THE REAL JOE MANGANIELLO
HE’S KNOWN FOR HIS SEXY ROLES, BUT BENEATH THE RUGGED EXTERIOR BEATS THE HEART OF A DUNGEONS & DRAGONS NERD
Unlike many actors who are waiting for productions to resume, Joe Manganiello hasn’t had time to bake sourdough bread or take up knitting these past few months. “I’ve had a strangely busy quarantine,” says the actor, 43, who has been sheltering at home in Los Angeles with his wife, Sofía Vergara, 48. At the moment, he’s promoting his Netflix family adventure-comedy The Sleepover. He has also been working on his Death Saves streetwear clothing line, raising money for the Make-a-Wish foundation and he just wrapped a mystery project, which has been driving fans crazy since he posted a picture of himself in an orange-and-black motion-capture suit on Instagram in July.
“The show must go on,” Manganiello says with a laugh. “Motion capture was a good way to shoot a gigantic science-fiction project, and we did it safely, and it worked.”
Fans who only associate Manganiello with his sexy, hip-thrusting Magic Mike character, or his bloodthirsty True Blood days, should know there’s a lot more to the star. He was the captain of the football, basketball and volleyball teams at Mt Lebanon High School in Pennsylvania, and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA in acting. “If you’re doing your job right as an actor, people think you’re that role,” he says. “I don’t like being put in a box. And I think a lot of people would be surprised how different the characters that I’ve played are from me.”
You’ve been really busy. Have you had any chance to slow down recently?
I’ve found time to read for pleasure, which I rarely get to do because of the amount of scripts I usually have to read. My brother got me the Beastie Boys Book for Christmas, and I finally got to read it. And so I’ve been listening to Beastie Boys nonstop when I work out.
So you haven’t taken this time to ease up on your diet and exercise?
I have a home gym, which is worth its weight in gold now. I’ve really been able to make some progress in the gym over the past six months. I eat whatever I want, but training-wise, six days a week I’m in there.
Some of your fans might be surprised to learn about your other hobbies …
I started my streetwear line Death Saves because of my love of heavy metal and the fantasy novels I grew up reading. I’ve been able to be creative and have this side business because of something I was passionate about as a kid.
Which other childhood passions have stayed with you?
Dungeons & Dragons – I played when I was a kid and ran games for my friends. Now I sometimes work for Dungeons and Dragons as a writer and a consultant.
What shows have you been binge-watching, if anything?
Sofía had never seen Mad Men, which I was obsessed with, so we went through all of Mad Men. Then she had never seen The Sopranos, and I was like, that’s the greatest show that’s ever been made, so we watched that. And I’m obsessed with Succession.
You and Sofía will celebrate your fifth anniversary in November. What have you learned about each other in that time?
I knew pretty quickly that I could trust her, and she knew she could trust me. Once you have that, you don’t let go of it. My instincts about her were right!