An interview with model and actor Al Santos.

Lindzi.com: Is the WB's Grosse Pointe your first big break?

Al Santos: I have done a lot of commercials, modeling, and guest spots on other shows, but this is my first big break. I'm handling it as best as somebody could. You work crazy hours. For the first two months we were working seven days a week for sixteen hours at a time -- doing a lot of publicity like shoots and stuff. It's nice, though. It's slowed down a lot now. It's more like a regular job now where you go to work for twelve hours a day only five days a week.

Lindzi.com: With such a crazy schedule, do you get a chance to actually enjoy life?

Al Santos: That's funny you should ask me that because I haven't been. I'm making a point to try and enjoy life a little more right now. I just went out today and got Playstation 2. Though, I didn't get a chance to play yet.

Lindzi.com: So how did you get into this industry?

Al Santos: I started out acting when I was 15. I was doing really well. It would come down to me and another guy for a lot of movies and television shows. I had also started modeling, at the time, and that really took off. I got so caught up in that that I didn't have time for acting. About a year and a half ago, I started taking classes again. I auditioned in January for this and started the pilot in April.

Lindzi.com: What's your ultimate goal?

Al Santos: I think my goal would be movies. I have been sent a lot of scripts already, which is pretty amusing. Once you're on a show, people send you scripts all the time, which is a nice stepping stone.

Lindzi.com: Are you giving serious consideration to any in particular?

Al Santos: Not so much yet. I'm holding out. I'd love to work with Sean Connery on a serious film or with Adam Sandler on a comedy. As for a female co-star, I'd love to work with Julia Roberts or Teri Hatcher.

Lindzi.com: Which do you prefer comedy or drama?

Al Santos: Definitely comedy. I don't mind watching drama, but as far as doing it, I don't take it so seriously. I've already had a couple scripts passed my way, but most of it so far fetched that it's just too hard to believe. Everybody enjoys comedy. Nobody gets sick of it. Even if it's not that funny, you can still watch a really cheesy comedy and make it through it. Drama, after watching for a couple years, you get sick of watching.

Lindzi.com: Is life on the set of Grosse Pointe anything like what the show portrays?

Al Santos: A lot of it is. You see a lot of the behind-the-scenes conflicts between the actors, directors, network, and producers. It's all very legitimate stuff. As far as actual stuff that I have witnessed being put into the show, I have yet to see that happen. There has been talk of some things, but I can't tell you because it hasn't been written yet.

Lindzi.com: What's the cast like?

Al Santos: The cast is really good. At first we all hung out like crazy. Now, we're a little more caught up in the job. When it comes to the weekends, none of us really go out. We don't have time. We're close though. It's a lot of fun because it's three guys and three girls, which is always great because you get tons of diversity. We hang out in each others trailers, run around on scooters, throw a football, or play guitar. All of them are great and have been in the business for a long time. Coming into a show like this, by Darrin Starr, on the WB, I couldn't ask for more. I'm learning tons and tons of stuff every day.

Lindzi.com: You play two characters on the show. Which one are you similar to?

Al Santos: I think I'm a little bit of a mix between the two characters, Johnny and Brad. Johnny is the actor, who's kind of a womanizer. A lot of people like to think of him as stupid. He's not stupid. I like to think of him as a guy who thinks up one thought at a time -- that's all he can handle. He's just enjoying life. He's not too concerned with the whole Hollywood scene, just with getting the chick. Brad, on the other hand, is an exact one eighty. He's straight edge. He'd never think about drugs and would never betray his girlfriend. Everything's perfect. I think I have the better qualities from each character, which is a good thing.

Lindzi.com: What were you like in high school?

Al Santos: I was the class clown. I was the kid who got kicked out of class. I'd do stupid things to get a laugh and, to spite myself, I'd be the one getting in trouble for everything. I wasn't so much concerned with school. After high school, I worked for a couple years, but realized that I screwed up and should've done well. So, I went to college and ended up with a 3.5 GPA on a bio/pre-med track. I had a semester left and booked the show.

Lindzi.com: What's the craziest thing you did in high school?

Al Santos: I did a lot of different things. I remember one time I brought fireworks into school and was actually lighting them off in the hallways. (It was just little firecrackers.) I tried to escape and thought I'd get away, but they wound up catching me. They brought me back to my locker and made me open it. It was like a typical movie theme. As soon as I opened it, the fireworks fell out onto the floor.

Lindzi.com: What's something you've learned about yourself in the past year?

Al Santos: I've learned how to express myself better. Being in front of the camera is nerve racking. The first day I got there, I thought I was ready. I knew the script inside and out, but, after they quieted everyone down, I was standing in front of the camera and totally froze up. Thank God I didn't have to say a line at the point, otherwise I would've been fired! It felt like everyone was looking at me. I've always been calm, but that was probably the worst case scenario. I've gotten used to that and to being in front of the camera. It's a big thing to learn your emotions and be able to portray them in front of a camera.

Lindzi.com: What do you look for in a girlfriend?

Al Santos: Honesty and a sense of humor really get me. Then, of course, looks. Beautiful women with dark hair, dark eyes, tan skin -- like Italian or Spanish.

Lindzi.com: Do you think women are intimidated by the fact you're an actor?

Al Santos: I think it's too early to say that. I had a girlfriend for the past two years and she's not intimidated by me at all. {laughs} If anything, I'm intimidated by her. We've been broken up for the past month or two because she's in NY and I'm in LA. I think most girls would be intimidated by me and those are the girls I tend to stay away from just because I like more of an aggressive, confident woman.

Lindzi.com: In honor of the holidays, do you have a favorite charity you like to give to?

Al Santos: I haven't selected any charities, but the show donates tons of stuff to charities. I'll sign a shirt and donate it to different auction events. They sometimes let us select which ones or they'll narrow it down to two or three and let us choose. It's nice for us to be able to do that.

Lindzi.com: What drives you insane?