Men At Work’s Michael Cassidy: Full steam ahead
The Pretty Boy of the be TV series (second season airing 8:30 p.m. Monday thru Thursday) on the thrill of playing dashing journalist Tyler for a celebrity magazine aptly called Full Steam
A good father and a good husband. That’s very simply how Michael Cassidy said he’d like his fans to remember him, maybe more than Tyler, the witty character he’s playing in the be TV series Men At
Work, described as “the pretty boy who brings a dose of style and sophistication to the group” that includes Danny Masterson, Adam Busch and James Lesure.
“But I do love Tyler,” Michael added during an exclusive phone interview. “I think Tyler and I are both romantic. We are both idealistic. I just love the show and the camaraderie among the cast. They are often making fun of me as the guy who goes to bed early, the guy who has the longest hair, the guy who’s the youngest… just the kind of stuff that the three other characters love to make fun of Tyler, too. It’s fun to have a friend who cares enough to make fun of you.”
Danny plays Milo, a bearded writer for Full Steam who is back in the dating game after dealing with being dumped early in the show’s first season; Adam is Neal, the sensitive one, the somewhat nerdy ad salesman and the only one among the four who has a steady girlfriend (played by Meredith Hagner); and James is Gibbs, the womanizer.
Michael finished a two-year conservatory program at The New Actors Workshop in New York in 2003. In 2007, he joined the cast of The CW’s Hidden Palms and in the long-running Smallville. His other credits include the web-series Rockville CA; The CW’s Privileged; ABC’s Castle,
Scandal and Happy Endings; and NBC’s Are You There, Chelsea? and the pilot Pink House. He’s best known for his role as Zach Stevens in The O.C.
His film credits: Zoom opposite Tim Allen, Courtney Cox Arquette and Chevy Chase; and the Oscar-winning Argo, directed by Ben Affleck.
Here are excerpts from Conversations’ exclusive interview with Michael:
Which do you enjoy more doing, theater or television?
“Both, really. I love doing it in front of a ‘live’ audience. I grew up doing theater and stuff like that and I still do theater so it feels really comfortable for me. But the great thing about having the audience for a TV show is that, when the jokes fall flat and they sometimes do, but not very often, then we get to rewrite it right in front of the audience. The writers will come in with new jokes and we’ll do another take until we get it right. So, the audience is
What becomes of those talents who make it in a reality show?
Some of them attain fame and success venturing into other fields also related to show business.
Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) graduates Jason Gainza and Melai Cantiveros are now comedians regularly seen in Banana Nites. Further, Jason has expanded his comic skills cloning Boy Abunda while Melai sidelines as comic reliever in KrisRealiTV.
Slater Young, an engineer from Cebu and grand winner of PBB, has yet to find his niche in showbiz. His then motive was to become an actor. Unfortunately, occasional guestings lessen the chances of reaching his goal.
Then there’s James Reid who was first introduced in the Teen Edition of Pinoy Big Brother in 2010. Fans of the 19-year-old Fil-Aussie would be glad to know that he has branched out into music. Viva Records is packaging James as the new singing heartthrob.
Veronique, daughter of Viva Boss Vic del Rosario and head of Viva Talent Agency, observes: “James has the looks, the drive and the determination to make it big in tin pan alley. More importantly, he is a gifted singer.”
His self-titled CD showcases a couple of originals and a pair of covers, one of which is James’ version of the popular Michael Jackson tune Rock With You.
In real life, James is an avid listener of R&B and a big fan of music. Among his idols are R&B artist Mario and Chris Brown. He also has a soft spot for pop-rock and alternative rock as evidenced by his inclination to include Maroon 5 songs and The Script’s The Man Can’t Be Moved in his repertoire whenever he performs live.
Count on James to get his music across with Alam Nya Ba, a newly-penned original.
The carrier cut is about a heartbroken guy. He loves the girl so much that even though it hurts, he wishes the girl well and hopes that the next guy she loves will treat her well.
“It is not based on my own personal account but from a buddy back Down Under,” James clarifies. Why choose music over acting? “Music gives me more flexibility in expressing myself artistically. However, should an acting offer come along, I don’t mind giving it a try,” he said.
A music video for Alam Ba Nya has been completed and will be played in music channels prior to the album launch.
You Make My Body Move, Gone, Loving Arms and his own composition Game Changer make the CD worth listening to.