Interview: Luke Perry (Pt. 2)

Luke has been a man in command of his career, and perhaps even a bit outspoken, since he auditioned for “Beverly Hills, 90210.” He originally read for the role of spoiled brat rich-kid Steve Sanders.

“I went in and was like, ‘Look, I know I’m not right for this role, and you know I’m not right for this role.’ They were very cool, you know. I just couldn’t see myself as Steve. We ended up just having a really good talk.”

And the rest is history. Since leaving “90210,” Luke has accepted an eclectic mix of roles. He is very practical when deciding what type of role to take on next. “I consider what I have going on in my life during that time. Have I done that type of role yet? Do I like the character? Or maybe there’s an actor I want to work with.”

“There are certain things I wanna do before I’m done. I want to run on top of a train. If the script says I get to run on top of a train, I’ll do it. I accepted a role awhile back – my manager didn’t want me to because it wasn't that good – but the script called for running on top of a train. I didn’t care; I wanted to do it, so I took the role. The movie ended up falling through, though, which I guess was good.”

Growing up in Mansfield, Ohio, taught Luke small-town values and principles. “I only recently started to think about how long I’ve been doing this. I never want to be in something I don’t believe in. Just keep it simple. I try to separate the two – I’m a guy from Ohio but I live in California.”

Luke tries to get back to Ohio whenever he can, especially to cheer on his beloved Cleveland Browns. “I took my son to a game last year. It was so great. I led my section in a verse of ‘Hang on Sloopy.’We played the (Baltimore) Ravens, and we kicked their ass! It was great to be there with my son and to explain to him: ‘Now here we have the Ravens, and we hate the Ravens ...”

When asked to choose between Ohio’s major-league baseball teams, the Cleveland Indians and the Cincinnati Reds, Luke is torn. “I’m split between the Tribe and the Reds. I always cheer for both of them.”

The same goes for competing amusement parks, Cedar Point and Kings Island. “I haven’t been to either since I was a kid, but with Cedar Point you had the Corkscrew. I remember waiting in line for hours for that one! And with Kings Island, remember when Evel Knievel jumped over all those buses? I’ll never forget that.” One reason Luke likes working with Hallmark is because of the family- friendly programming that it brings to American homes.

“A lot of TV nowadays is really kind of gruesome. It’s nice to be able to just watch a movie on TV with your family. That's what I like so much about Hallmark: Their programming is interesting and intelligent, but not pandering.”