9021One on One: Paul Johansson

this is. It's this, It's just she saved it from a homeless person on the side of the road and paid twenty dollars for Jack when she was I guess two weeks old, really really little, and so you know, news were of the family and we'll attack me during this whole conversation, perfect full feral mode. Wow, it's so great. Toe. When's the last time we laid eyes on you? At Iron Zeering screening of his movie in Bank Shark Nado Noe Zomombie Zombie that was recent Zombie Apocalypse. Yes, it's like,

uh yeah, like a year ago. I here, it seems like ten years ago to me. I know, right, How are you guys? We're good? Thank you for being on the show. I'm really flattered to be invited, to be honest with you. You were on to I know for a really long time. How many episodes do you doo? Yeah? Uncle Aaron Tory's dad called me and said, all right, I got one for your kid. I'm like, great, Wait, what did you guys? Had you worked with him before? Obviously I knew him through Jason and and I had

done Perker Lewis before that. And I think loan some dove this series, and and you know, I gotta be honest with you. I missed those phone calls so much. He would call me, and he was always so sweet and so like like he was doing like I was doing him a favor to come work for him, like as as if right, And I love that vibe that he gave me all the time. I got another one for your kid. He was really sweet. So you were

friends with Jason before, right? Yeah. I don't know if Jason told you guys this story, but you know, we

um we actually had a manager. But then Frank Leavy, who was a sweet guy who saw me in something that I've done in Vancouver and saw Jason's could be like this sort of like test audition thing, and he flew us both down and basically put us in an apartment, paid for our apartment, paid for it, gave us a car to use, paid for acting classes, paid for cars and drivers, random visions, paid her voice lessons to get rid of our Canadian accent, and um he just literally

threw himself into believing that he was going to get his money back. And about three years into that, he had an aneurysm on the set of one of the movies he was producing, and he died. And he was the kindest, sweetest, most generous guys. Name was Frank Levy, and literally he started us off and he managed Greg green Harrison's career for years. Just a great man. You know, back in the days when people were like kind of developing, you know, talent, right, I had talent? Did you live

with Brad Pitt too? I was at club that was Jason and Bernie Coulson. Wilson was the little blonde boy

in the Accused with Jodie Foster. Wonderful actor, and he had done a movie with with Brad in um In in Vancouver and ABC After School Special, and so Brad was kind of running around hanging out with us quite a bit, and Jack wants to get involved, and um so I was guesting in that that sort of crash apartment with Brad and Bernie and Jason, and it was kind of you know, you know, you knew us backt then.

We were like unhinged and you know, right, and you know, thinking that the world was going to be ours one day, you know. And yeah, I'll tell you one thing about Brad though. He came over one day with an audition for a for a movie that I had just auditioned for. And I was told that. I was like, when like their top choice? And I was, you know, I was feeling myself back then. I was like, you know, walking

tall into life. M And he comes in and he said yeah, and so he asked me and Jason we're running lines with them, and it was thumb on Louise, Oh my god. Clearly I don't know, I mean, it was his because it was always I believe in those things. Yeah, you do, two tories, Destiny, I do. It worked out the way it's supposed to work out. But wait, twenty two episodes episodes you were on she did an audition for this. My dad just called and was like, I

got one for you. He had me come in, but he kind of told me anything you hear Jack walks across the keyboard every two seconds, we can't hear it. You can't hear you know. I did have to come in, and as I was going in, there was a guy outside who told me Um. He was another actor and he was auditioning for the part. And he told me Um that he had heard that I had already got the job. And I felt like, oh, no, no, no, no, it's all good man, Like, you know, no, I'm sure

that's not true. So I always you know how we are, We're always trying to make everyone feel good about themselves and downplaying it. But I kind of was like, really happy to hear that. Yeah, I think we went through the process. Wait one more thing. You I thought you were Canadian, but you were not Canadian. You are born in the US, born in Spokan right. My dad was played hockey for the Red Wings and played played professional hockey about his life, and then when he retired, he

moved us back to Canada, where he was from. So I did. I grew up in Canada for ten years before I relocated back to Los Angeles and in those ten years you developed a Canadian accent that you had to lose once. You've got all kinds of Canadian things like it's self effacing humor, hockey right saying I'm sorry all the time, canadianism. Yeah. Have you guys shot in Canada, I'm sure? Yeah, yeah, Vancouver mostly we did the reboot, um bhin in Vancouver. You did, Oh wow, it looks

