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FCL: You most likely know him best for his heart-stopping role on the hit CBS series JAG. But David James Elliott is probably one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood. David can capture his audience and make viewers believe in his character no matter what type of role he is I playing – from his Seinfeld “make you roll on the floor” part to his portrayal of the Melrose Place sex-addicted football player boyfriend. When talking with David I found him to be a warm down to earth family man with a great sense of humor, dedicated to his passions and life. He’s everything you think he should be plus a lot more! Here are some thoughts from David on everything from the lows of losing his brother to the highs of healthy living and Ironman competition.
FCL: How old are you?
DJE: If I told you I would have to kill you (laughs). I am 46 but I feel 28. My buddy keeps telling me he’s 28 when he’s really 47 and I tell him that’s 28 hard years you’ve been living (laughs).
FCL: When you are working do you live in LA?
DJE: Yes. I have children and they’re in school so I stay here as much as possible. But I will go wherever I need to. I was offered a series last year that shot in Vancouver and I said, “Guys, I can’t. I’ll go there and do one season if you promise me you’ll bring it back but otherwise my kids are in school and I can’t pull them away from that.” I just wouldn’t do it to them. I told them that if it stays up there, then I’m going to have to pass. They couldn’t assure me that they would bring it back down in the second season so I passed.
FCL: Ten years as the star of JAG! When you left in 2005, you did another production right away. I heard that your brother died right around that time. You were pretty close to him, weren’t you? How did you handle that?
DJE: I was doing a movie at the time. I had not seen him in a while but we had spoken on the phone. He came and visited me about 5 days before we started to shoot. We stayed together in the hotel, went out to dinners, and were hanging out having a great time. Then he went on to my mother’s 2 days before we started filming. He died that night. The next day I got the call from my mother and I didn’t know what I was going to do. The movie was slated to start production and I was starring in it – carrying it. It was a very emotional piece about a guy who was in a car accident and goes into a coma (it’s based on a true story). He comes out of it; they say he’s brain dead and will never be the same. It’s about his battle back to normality and though he never gains his memory back he is able to function as a human being. He learns his memories but they’re not attached to him. The story about him and his family – well, it was a tough thing for me at that time. The first day I just sat in my trailer. I was a wreck. I didn’t think I was going to be able to do it. But then I realized I had to deal with it and carry on.
FCL: So now you are in Close to Home. You don’t have to carry the lead on that show like you did on JAG. So is that making your life a lot easier?
DJE: I’m around for my son now more than I was for my daughter. I was torn between carrying another piece or what my next move was going to be. When I was approached about Close To Home they described a character that was interesting and sounded like a lot of fun to play. I thought about it and said, “Yes.”
FCL: It’s fascinating how actors translate a character from paper to reality in a show. So my next question is, how do you compare developing the “Conlon” character to that of “Harm”?
DJE: You know, I talked to the writers at length about this character. First of all, when you are developing a character you go into his history and write that history for him. There’s a belief that lends itself well to this process – that people develop in seven year stages up to their 40s and then it leaps to like15-year periods, so there are certain facets of your personality that are developed in the first 7 years and then the next 7 years and 7 years after that and so forth. You are then able to ground these personality traits and anchor them in your character. That’s what I try to do.
FCL: And you do that well. What other special interests do you have besides acting and theater?
DJE: I play guitar, I like to fish, I love to spend time with my family and I like to golf. I have played golf in Florida but the grass is different than the desert grass. When I played there before, I was not as good a golfer as I am now so the grass really complicated my game. It grabbed the club head and sucked it into the ground (laughs). I’m a much better player now so I would love to play in Florida again.
FCL: You and Nanci have been married almost 15 years. You are one of the rare celebrity couples who have stayed together for more than a few years.
DJE: Well, we work at it. You know that axiom – you either grow together or you grow apart – it’s all true. We keep working on ourselves. It has been a learning process – we didn’t know much in the beginning but we kept working on ourselves. But you have to have a life outside that relationship too. It’s important to have your own friends and then friends that you have together, to have a healthy relationship.
