November 11, 1998
NBC_Live: Tonight from the NBC Live Studio at Talk City, wešre proud to present actor Dax Griffin, "Tim Truman" on "Sunset Beach."
NBC_Live: Welcome, Dax, to this evening's chat!
NBC_Star: HI
AskNBC: guest-rockette13 says: Why did you decide to work on Sunset Beach. What drew you to the Soap Opera?
NBC_Star: Welcome!!!!
NBC_Star: The opportunity to star on a big show.
AskNBC: guest-spudsnut says: Are there any plans for you and Annie to get together in the near future?
NBC_Star: Hopefully after we find out what happens with Gregory and Anniešs marriage.
AskNBC: guest-aradia18 says: Do you and your co-stars get along pretty well
NBC_Star: Very well. We play golf sometimes (the guys that is).
AskNBC: guest-rona says: What is going to happen to your character now that Meg is with Ben?
NBC_Star: Well of course I am going to continue to chase after her until I get her!
AskNBC: guest-rockette13 says: Do you and your character have anything in common?
NBC_Star: I would say the adventurous side.
AskNBC: guest-patricia20 says: Dax, how often do you read your fan mail? Do you respond personally? And about how long does it take for a response from you? -Patricia
NBC_Star: Yes I do read most of it... my mother reads all of it. She is the founder and leader of my fan club.
AskNBC: guest-aradia18 says: who do you think Tim should hook up with besides Meg. Is there a match for Tim
NBC_Star: I kind of like working with Christina Chambers... who knows be a match down the road!
AskNBC: guest-muggwamp says: Dax, what origin is your name?
NBC_Star: From a book... "The Adventurers"
AskNBC: guest-patricia20 says: Mr. Griffin, you are a fine actor, and I enjoy watching your character...how did you react when you found out the show was renewed?
NBC_Star: Everyone was very excited.
AskNBC: guest-gigi says: have you always wanted to be an actor
NBC_Star: But then again, it's always good to be picked up when you are on a show.
NBC_Star: Not always, in high school I played sports. I was very athletic with the program. Afterwards I decided to get into some acting and theater.
NBC_Live: What was it like to work on the "Shockwave" storyline? Was it fun? Hard work?
NBC_Star: It was very fun and very hard. We had very long hours to work.
NBC_Live: Have you experienced a real California Earthquake yet?
NBC_Star: The average 4.3... enough to rattle the dishes.
NBC_Star: I am waiting for the big one. I am ready.
AskNBC: guest-jeannie says: What is it like being associated with and one of the most sexiest groups of men around?
NBC_Star: To be honest, they don't do much for me!!!!!!
AskNBC: guest-roseshaya says: HOW Did you get started???
NBC_Star: An ex-girlfriend who was an actress turned me on to acting.
AskNBC: histy asks: Do you prefer the stage or TV?
NBC_Star: I really love the reaction from the crowd when I am on the stage.
AskNBC: guest-moose55 says: Is it tough showing up to work everyday with beautiful women left and right?
NBC_Star: Yeah, its a tough job!!!!!!
AskNBC: caroinc says: are you into nutrition and excercise?
NBC_Star: Yes I try to work out when I can and I try to eat healthy.
AskNBC: cryssie says: if you couldnšt act what would be your next choice for a career?>
NBC_Star: Artist...
NBC_Star: a painter...
AskNBC: guest-margaret says: what kind of music do you like?
NBC_Star: Anything you can shake your booty to.
AskNBC: guest-moose55 says: I read that you were a bartender at The Derby...what's your favorite drink to mix?
NBC_Star: I can make a MEAAAAAAAAAN martini!
AskNBC: guest-topaz2 says: Do you ever go on the Internet and see what people are saying about the show/your character?
NBC_Star: Sometimes... not too much yet.
AskNBC: guest-gigi says: how was it working on the terror island episodes
NBC_Star: It was a lot of fun and a lot of work!! I am very glad we did. We got great ratings thanks to you guys!
AskNBC: guest-mia says: what are your favorite hobbies?
