Young Star exclusive: A matter of Matt

Young Star sits down with Matt Lanter to talk about his latest role as the new alien on the block.

MANILA, Philippines - In a time of Mileys and Justins (of the Bieber variety), it’s not hard to imagine how Matt Lanter’s old Hollywood charm — classically good looking, painfully charming and polite — would fall between the cracks into relative anonymity.

But in many ways Lanter personifies, not just the character, but also the essence of his new show Star Crossed. Both of them seem to stand out from the pack with their refreshing earnestness, flourishing in a genre that has lately been saturated with recycled stories and misunderstood (read: annoying) protagonists.

In Star Crossed, Lanter plays Roman, a young leader of the Atrian race. Due to an interesting turn of events, he must immerse himself in human society, challenge the prejudices of his people, and protect Emery, the human girl he falls in love with.

Even just a few episodes in, you can already see that Romeo and Juliet ain’t got nothin’ on these two. Young STAR hangs out with the small screen’s newest — and perhaps, cutest — alien to talk about taking the lead, dealing with disappointment, and just why Star Crossed, isn’t your run-of-the-mill dystopian romance (in fact, boys might just like it, too).

YOUNG STAR: First of all, congratulations on the new role! What made you decide to take it on?

MATT LANTER: Thank you! First of all, it was so different. I’ve been doing 90210 on the same network for five years and it’s a very different field. Obviously, this one has a very large sci-fi element to it, and I’m a very big fan of sci-fi, while 90210 was more of a teenage soap opera. It’s a very welcome change. I found the story very intriguing (because it puts) young characters in a situation where we’re being forced to be a leader and step up and show their true selves.

How different is your character Liam (from 90210) from your new role as Roman?

He’s really different aside from the obvious that he’s an alien. I guess Liam tends to be a little more violent and makes a lot of harsh decisions based on aggression. And Roman tends to be a little bit more of a thinker, a bit more witty. Although, I guess you’ll see that as the episodes go on some of that has to change. I kind of feel that as the series goes on Roman hardens a little bit because he has to in order to protect himself and the people around him that he loves.

What should fans anticipate in the show?

One thing that’s really cool about our show is it moves very quickly so in every episode, there are new revelations, and you’re finding out new things, you’re discovering new things and there are new characters. I think people will be fascinated by the Atrian culture. We have a lot of kind of cool political power elements. We’ve got a lot of action. We have a lot of fights, underwater stuff and explosions happening, that kind of stuff. This is definitely a lot to watch even for a young male because there’s so much stuff in it for them.

Kind of like your character Roman, you moved to Hollywood — a world that’s arguably different from “normal life,” so to speak. What’s it like to work there?

 (At first) you’re very… I wouldn’t say blinded, but you’re very aware that it’s, quote, “Hollywood.” But I guess after spending some time now it’s becoming my business. A lot of actors that you think are huge stars and celebrities — I’ve met several of them and I might be friends with some of them. I’m no longer looking in. I’m here. I live in Los Angeles, I go home to my house; this is where my bed is.

So I guess at a certain time, it stops being the glitz and the glamour. This is what I do, making movies and making television, and I enjoy the magic of it all. It kind of becomes, I don’t know, about the craft and about the story and the storytelling rather than just a Hollywood lifestyle.

I’m sure you’ve had to deal with disappointment, especially when you were starting out. How did you deal with that?

It’s hard not to take it personally because you’re there in front of the room, you are performing for someone, and they are essentially rejecting you. Just understand that maybe you did a good job, but you’re just not the character. I think that was kind of an eye-opening experience for me, looking back on all the auditions that I’ve notched up. I was not just the character, and now I’m okay with that.

So what would you tell yourself if you met the much younger version of you? What advice do you wish you had known?

Just be persistent and don’t give up and don’t get down on yourself. Stuff like that, you know. Just to persevere, be confident, and move on to the next day. Hold your head high. Don’t get worried about auditions or that you didn’t get a job or something. It’s gonna happen all the time.

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Catch Matt Lanter in Star Crossed every Friday, 8p.m. on ETC.