Idol Hands
The key to success for Hollywood heartthrob and Expendables 3 star Kellan Lutz? Keeping busy.
"You've seen Ocean's Eleven, right?" Kellan Lutz asks by way of describing the on-set camaraderie of his latest film, this month's The Expendables 3. "You have all these guys who are friends in real life and who are like, 'Hey, let's work together.' There was a lot of joking around and a lot of great hang-out sessions."
The third installment in the blockbuster franchise situates Lutz alongside a who's who of action icons from the last three decades, including Wesley Snipes, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford and Sylvester Stallone.
While most young actors would have been at the very least intimidated by the call sheet, the 29-year-old North Dakota native - best known for making teen girls (and their moms) swoon in the Twilight series - insists he wasn't. "I didn't grow up enamored by any sort of musician or athlete or actor," he explains. "I was just on my farm. I didn't really watch too much television or too many movies."
No doubt Lutz's on-screen ease was aided by his off-screen friendship with Stallone, who co-wrote all three Expendables films. "When I got back from filming Hercules," Lutz remembers, "Sly had me out to his house and I met his family and hung out." Together, they delved into Lutz's character, John Smilee, the leader of a new generation of mercenary fighters.
"The backstory that I lined out with Sly is that my character was a sergeant in the military over in Afghanistan," Lutz says. "He led his troops into an ambush and got everyone killed, so he has this remorse and guilt. He can't function back in the real world, and he can't be in the military anymore because he's blamed for doing what he thought was right at the time. He's kind of a lone wolf."
For the average summer action flick, this is an unusually involved backstory. And it begs the question: Does Lutz see himself breaking into drama anytime soon? "I want to have a career similar to Matt Damon's," he says. "He had his Bourne franchise but also comedies like The Informant! and Ocean's Eleven. And I'd love to do some feel-good movies like We Bought a Zoo. I love the choices the Matt has made."
While Lutz cites Damon as a career inspiration, his current resumer isn't too shabby. In addition to acting, he supports several charities, including PETA and Ape Action Africa; designs the clothing line Abbot + Main; and holds a number of exercise-related patents. "I feel most accomplished and successful when I'm multitasking," he says. "It's not that I get bored - it's just that I do really enjoy being busy."
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