NBC_Star: Drawing sketches... exercising in various ways.
AskNBC: guest-patricia20 says: Dax, at a SOS Luncheon we hosted for some of your cast members, Tim Adams did an impression of you...so I know he's a clown on the set, are you? Or are you the serious type?
NBC_Star: We clown each other... you ought to see the impression I am doing of him right now.
AskNBC: guest-moose55 says: Where do you see yourself in 20 years? I love you~~
NBC_Star: Hopefully at the top of the film business... and I love you.
AskNBC: guest-spudsnut says: Do you have a love interest in your personal life?
NBC_Star: Yeah... I am dating Josie Davis.
AskNBC: pocks asks: What were you like in school?
NBC_Star: Crazy....
AskNBC: guest-meg1 says: Do you have any advice for people wanting to become involved with acting?
NBC_Star: Always follow your dreams.
AskNBC: guest-moose55 says: What are your favorite artists and painters?
NBC_Star: Van Gogh and Rembrandt and Warhol.
AskNBC: guest-moose55 says: Who is the best kisser on the show?
NBC_Star: If course... I am !!!!
AskNBC: guest-lenab130 says: Where did you grow up?
NBC_Star: Atlanta, GA.
AskNBC: guest-dax_is_hot says: Dax, you are a very talented actor! Thanks for taking the time to chat tonight! Do you like shooting scenes on the beach?
NBC_Star: I love shooting outside! Except when it's cold early in the morning!
AskNBC: guest-lenab130 says: What is your favorite Warhol piece?
NBC_Star: My favorite Warhol piece is John Lennon!
AskNBC: guest-dax_is_hot says: Dax, how do you feel about love scenes? Would you do nudity?
NBC_Star: I don't have any problem with nudity as long as it's the back side. The love scenes are always the toughest thing to shoot.
AskNBC: guest-meg1 says: What did you do when you found out that you had the part of Tim
NBC_Star: Its always got to be just perfect... the lips have to be just touching, etc... it's not easy...
NBC_Star: But then it is!!!!:)
NBC_Star: I got trashed!!!!!
AskNBC: guest-lenab130 says: If you could work with any actor or actress, who would it be?
NBC_Star: In the future??? Sean Penn one day, he is my favorite actor, and Jessica Lange... favorite actress.
AskNBC: guest-patricia20 says: So what are your thoughts on the TURKEY BASTER storyline?
NBC_Star: It's very controversial, but it is interesting... at least it keeps everyone talking!
AskNBC: guest-stargal says: Do you have any sneak peaks to the shows upcoming plot?
NBC_Star: We're all going to die!!!! Just kidding... I can't tell you anything! You have to watch!!!!!
AskNBC: guest-ken_and_barbie says: If there's anything you could change about yourself, what would it be?
NBC_Star: Become more spiritual...
NBC_Live: (and our last question...)
AskNBC: guest-brie says: Dax, do you plan on ever leaving SB?
NBC_Star: I love what I am doing and the people I am working with a great to work with!
NBC_Live: Thanks Dax, for chatting with us tonight!
NBC_Star: Thanks everybody!!!!
NBC_Live: GOODBYE! THANK YOU for a great chat everyone! A very special thanks to all who participated today. All of us at NBC.com and Talk City ! wish you a fantastic evening, and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Don't forget to watch "Sunset Beach" on NBC Daytime. Thanks for your questions and check www.nbc.com/interact for our schedule of upcoming chats! Good night!
Dax Griffin(Tim) is never one to shy away from a challenging experience,but he admits that a recent hike tested his usually steady nerves.First off,as he was about to start the hike."One of my friends tells us to watch out for rattlesnakes.I'm thinking,'_Rattlesnakes that's the last thing I want to see!" Griffin reports the group didn't encounter any snakes.But the adventure was still far from tame,especially when one gungho friend decided to scale some rocks."We followed a trail down to this waterfall.It was amazing.But my friends decided to take a more adventurous route back,"he explains. 'I am sitting there, watching my friends climb, and I am in a daze. They had no strap, and there was a 40-foot drop below." So what did he do? "I started to climb, and my heart was pounding. Everything was fine, except when we got to the top we realized there was no way out, so we had to go back down the same way." Despite it all, though, he still enjoyed the hike. "Looking back, it was a great adventure."