like Beverly Hills. Yeah, sure, why not? Barely looked that much like Beverly Hills. But we had a great time. They had to bring in fake palm trees and then it was like, oh it's Beverly Hills. Yeah, big palm trees for Beverly Hills. Let's stay on the on the Beverly Hills. Not two other questions before we move on, because we want to ask you more. But what did you think of John's ears? Like, what was your impression

of that character? Um? Well, first off, we have to remember that we're young actors then, and so what we know now, UM, is that you have to sort of put it into perspective. So what I understood back then was it was the groundbreaking show for its It was like the you know, the first of its kind it broke the network. It created, Um, you know the genre that I ended up doing, um, One Tree Hill for

ten years on. You know, that was the genre that created the opportunity for those shows to be So I think what I thought about the character was that, um, it was complicated because I kind of knew I was gonna be kind of a bad dude, but I didn't realize there would be because they don't really tell you

where they're going to go with it. But you know, it didn't really bother me that much that I had to sort of like go to places that that I'm not really personally comfortable with because I've always felt that, you know, it's kind of my job to reflect society and to not pass judgment on the roles that I play. Um,

there's certain things that I won't do. But you know, at that time, you know, I think that what we were doing we were sort of bringing, and especially that show was bringing a lot of things like you know, um, you know, there's there was drug abuse, there was you know, sexual abuse. There's all kinds of things that that show was pointing fingers at, and I thought those are important things. And I think when you have to be the guy who's playing the bad person. It's important you know that

you're not holding back, you know. I mean, Jen, you and I had some scenes together. There was a scene that was pretty uncomfortable where I was supposed to be pushing myself on you in the bedroom, you know, and you know we hadn't got so just so you know, episode airs, she does not remember. It's a great it's a great promo. This episode airs. You're still like just had your first kiss. But it's so weird because you're really aggressive, You're like kind of stalking me. Yeah. Yeah,

I think I was directed that way. You know, that was really the way that it was. It was that episode. Do you remember Richard Gallance know that he wrote it. Oh, I'm just kidding. Richard Lange, Richard Lan Richard he directed a lot of episodes which and we loved him. So that was our question because we just watched that episode back and we wanted to know if you were directed that way, because we felt like Kelly wouldn't have gone

for like the way you came onto her. It was a little creepy, and we're like, hey, why wasn't John Sears going out at a different angle to try to make her think he was nice, like that came up, that conversation came up with with the director, and I said, and I think that we talked about it, and I think the way that it was done was, you know, I don't think that we're fully developed at that age, you know what I mean as as like aware of people's intentions and things. We're young. I think kids now

are way ahead and where we were. Don't you think we're a little more native? And I think there was some conversation revolving around that idea that it's like that thing where oh, he said, well girls like the bad boys, girls like the bad boys, and that was reinforced in sort of the rule that I was playing. You know what I mean, Well, you're dangerous and and that's what's a technology. You're different than other guys. You know, It's like okay, so I would play into that sort of mechanism.

Does that make sense? But I feel like Kelly, that wouldn't have been enough for Kelly. And I'm after watching that episode just really not stoked that Kelly kissed John while she's with Dylan, Like, I don't know what's going to happen. Clearly, you say something happens, and I think something bad actually happens between the two characters that that leaves it in a bad way. And then also you end up having beef with the with Steve's character. I do, and I got a lot of I got a lot

of bad hate mail for the kiss? Did you that on the on the back? I don't know. I don't remember then. I remember you used to be mail on that email. It used to be Yeah, they had to send it with a stamp and everything. I would have sent a bad email a letter at that point as a viewer, like I would have been like, I don't like this. I don't like what's happening. But yeah, I mean it's interesting and it makes like for conflicts. I

get it. But but you know, guys like you know when you're when you're an actor in Hollywood and this is the early nineties and you're trying to make your bones and trying to get people to you know, at least recognize your you know your abilities, and you you would never pass up on a roll on a show like this just because you might have some you know, reservation. What you're trying to do is trying to work it

out in a way that you can find. I had a way to play that character without making it you know, um uh completely despicable, and that's what I was hoping to do. You know. Well, clearly it was effective. You made an impression on a lot of people enough for them write letters. But you also made an impression enough to for to lead to a really great gig after and not not too I know for you, which was One Tree Hill. Well, I mean that was many years later,

wasn't I think? When did we finish? I finished on your show in ninety five four, and then I went on into this series in Paris for a year, m a spinoff of Highlander, and then I did Yeah, and then I did um, did a bunch of shows for for your dad after that. But then, thinking with you,

