Timely Action
Source: TV Zone Magazine [Issue #59]
Article By: Jenny Eden
Transcribed By: Drew Fuller Fan.com
Date: September 2004

As Chris, Piper and Leo's son from the Future - pay attention - Drew Fuller has spent the last year trying to avert the terrible world his elder baby brother created... or will create. Jenny Eden talks to the actor about getting his causes and effects so confused.

They teach you plenty of things at acting class - how to laugh, cry and fall down on cue - but the one thing Drew Fuller wish he'd learned was how to Orb. With his own magic powers not up to scratch, Charmed's newest Whitelighter admits he was totally stuck when he was told to Orb his way in and out of scenes. It took a lot of practice before he could pull off Chris Peterson's conversation stopping skill, and even now he admits it's the most difficult part of the job.

"Orbing is the hardest thing in the world," he says. "I never walk into a room and naturally start a conversation - I'm just suddenly there. So to film it everyone has to freeze then I step into the scene and start straight away. The bright light goes on afterwards. It's really difficult. But then, the fun part of the show is the magic, demons and make-up. It's not profound or dealing with serious issues, we're dealing with the fun of the supernatural."

While Charmed may be dealing with the light-hearted side of wizardry, Drew firmly believes the world is full of supernatural occurrences. An encounter that saved his great-grandmother's life has made him a believer in angels, or at least mystical guidance.

"I do think there are people with a sixth sense," he says. "My great-grandmother was about to have an operation to remove one of her kidneys when a woman came up to her in the street, put her hand on her stomach and said 'You're about to have surgery - don't, because it will cause more problems'. My great-grandmother was freaked out and didn't have the operation and it turned out it was the other kidney that was the problem so the woman saved her life. I think there is magic in the world or whatever you want to call it, and you can't turn your back on it."

For 24-year-old Drew, being the Whitelighter from the Future is his first really big acting job. The role came at the point when Drew was despairing of ever getting a regular job that lasted in Hollywood. He'd landed a string of pilots and short-lived TV series but each time he'd hoped he'd finally got his big break the show got canceled.

"It was just like endless disappointment," he admits. "I'd do a show, think it was working then it would get cancelled. I was ecstatic when I got Charmed because here I was going into a well-oiled machine, a well-established show and I didn't have to worry about all that stuff. I could and enjoy it without having to worry about when it was all going to end."

But walking into an established show also had its problems. Drew acknowledges he was initially scared of how he would fit into such a long-running organization. But he needn't have worried; the three girls quickly started treating him with the teasing respect they'd reserve for a little brother.

"There's a lot of teasing directed at me because I'm the new guy and the youngest," he says. "They call me rookie and freshman. If I get a big speech they'll be snoring or winking or doing anything they can to mess me up. But it's happy and great and it makes me feel like I've fitted in this big family. Now I go around like the Chesire Cat because I'm so happy. I work with three gorgeous, beautiful, confident, sexy women, who all have really distinct personalities, and really distinct qualities that they bring to the show."

"I really felt the pressure when I arrived. I was tough on myself, I wanted to do a great job for them, but also for myself; but the girls are so cool, they all welcomed me with open arms - then gave me some good-natured grief!"

Ironically, despite his worries, Drew was the only member of the cast who was in on the secret of Chris's real role in the show from the beginning. The producers deliberately kept the rest of the cast in the dark both on and off set and swore him to secrecy.

"In the show, Leo and Piper didn't know I was their son, but I did, in real life. I knew the story but Holly and Brian didn't. It was difficult because I couldn't tell anyone the secret on or off set. But it was the right thing to do because it would have affected the way Holly and Brian treated me if they'd known."

Fuller started off as a model after being talent-spotted at the age of 12. He started modeling seriously when he was 16, working for companies like Prada and Tommy Hilfiger. But he was careful to keep his newfound success from his schoolmates. "I didn't tell anyone at first because kids are mean," he laughs. His career quickly took off and he started jet setting around the world, accompanied by his mum, at first, then going it alone. "I learned more traveling and living abroad than I did in school. I was one of the smartest kids in class but there's nothing they can teach you that compares to seeing the Mona Lisa for real. I was traveling the world on someone else's dollar and making a lot of money. I lived in London and Paris and saw all these things that other kids my age wouldn't have done."

Modeling soon gave way to TV adverts and he even did a Pepsi commercial with Britney Spears. "They showed her videos of all these different guys and she picked me, so that was flattering. She's cute, but she also has 50 large guys around her at all times. It's very intimidating and there was no chance to sit and talk!"

He soon realized his future lay in acting, rather than modeling. "I stopped modeling when I realized I was just doing it for the money and that acting was my real passion. I've lived like a gypsy since I was 19. My friends would let me sleep on their couches, and whenever I was about to run out of money, I'd book an acting job that would keep be going."

Despite his modeling days, Drew comes over all shy when he's asked about his pin-up status. His distinctive, laid back good looks made him an instant hit with the show's teenage girl fans.

"I never got into acting to become a star but its part of the deal," he admits, looking bashful. "I have no clue what a 'hottie' is. To think of myself in those terms is absurd."

While his tough Charmed schedule hasn't left much time for romance, Drew has fitted in more acting jobs, including a guest starring role in this year's teen sensation The OC And with Chris apparently returned to the Future for good, he now has time for his favorite hobby, one totally outlawed by his Charmed contract - though that never stopped him...

"I get up at 5 am every day for work and I get home totally exhausted, so whenever I can, I relax by going surfing and snowboarding. It was originally in my contract that I wasn't allowed to do it but I've been doing it my entire life and I can't let go, so I made them change it. Luckily I've never had any serious injuries. I broke my toe in the summer but that was through stubbing it and that was the most painful thing in the world - so I think the snowboarding risk is worth taking."