Just the Facts
Birthdate:March 22, 1975
Mad Dax:"People don't ever believe [my name's] Dax. They think the 'x' is a 'y'_ Day. Or they call me Dex for Dexter. I also hear Max. I don't know why people have such a hard time with it."
Gratuitous Advice:"If you order three drinks, tip three bucks. At least a buck a drink.
Penn Pal:"I really look up to Sean Penn as an actor."
On his younger sibs:"My brother, Drew, is on a track scholarship in college. And my sister, Meri, is on the school's varsity cheerleading squad. They're celebrities in their college worlds."
SUNSET BEACH'S Dax Griffin Fitnesses His Way Through life as a single star. Nearly two years ago, before winning the role of SUNSET BEACH bad boy Tim Truman, Dax Griffin was serving cocktails to celebs galore at LA's legendary swing club, The Derby. During Griffin's eight-month tenure tending bar, the club was used as a chief location for the film Swingers - a class of society he came to know well. From behind the bar, Griffin was given a Studio-54ish view of Hollywood's seedier side."I saw a lot of stars who overindulged in alcohol and drugs - very interesting," Griffin notes. That said, the actor has no intention of retracing the swervy footsteps of, say, Robert Downey Jr. to the Hollywood detox unit. The strong morals Griffin acquired from his family in Atlanta keep this charmer's feet firmly planted on the ground. "To be fair," Griffin continues, "I've also seen how George Clooney carries himself - very cool and down-to-earth."While the latter's the kind of celeb Griffin wants to emulate, the BEACH boy admits he doesn't really understand what it measn to be a star. "I've met Brad Pitt and recently, Jack Nicholson, and there's no difference between these people and you and me," he explains, as he hurries to stifle mysterious music coming from his state-of-the-art cell phone. "Sure, when you meet Jack, there's a certain feeling that fulls your body, but I think that's out of respect. You know, he's had to conquer lots of adversity. As an actor, you sacrifice a lot. This is certainly not out of the normal life. There's no stability, which is a very stressful thing. You always know you could be unemployed the next day."
As a key player in both of BEACH's disaster storylines - last winter's Terror Island and this summer's "Shockwave" - Griffin has good reason to quake in his boots. But he didn't. "I was more concerned when the show first started," he admits. "I thought after I stirred up a little trouble in Sunset Beach, it might be the end of my character right off the bat. And I was worried when I was in a coma for a month. But the producers reassured me everything would be fine."And for the most part, everything has been, though Griffin would like to see his character finally release Meg to Ben and pursue one of the available BEACH babes. "I think it would be funny as hell to see Tim hook up with Maria, and Ben make the decision to stay with Meg," offers the actor, who opens up about his own love life. "I'm kinda single right now. I still see a few people, but I'm still on the single side. Actually, it's one person - kind of a on-and-off thing." The "on-and-off" Ms. Thing is Josie Davis (ex-Grace, Y&R), who Griffin describes as a great actress and one of my bestfriends. We're still romantic is some ways, but it's very loose."Anything but loose was Griffin's bicoastal relationship with his University of Alabama sweetheart. In fact, the derailed romance enabled the actor to relate to his character's broken heart. "When we started the show, I had just broken up with the girl I'd dated for five years," he remembers. "I think her needs were moving toward marriage, which I have nothing against. I just felt, for Dax, that it wasn't the right move. We were both set in our ways and unwilling to compromise. I had to make my job my priority and I didn't need a marriage or a family at that time."Coincidentally, the marriage-minded lady he broke up with is Shawna Shattuck, younger sister of Y&R's Shari Shattuck (Ashley) and sister-in-law to Ronn Moss (Ridge, Glamour). "Shawna actually got me interested in acting," remembers Griffin. "I started doing theater, and then, after college was over, I decided to move out to LA." With no place to stay, Griffin and Shawna lived at Shari and Ronn's place for nearly a year.The college sweethearts split in 1995; she's now engaged to one of Griffin's friends, and he's sharing his Hollywood pad with best bud Chris Newman. Describing his house, Griffin says, "I like it to be relaxing - an escape after I come home. I have a lot of friends who come over and hang out. We're a very laid-back bunch of guys who are very close. Guys I've been around for a long time.
