?

A The desire to win. Dempsey is the kind of character who will do whatever it takes to win and to be the best. He's -- you know, in life we always make choices to achieve our goals and sometimes you don't always make the right choices. And Dempsey, out of desperation, makes the wrong choices and he kind of gets in over his head.

Q. Dempsey is such an intense person that he takes his dedication to the sport to the extreme. Does he have a personal life? Does he have friends?

A. Dempsey is basically a loner. He's a very competitive person. There are certain people in his life that really matter, and that mean something to him. And everybody else just sort of gets in the way. He has all these goals and dreams that he wants to attain and he'll stop at nothing to get them. But there are people in his life that matter, that really do matter to him, and it's not all for his own self-glory, it's kind of to prove things to people. He's out to prove something.

Q. Everyone knows that Dempsey's main competition is his teammate Milo. Do you think Milo and Dempsey could ever be friends?

A. I think they have a healthy competition going. It's like if you're playing basketball with someone who's better than you, you have to get better or else it's no fun. The two of them being around each other, they sort of push each other to the limit, and they become better runners because of that. I don't necessarily know if they could ever be really good friends because I think Dempsey is too much of a competitive person. I think Milo's a very competitive person. But Milo's a natural athlete -- and Dempsey has to do whatever he can to get that edge. And for him to make those kind of choices and for him to be that kind of person, it would be very difficult for them to be friends. I think maybe somewhere down the line, but at this point right now I think they're arch rivals.

Q. Dempsey obviously has weaknesses he needs to overcome, but how about you? What's your biggest weakness?

A. My ankles? [Laughs]. No, my biggest weakness would probably be sweets. I try to stay away from them as much as possible but ...

Q. If you could win a gold medal, what would it be for?

A. Synchronized swimming. Solo synchronized swimming.

Q. For all of those future swimmers out there -- and those of us who just wish we could get in shape -- would you share one of your fitness tips?

A. Definitely lay off the coffee and cigarettes -- that's one of my other weaknesses. But just being consistent. If you get out and you go to the gym at least every other day and you're consistent about it you're going to make a difference. And eating healthy is probably another plus. I mean you are what you eat, and if you keep on putting stuff in your body like fat -- that's what you're going to become.

Q. A totally random "Push" related question for you -- but according to our sources, you, Maureen Flannigan and Eddie Mills all share the same birthday (December 30th). Is that true?

A. Yeah! Isn't that amazing? It's really weird -- three Capricorns. I've never met anybody with the same birthday as me. I felt sorry for myself on holidays, but now I can share my sorrows with other people. When we figured out that all of us had had the same birthday I honestly didn't believe it. I asked to check IDs.

Q. That's really an almost unbelievable coincidence.

A. And I think we're all, we all have different traits with the Capricorn thing. We're all very different people but we all get along very well. I mean, Eddie and Maureen are really good friends of mine.

Q. "Push" is really popular on ABC.com. Do you surf the web at all?

A. I really don't know much about computers. I don't have a computer -- I haven't entered that era of technology yet. I mean, I just got a fax machine. I know a lot of people who do nothing but sit on the computer, I have a lot of friends who are addicted to it. And everything is good in moderation -- I guess that's another fitness tip. Everything is good in moderation and for me, I don't have an addictive personality, but, when I try something I usually give it a good opportunity and give it 100%, so I'd probably sit in front of the computer for a good week and do nothing else but sit on the computer. So, that's what I'm afraid of. That's why I don't play videogames anymore -- because I used to sit around and play Nintendo and PlayStation for hours on end and you become quite counterproductive.

Q. But I heard a little rumor that you have an official website [www.castnercreative.com/behr.html <http://www.castnercreative.com/behr.html>].

A. Yeah! A friend of mine does these things...

Q. Not only do you have an official website, but you're also in a big new movie coming out in the fall called "Pleasantville."

A Well, my part is fairly small... if you're watching the film and you arrive late you'll miss me. If you reach down to grab a handful of popcorn you could miss me. It's that quick. Really. It is a very, very, very small part, but I looked at the other people who were involved with the film, and I read the script, and although I really don't have much to say in the movie or much to do and so I can't really add to the social commentary of what the film is trying to say -- just being involved with a film like that I felt, hell, I'll do it. I felt that it was just a nice opportunity for me.

Q. One last question that we simply have to ask to avoid angry e-mail from your biggest fans... do you have a girlfriend?

A. I don't know if I should decline to comment or take the 5th!

Q. What if we said "Please" really, really nicely?

A. The only girl in my life right now is my dog Joplin. She's a Dalmatian. She's 2 1/2.

Q. So she's just a puppy!

A. And she'll be a puppy forever. Dalmatians are like that.