TV Tattler: Celebrity Interviews

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You've been in the business for 15 years, but a lot of people think of you as an overnight sensation.
Yeah, I'm still trying to figure that one out. I mean thank God. It's this whole resurgence. I wouldn't say I'm an overnight success in any sense, but this year has definitely put me on a lot of people's radar that I wasn't on before. And I've got some super fans out there who are crazy and insane and I love them to death. And that's because of this year's last work, both 'Supernatural' and 'Grey's Anatomy.'

Is your busy life any fun?
I've been waiting 15 years for this kind of opportunity, and as tired and stupid as I was at the end of the year, I relished every second of it. I didn't have any life of my own, but I didn't care. There have been plenty of times where I've been sitting around watching soap operas wondering what I was doing with my life.

Were there times during those 15 years when you were thinking you were going to just give up acting and become, say, a carpenter?
Oh yeah, every day. Every day. I was thinking, wow, how am I going to pay rent next month or how am I ever going to retire? I wasn't putting any money away. I was living hand-to-mouth and doing guest stars once a month or even drier than that sometimes.

Wow, sounds like some lean times.
Very lean times. I never did carpentering, but I remember building a couple of fences for friends who were doing OK at the time. You do what you gotta do, but ultimately you hope that this passion pays off and for me in last year it certainly has, so I feel very lucky and blessed.

Your character on 'Grey's' obviously touched a lot of people. What do you hear from the fans about the character?
I think that show is so well written character-wise and Denny in particular was such a nice guy. I think he was a nice guy who had a sense of humor through the worst of it. The guy's going to die and he knows it. He was open emotionally and I think a lot of people connected with that. He wasn't your typical guy. He was very open and honest, and I give the writers all the props in the world for that.

Do people recognize you on the street now? What's that like?
It's very humbling. You forget until you see some woman running down the ice cream aisle with tears in her eyes and she tackles you. So that part is definitely different. It's a little different getting a head of lettuce these days for me, but other than that it's fun. You don't do this to be recognized, but when you do, you realize you're touching people so that's a pretty good deal. Maybe now I'm not just the guy you went to high school with, but you know who I am.

Are you currently single?
I am.

What do you look for in a mate?
I like to laugh. The biggest part of my life is having fun, so I like somebody with a good sense of humor and if you laugh I like you. I spend most of my time trying to find reasons to laugh and sometimes I laugh inappropriately, but it gets me through the day. Living in Los Angeles is a weird place. This business is a weird business, and you gotta have a sense of humor through it all.