FCL: When you have the opportunity to travel, where else besides the Bahamas do you enjoy going?
DJE: Italy. We’ve been there quite a few times. We love the history, the people, the food and the art. We’re building a house now – a classic Tuscan villa. On our trips to Italy we bought a bunch of antiques – things that really tie everything together. We’ll finally be in the new house by June. We’ve been building it for 3 years here in LA.
FCL: You’ve been running marathons for a long time. What got you interested in running?
DJE: I was always a track and field guy in High School. The challenge of distance – I was always in awe of anyone who could run for any length of time. The first time I ran for 5 minutes without stopping, I thought that I had crossed some barrier and become Superman. “Wow! I ran 5 minutes without stopping!” Now I run for hours and hours at a time. I’ve done close to 15 marathons. I did the Ironman year before last, and I’m going to do another soon. I like the triathlon because when you train for it, you’re working 3 different disciplines – your body’s not getting pounded the same way every day. But you still develop little problems. I just had a knee MRI done about 20 minutes ago – having a little bit of a tendon problem, but I’m sure that’s not going to sideline me. I’ve been swimming and riding in the meantime. The idea was to stay fit for the job. I found that if I set a goal, I’m more likely to show up at the gym than if I’m just training for the esthetic value. I tend to force myself to get up and go, because I know race day will be coming. I have a buddy that I do most of this with and we’re fairly competitive. It’s good to have a training partner – that’s really important. It helps you to push a little harder.
FCL: How do you find time for the intense fitness routine that allows you to compete in an Ironman triathlon?
DJE: It’s hard. You steal from your sleep. I also have familial responsibilities. Every day is a different challenge. I say, “ Where is my window of opportunity to get this in today?” Certainly for the first Ironman, before I did it or agreed to do it, I had to go my wife and make sure that she would support me. Because near the end in the last two months you’re going out for 8- and 9-hour training. We ride 50 miles and then run 17 miles; then you come home and you’re ruined. You want to take a 3-hour nap, but she’s like, “Listen, I’ve had the baby for 9 straight hours.” You juggle things around. I belong to two different gyms – one’s near the house and one’s near work. I keep a bike at a friend’s house in Valencia and one at a friend’s house in Redondo Beach. Those are both about 40 to 50 miles away from my house. And I have a bike at my house. I put a fast lane in my pool, and on the weekends we swim at the ocean, so wherever I am or whatever window of opportunity happens to match someone else’s, I go there.
FCL: Your busy life must cause stress. What is your biggest stress reliever?
DJE: I use narcotics (laughs). No, I’m just kidding – I don’t. My fitness training is how I keep my stress level down. And I try to eat right. I try to be “in the moment.” It’s not always easy attempting to become a Zen master (laughs).
FCL: What are some of your personal fitness goals?
DJE: I am interested in open water swimming. There’s a swim from Catalina to the mainland – a 26-mile swim – I would love to do that, but I don’t want to do it alone because there are sharks out there. I’d like to maybe do the Molokai swim, which is Maui to Molokai. It’s a 5-mile swim. I’d like to get involved in some larger open water swims. I’d like to the AIDS ride from Frisco to LA. And then I’d like to do some eco challenges. They look like a lot of fun.
FCL: What does your family think of your commitment to health training and a fitness lifestyle?
DJE: My wife’s athletic. My daughter’s a team swimmer. Hopefully my son will be involved. I just think it’s good discipline. I’ve always found that when I set a goal and then achieve it. That the more often you do that, the more often you get used to finishing what you start and being goal oriented. I think it lends itself well to success in other avenues of your life.
FCL: If I were to ask Nanci what 3 things she loves best about you what do you think she would say?
DJE: Hopefully it would be that I am a reliable person, a good father and a doting husband.
FCL: What are a couple of your pet peeves?
DJE: Uhh, I don’t suffer fools well, and I cannot bear bureaucracy.
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