"LA's relaxed lifestyle does seem to suit Griffin better tahn his more conservative hometown of Atlanta. In his younger years, the restless youth would often venture to more liberal parts of town to sate his creative appetite. "There are places in Atlanta, like Buckhead and Little Five Points, which are more in the punk scene," he says. "You can get anything you want, like here in LA, as far as clothing designers, furniture, shoes - a lot of culture. "It's where the cool bars are, too."While Griffin observed the culture, he didn't copy it. "I've never had green hair or tight clothes," he declares. "I was an athlete in high school and actually considered going to college for football. But I decided against it because I didn't want to use my body as a dummy bag."As a daytime actor, the health-consious Griffin has found a safer way to use his body and good looks (thanks to his Irish father and part-Dutch, part-Cherokee mother). "If you're born with it in your genes, you might as well use it," he concedes. "It gets you into the casting room and noticed, but then again, you might not be taken seriously. But look at Brad Pitt - there's a guy who continues to amaze people in really tough roles. And look at Leonardo DiCaprio - a good actor with a good look.You can't get rid of it, so you just have to learn to utilize it to your best advantage."
THE TRUMAN SHOW
Considering that he's got no home or job, Tim Truman is an enigma. Griffin sheds some light on these two subjects - or tries to.
DIGEST: Where is Tim living now?
GRIFFIN: "[Long pause] he...umm - the motel, still. He got a bigger room after he came out of his coma. Father Antonio took over my old room." (Sort of. Tim's old motel room was converted into the Mission Bedroom)
DIGEST: How does Tim earn a living?
GRIFFIN: "Everyone wonders how Tim had money for his medical bills. Gregory paid for everything - which helped out a lot. I'm kinda vague on this point, but I think Tim's still employed by him, even after he found out I gave my Liberty stock to Annie."
Everyone's received a wacky gift at least once. But we think Dax Griffin(Tim) deserves the off-the-wall-present prize. "I once got this really odd looking present from an ex-girlfriend, and I couldn't figure out what it was," he says. "It looked like this little transistor that could go into a radio or something, but you actually had to plug it into the cigarette lighter. I was thinking, "What is this?" It turns out that the little gadget was a device to supposedly purify the air in Griffin's car. "Definitely a California thing," laughs the actor, who did give the gadget a try, at least for a while. "I plugged it in, and I'm driving around in my car and this thing is making noise like a little mosquito. People would come into the car and ask, "What is that?" Needless to say, "I don't use it anymore," Griffin concludes. "It looks too crazy."
Tim is the kind of guy who has ice water running through his veins, but off-camera, the sight of Dax Griffin's own blood turns the actor into a mess. "I was in the kitchen one morning slicing a bagel with a very sharp knife and ended up [slicing] my finger," recalls Griffin. F.Y.I.: Griffin's bagel boo-boo happened a few years back, when he was living in the home of Ronn Moss (Ridge, BOLD & The BEAUTIFUL) and Shari Shattuck (Ashley, YOUNG & THE RESTLESS) and dating Shattuck's younger sister, Shawna. "No one was in the kitchen, so I just looked at it bleeding," Griffin continues. "I have no problem seeing anyone else's blood. But seeing my own makes me completely black out. I could see the inside of my finger, and the next thing I knew, I was gone. Boom--passed out in the sink. Luckily, Shawna's brother finally found me. They took me to the hospital to get some stitches, and everything turned out fine." Whew! Apparently, fainting is a Griffin family affair. When Griffin was 10, he needed stitches to close a wound over his eye. "While they were working on me in the operating room," he says, "my father just fell over, and everyone ran over to rescue him."