I loved working with him too. I was you know, I mean, I've lost both my parents and I'll tell you something like they were always um the kind of parents that that I liked about him, Like he was just kind of super supportive of me and I could do no wrong. You know. He has had a good thought and always had something great to say in super positive just and he always like just send me messages, sweet messages. You know, like, great job kid, just just a little pump, you know, just a little shot in

the arm. Yeah, really sweet. I think it was two thousand and three. It was when I started on One Tree Hill and then we went to two thousand and eleven. That's a great run. It was a big run and I had a really really good time and right, but John Sears really was the you know, the seed which became that character down at Scott you know, which was Mr. Total Villain. I was like the you know, worldwide villain

dude for ever. I mean, and that was It's funny because people drew a real correlation between the two characters and there is a huge one. Wow. Yeah. What do you remember about being like on the set? I mean because you were friends. You were there with Jason who had history with and like was it a good experience on the SATNA too? I know, even though your character is a little well, I mean, you know, it was interesting. I was around for a little bit of the drama days.

You know, there was some drama. Drama are you talking about drama? Yeah? What drama? We should say? Which one you gons? I gotta go? Um, there was some you know, I think people were um, we're I think, you know, look,

you guys were all such. I went with Jason on a lot of events because at that point him and I had spent a tremendous amount of time together and he was very generous and allowing me to sort of like sort of take him, go around with him on Saturday Night Live and that kind of stuff that he did. So I went with him, and I saw this huge change in the world. I mean, there's a great story

I was really good for. I have to drop a name on this one, but I just in a movie with Robert Denny Jr. And him and I were like really close buddies, and we were hanging out and we were going to meet up with Jason. So we met. We're gonna be at this hotel and they go to some parties something like that. So I'm standing there with Robert and there's a bunch of girls like kind of standing over there, and they're like, Oh, it's Robert Denny Jr. Or what's Robert, Like, you know, six or seven girls

some that short party or something. Jason rolls up in his Alpa. Roomeo gets out of the car and it's like an explosion of screams and rights face drop and just look at me and go, God, is he really that famous? And I went, yeah, he is. He was like literally, you know, I mean, you guys had the biggest show in the history of the world at that time.

It was massive. So that can't do anything but change, you know, your perspective on life, and you think it's always going to be that way when it's like that, you know what I mean? Is it funny? Life becomes quite humbling when you get alderts. So you're saying saying drama, You're saying that some attitudes on set, perhaps maybe to you. You guys were always nice to me. I'll be honest with you. You You know, I kind of I've always strangely been,

you know, because Jason was my best friend. So I was always sort of strangely sort of treated very very kindly by everybody in a way that I kind of didn't earn it because I was Jason's friend and everyone loved jay Um and I think that I kind of felt like I wanted to like earn people's friendship on who I was on my own, but it was just it was sweet that everyone was so nice to me, and I kind of tried to make but it's hard

when you're when you guys have done guest stars. Now, you know, if you had really really huge career, so you understand when you go to someone else's house, you really kind of want to be respectful and not step on toes and it really don't be the problem that somebody else be the problem, you know. And that was kind of my attitude on that show is I didn't I didn't want to get any special treatment because Jason

was my best friend. I did one of these things, so I really kind of wanted to earn my way. So when there was something going on, I was trying to make sure I take like two steps back and just make sure I wasn't in any of it, you know. But look, we had it on our show too. We had tremendous like things. But that's the fun, right, That's a family. Families do that they love each other. They arguing families. Right, All right? Are you still friends with Jason?

Did you guys still hang out? Not so much. No, we don't hang out so much. I mean, life is I went away for ten years to North Carolina. Um, you know, my wife and I were together for a long time. We got separated, and you know, you know things, you know, the dynamics change and interest change. And he's a tremendous human being, a very sweet and um I don't you know the last time I think we spoke, uh was I think, you know, after Luke's passing. We had a few words. But you know, I see I

and all the time I saw I am. This weekend I hung out with him. We went to we went to an opening of the new um Roku and Boa in Manhattan Beach together. Oh god, puper fun. And he's just a sweetheart, and he's great. He's got those beautiful kids. You know, he's great. He's the same exactly. He's just lovely. He's Steve Sanders right right, yeah, all the best ways, all the best ways. He's always a good friend to people.

