SB's NEWEST STAR!

He walks in the room and all eyes turn his way. Is it his darkly handsome good looks? His innate sexuality? Or just the fact that he radiates charisma? A good answer would be a combination of all these things and more! And believe it or not, this impression has come before he has a chance to utter a single word. Sitting down to speak with Peter Love, one discovers that he is a charmer, just like Ric Castillo the character he portrays on SANTA BARBARA. As he expounds on various aspects of his life and career, from his love for music to his relationship with co-star, Carrington Garland (Kelly), Peter answers with both sincerity and humor. We're sure you'll agree that this is one actor who is hard to resist!

SOU: After leaving RYAN'S HOPE, did you take some time off?
PL: I was doing THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL, but the two characters I was working with were leaving the show, so as soon as SANTA BARBARA came up... and they said they would be casting (Ric) again, I decided "yeah." I knew it was contract, but said I wanted to do the show, so there was no (down) time.

SOU: When Ric first appeared on the show, he was not easy to like for the majority of SB fans, considering that among numerous other flaws, he despised his brother, Cruz, who just so happens to be the heroic figure of the show. How did you find the humanity in the character, and turn him around, so that the fans would accept him?
PL: Ric started out bad... I let the writing take care of that, I didn't want to act "bad." The way I'm playing him, he's not bad on purpose, down deep inside, it's just something that happened, circumstances arose. But he does still love his brother. ...In a way, he's always looked up to Cruz, he always wanted to be that hero-type, but he never was. He always did things the wrong way. He wants to get ahead and prove to Cruz that he can be a success.

SOU: You have great chemistry with your co-star, Carrington Garland, how would you characterize the relationship?
PL: This is honestly the most special friendship I've ever had with anybody. When I started this show... when we went to Paris, I flirted so much with her, trying to get this chemistry going, I told her how attractive she was. I'm very attracted to her, but it will never go any farther than that off-screen, but it works. So our week in Paris was very important, I think, to our relationship on screen, because we got it straight. There's a definite chemistry between us.

SOU: When you were on RH you were involved in a few fantasy scenes, like the "Rocky" fantasy, would you like to do some of the wilder stuff on SB, since they're known for that outrageous brand of humor?
PL: I actually had a hand in the creation of that fantasy on RYAN'S HOPE. Yeah, I would love to.

SOU: Is there any show business in your background, that may have influenced your decision to go into the business?
PL: Oh yeah, my mother was an actress and my father was a very talented musician. So I got a good mix of both.

SOU: I hear that you play a number of musical instruments?
PL: I used to play 23 very well, now I dabble in all of them.

SOU: Do you also sing?
PL: I sing, I do everything.

SOU: Would you like to include it into your role on the show in the future?
PL: Well, I don't know. Right now I'm working on my album and hopefully I'll have it done next year.

SOU: What kind of music do you write?
PL: All kinds, my album will be pop-hard rock, in the genre of Def Leppard, something with an edge. But I like composing all kinds of music, R&B, jazz, and rock.

SOU: Do you have any musical inspirations?
PL: Me -- I listen to a lot of people and when I write, basically I look and I say, "Well, this isn't really like anybody." I come up with a lot of stuff myself.

SOU: What about acting inspirations?
PL: If I had the chance to meet anybody, I would love to sit down and talk to Greta Garbo. That's my fantasy. I've seen her on the street in New York and I've wanted to go up and say hello, but I know it bothers her and she's a human being and she wants to be left alone... but if I could go back in time and marry someone it would be Greta Garbo.

SOU: Do you find any similarities between acting and music?
PL: The similarity is that I like taking chances. I'll try a lot of things, but I'll find a way to make it work.

SOU: If you could play any other character on SANTA BARBARA, which would it be?
PL: It would be Mason, because I love humor and they get a chance to do a lot of fantasy stuff. He's completely different from my character and I would want to do something completely different. I would love to play Cruz, but we're so much alike.

SOU: You work closely with A Martinez. What is he really like?
PL: When he gets on that set, it's business. He has his fun, but he knows that people are paying a lot of money for us to get out there and do our jobs. He is very into what he's doing.

SOU: Do you have any philosophy on acting?
PL: An actor can't stop learning, you only learn about 30 percent by doing, you learn the other 70 percent by watching people. ...So I keep up by watching all the other shows, every now and then, and I'll keep up with the characters and watch their work, because acting is also stealing. These actors will come up with some brilliant things, in maybe just a look, and you could register in your brain, you could use it later on. ...I think the best actors in the world are kids, because they are constantly dreaming. Acting to me is dreaming... so if you have fun and make up things, just make them up in your mind and make it real, that's acting. If you have to stay up 48 hours because it's in the script, you're not actually acting, your doing. That's why I don't agree with a lot of the teachers. They are based in theory. I think a lot of actors get really screwed up by that... Laurence Olivier once said this to Dustin Hoffman, after (Dustin) stayed up for 48 hours because it said that in the script. He was a wreck and Olivier looked at him and said "My dear boy, why don't you try acting, it's so much easier."

SOU: What about your personal life, are you involved with anyone?
PL: No, I haven't been seriously involved for a few years, but I've gotten a bit of a reputation for being a ladies' man. I date a lot, but that's about it. We go out on a date, I give them a kiss on the cheek and go home, that's it, so I have built up quite a reputation... but it's not true.

SOU: What about the fans, how do you relate to them?
PL: When a fan comes up to me, I will give them as much time as they want, because they're the ones that make your career. I'll give them a hug, I love hugging people and it's so wonderful to hug fans because they'll hug you back as much as you want... I love the fans!

By Dawn Mazzurco