Alex O'Loughlin Emerges From the 'Moonlight' to Take on 'Criminal Minds'

Today's cuppa: espresso from the Tassimo

In the fall of 2007, Australian actor Alex O'Loughlin premiered in his first starring role in an American TV series, with the debut of the CBS vampire drama "Moonlight."

I got to spend a couple of days on set with "Moonlight" at. The first was early on in production and ran late, so I didn't get to talk to O'Loughlin until well into the night.

Here is the text of the profile that came out the week the show premiered:

It's 9:30 p.m., and Alex O'Loughlin, star of the new CBS vampire drama "Moonlight," premiering Friday, Sept. 28, steps out of a soundstage at Warner Bros. Studios into a cool Burbank, Calif., night, bathed, appropriately, in the light of a full moon.

"I'm only a little tired," he says. "I'm going to get lunch and revitalize, try to keep my energy up, eat some nuts."

The 6-foot-2-inch actor has almost finished the first full episode of his new endeavor, in which he plays Mick St. John, a charming Los Angeles vampire who moonlights (heh) as a private investigator -- usually by night, but sometimes by day (in this mythology, sunlight is nasty to vampires but not immediately fatal).

O'Loughlin, an Australia native of Irish and Scottish stock, got his first taste of American TV playing Los Angeles cop Kevin Hiatt in season six of FX's gritty police drama "The Shield."

There, he went to school on being a TV leading man by watching star and TV veteran Michael Chiklis at work.

"He's such a solid guy," O'Loughlin says during a break earlier in the evening. "The thing is with a guy like that, he's got lots of pearls of wisdom, but often it's just the way he conducts himself that really stays with you.

"It's the way he deals with the hours and deals with the weight of that entire show on his shoulders."

After being announced in May, "Moonlight" was entirely recast, except for O'Loughlin. But that doesn't mean he's feeling comfy.

"I'm waiting to get the chop as well. Who knows? I still am. Every time Joel (Silver, the executive producer) is on set, I'm like, 'Oh, gees.' I'm expecting the friendly pat on the bum out the back door. 'Sorry son, it's your last show.' "

Birthplace: Sydney, Australia.

Movie cred: He has two movies in the can: the fantasy drama "August Rush," directed by Kirsten Sheridan, daughter of legendary Irish director Jim Sheridan ("My Left Foot," "In the Name of the Father," "In America," "Get Rich or Die Tryin'"); and "Whiteout," a crime drama set in Antarctica, directed by Dominic Sena ("Swordfish," "Gone in 60 Seconds").

He also contributed the idea for and was a co-producer on the 2005 crime thriller "Feed," in which he played a man suspected of force-feeding women to death.

Bond cred: According to news reports, he was up for the role of 007, but lost out to Daniel Craig.

Another thing I learned is that O'Loughlin is a reader, a habit instilled in him by his father, a physics teacher, but as you can hear in the interview posted below, he may be falling behind on his reading list.

My second visit is chronicled here, and again shows O'Loughlin's literary side.

WARNING: As well-read as he may be, O'Loughlin is a man's man and an Aussie, and the following audio interview contains a few instances of profanity. I'm not technically proficient enough to bleep them, so consider this fair warning to send those of tender age or sensibilities out of the room before hitting the play button -- or just wear headphones.

Among other things, O'Loughlin is discussing his guest role tonight on CBS' "Criminal Minds," executive-produced by feature-film producer Mark Gordon ("Grey's Anatomy"), former Chicago police officer Edward Allen Bernero ("Third Watch"), Deborah Spera, Chris Mundy and O'Loughlin's good friend, Simon Mirren ("Third Watch," "Without a Trace").

Here's the CBS information on the episode:

THE BAU TEAM RECEIVES A VIDEOTAPE FROM A SERIAL KILLER TRYING TO STOP HIS OWN CRIME SPREE, ON "CRIMINAL MINDS," WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29 -- Alex O'Loughlin ("Moonlight") Guest Stars as the Unsub

"The Big Wheel" - When the team is sent a videotape from a serial killer detailing one of his crimes, they discover a hidden message asking them to help him stop his murderous ways, on CRIMINAL MINDS, Wednesday, April 29 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

SERIES REGULARS:

David Rossi................................ Joe Mantegna

Aaron Hotchner....................... Thomas Gibson

Emily Prentiss........................... Paget Brewster

Derek Morgan.......................... Shemar Moore

Dr. Spencer Reid........... Matthew Gray Gubler

Jennifer Jareau................................. A.J. Cook

Penelope Garcia.................. Kirsten Vangsness

GUEST CAST:

Vincent................................... Alex O'Loughlin

Det. Lynne Henderson............ Erika Alexander

Kate............................. Martha Anne Madison

Stanley Wolcott............................ Jake Cherry

Michelle............................................ Jill Klopp

Alice............................................ Giselle Jones

Carl............................... Quentin Prescott Price

Jay...................................... Terrence Edwards

Fairground Worker................... Rick A. Young

Young Vincent............................. Neil Ironfield

Sid.......................................... David J. Wright

Kim......................................... Rebecca Avery

Eric............................................. Kyle Templin

WRITTEN BY: Simon Mirren, one of the series' co-executive producers

DIRECTED BY: Rob Hardy