And he's very practical, very practical. He looks, he looks at the at the at you know, like like let's just say you get a bill at a restaurant. He actually reads it and looks at it and I rarely like actually run it over to make sure it's right. We got a good number. That's a good number, and then you move on. Like he's very practical. You know, did we order that? I don't think we ordered that. He's lovely, it's beautiful, charming, and you know, it's just great.

It's I. It's I. It's like, you know, big Iron fans. Yeah, do you think in general people recognize you more from nine two an One Tree Hill? That's how I was going to ask, Oh, it's fun Well, obviously it's it's an age thing. It's funny because the mothers, because there's a lot of fans of One Tree Hill that are you know, now older because the show, I guess we ended in two thousand eleven. It's two two. So when they first started watching it, let's say they were thirteen,

and now they're in their thirties. Well, their mothers in their fifties were fans of Nano, which is like, okay, so I have this generational jump here, and I love it. I was at um and I Heart event with the Drama Queens last weekend, just before I came back to see Iron. Um. I was in the Philadelphia on their Drama Queens tour and it was so many people were yelling John on sears in the way and they were like, and the girls, you know, Sophia and really like, Wow,

that show was big. I'm like it was huge, Like we you know, we we were really once she was a relatively small show compared to what two and was in the in the scheme of things. Yeah, I mean, I guess I don't. It was a huge hit too so and a cult like a cult following. Yeah, that's

the appropriate word too. I don't know what's going to happen with John and Kelly doesn't and I have a feeling it's not going to go well because anything that starts out in in a deceitful kind of energy way as what is happening with their relationship because she has a boyfriend, is it never ends well. So I wish you would would have been a red herring. So we like would have thought it was going that direction. And he was a good guy. So wait, we thought you

were in twenty two episodes. We thought it was thirteen. Oh, I'm quite sure it's twenty two. If I've been telling everybody twenty two this long, we might have the wrong information. No, I google yourself. I want to get paid for the ten episodes. It's okay. Jenny was on the c W nine two and she thought she was on three episodes and she was on twenty two, so I was only

on three. What show was that? Like the other nine? Yeah, here we are Okay, it's says it's hold on a second, it says, Um, Paul Johnson really good friends with Tory and Jenny. Wow, that's awesome. That's IMDb. Who knew. I don't know. Did you guys feel that it was like, um, that there is kind of like, uh, I mean, the thing is on our show? It was great about One Hill was it became sort of like a female powerhouse show,

Like the girls rose to the top. Their storylines got super powerful and really drove the show as the show went on, Like it really sort of started off a little balance, maybe a little bit pushing more towards the young boys, but then it became sort of like taken over by Hillary and Sophia and Joy. Their storylines became so popular that they wrote in that direction because the

popularity was just there. Does that make sense, Yeah, it makes sense, just because the audience while they love Brandon and Dylan and Steve and David like they love looking at them, they were probably more connected with the storylines and the writing of the females. That's what I think too, absolutely makes sense. Do you see did you? You? Can you find it? So I'm looking at Seven Heaven, I'm looking at all these other show They say how long you would be on? Do they say it's one season?

Did they say, ah, damn it? Yeah. I think what happened was I was supposed to do like I think, well, I was supposed to do like two seasons, and what happened was I did one half of the season and then we jumped and then it came back. I think for like one part of the second season wasn't the finale wasn't. It might have been. It was a big show. I know that. Oh I don't know either. We were

supposed to do two seasons, but then I don't. I think maybe you've got so much hate mail because you were so bad to Kelly that they were like, we can't. I might have got I think I might have gotten another show. I think what happened was that wasn't available. I don't think they had booked me and like locked me. I think what happened was I got another series, And I think that's what happened. You've had a badass career. You had worth so much. Like, damn, I've been really

really lucky. I feel like you're really good. That's why. Well, you know what, don't you feel this way? Don't you showl that you're actually better now than you ever were? Yeah, I mean, I'm just kidding. I don't know. I look at that. You look at material now and you you break it down. You figure out what your character is about, and you figure out ways to put like an influence on the character, to drive that character was sort of with more meaning than was maybe Evelan intended. And so

you bring this depth to your characters. It really, for me is the fund now. I didn't love acting when I was on because I didn't I didn't have the training that I that I've got later, you know in my career, when I just really started focusing on understanding what we were really doing and and really saw the

complex rules coming my way and not being able. I mean, there's there's a I went in for an audition for a guy named uh Um Lawrence Casting, who you know, did like some of my favorite movies, right, terrific direct, huge director, and I went in and apparently I was his number one choice for the lead rule in the movie with uh Um Meg Ryan and it was like this breakout rule. And I came in and I had

just given an audition. I had worked on my own and then when I got to the final callback, my agent said, before you go in, I gotta send you to this acting coach. They're gonna help you refine this character, and they everybody works with this person gets the job. I went and I went great. So I went to this acting coach and they worked with me and they started giving me this thing called space props, and I said what and he showed me basically what it was

was I was pretending I had a suitcase. I was pretending I had my shoes, I was bringing it, putting on a jacket. I was like basically acting with no props. And I was like, this is a little silly. I don't this is not what I did. When I got the call back, and they're like, this always works. So I worked with this book and I decided, Okay, I gotta trust my agent. I was with William Morris wasn't

like that whatever, So I went. So I walked into the audition and there was Timothy Hudson, Vincent Denofrio, Matt Dillon um Unit and Kevin Bacons like that and me and they were all big stars. And Lawrence Casting himself comes out of the office and goes, Paul, come on in, and they were kind of like, who's this guy going to the office, and he goes, just want you to know, I want you for this part. I've already told everybody

I have to see these other guys. It's like, you know, because you know they're obligation or whatever, but really this is your just let's just do what you did on your tape and we'll be great. And I said, I said, well, sure, let me show you what I've done. And I got up and I got my luggage and I got my shoes and he stopped me, what are you doing? What are you doing? And he looked like like okay, just like gutted a dolphin on his run and he said

what is that? And I said, well, these are my space props and he looked at me like I was insane and I said yeah, I like I got you know, don't you see my luggage and my grief guys and blah blah blah. I was fully button and he said thanks for coming in. No, no, did you say I'll go back and do it. I've had my agents call agents called this was like it literally Timothy Hudson got the part. It was called Timothy Hudton and and it was like something in a Forget Something. Oh my god,

I know this movie. Yeah, and that was it something I forget Paris or something in Paris. Right, I could look it up and anyway that that's one of those situations you don't fix it an broke because you say the acting coach, Um, I think at that point it was just too or something no, I didn't put Eventually, Eventually, yes, right now, you know, I know, but you know, my life went in a direction where I'm very happy, and you know about your life. I have an eleven year

old boy. His name is Quinn, and it's just him and I were just you know, you know, he's only to the Science Academy. He's a little genius and he's a lovable nerd and he's all about and you know we do homework together and um, you know, and it's just great. It's just you know, I I work a lot of producing and producing. At Cassidy's last film, Um, I'm producing another one coming up. I'm directed a few things, and I write a lot and uh and you know

I've got I did five films last year acting. I'm heading to Detroit to do one and then I gonna go to Bulgarian do another one this year. So I'm working and things are fun. It's not like, you know, I'm not. I don't own a you know, castle in the mountains. Yeah, but you're working. And my life is small, just so you know, I have, like I'm really I have very keep my friends really small. H my nut is small. I keep everything. It's a really sort of like really you know what I mean. It kind of

like controllable life. You know, I'm not. I don't. I'm not the same. I'm not figure out what works for you and and cater to that. And you're smart to do that, to keep things in your safe zone, because why in this day and age, like it's scary out there, like it's better to keep it strong. John Sears has all grown up. Ye, you've got a jerk anymore. Well, it was a character. Hopefully nice people to see that

you were nothing like that character. He's an actor, you guys. Yeah, well, you know, I mean, Dan Scott didn't help that much. But I've made. I've made quite a career. I'm playing bad guys. But you don't think about your favorite bad guys in history, right. A lot of them were like I mean, I don't know. Some of them are just like I love Christof Wentz, like I love what's his

name is Christopher? No, Christoph? Is it Christof? I don't know, you know, from the Django unchained um Waltz, christ Waltz like guys like that, like those guys do wonderful bad guys. You know, it's really a great career. Larry Hagman, who was on one of your dead took me aside and said, I told him, like when I was playing these bad guys, he goes, it's the greatest compliment they could ever give to you, because nobody remembers that good guys on that.

We're gonna let you go. But thank you so much for joining us. It was really nice reconnecting with you. Thank you, grateful, Bye bye. He's nicey, he's actually really nice. He's got a jerk. No, he's acting. We want to know what the drama though. We ought to have him back on then he didn't. He didn't spill the tea. Now we should have him back on when like things get really bad, once you know what he's going to be to Kelly. Oh, that's what we should have him back in. All right, let's do it.