Brian's Playgirl Interview

PLAYGIRL: How did you got started in this crazy business?

Brian Austin Green: I was going to a performing arts school and was in jazz class and the band, playing music and the drums. A lot of student directors used to pick other students to be in their graduate films, so. I ended up doing a couple of them just for fun. Eventually, I got an agent through a friend and I did some commercials; then I got Knots Landing... Alik, stop that! (Alik drops a large rubber toy from the upper floor, which lands inches from our heads.)

What did you do after that?

I did some commercials and a couple of B movies, then a few pilots that didn't go anywhere. Eventually I did the pilot for Beverly Hills, 90210. The rest is history.

Were you excited about getting 90210?

No, because I had done three pilots before and knew its chances of becoming a series were slim. It didn't seem like anything that could possibly happen--that all of a sudden I'd be a real working actor on a series with a regular role.

... So you grow up in North Hollywood?

Born and raised. And my parents are still in the same house. (Bailey nudges her head into my lap.) Yeah, she's the resident people tester. She's checking you out. (laughs)

How old were you when you had your first girlfriend?

I went through a whole bunch of girlfriends, but none of them in the sense of wanting to stay with that one person. I was never really big on that concept until my last girlfriend. She was the first big, big deal I've been through.

Was this Tiffani-Amber Thiessen?

Yes.

When did you break up?

Last September. We lived together for a year and dated for a little over three years, and we had been friends for almost six years before that. Living together was the easiest part of the relationship. We would have been great roommates even if we weren't dating.

What was the hardest part?

All the media hype. We were together before she started doing the show. Everything we did became an article in something.

Was there a little part of you that liked it at first?

It was overwhelming, more than anything. Everybody was calling us, People magazine, TV Guide, asking us to be on the cover or host this or that. NBC said they were developing a show for us. We finally sat down and asked ourselves how much of our lives we wanted to give everybody. We had just given a little too much, and it started to become a burden.

...

In your wild days, what kind of girl made your head spin?

At that point, my biggest desires were someone with a pulse and someone beyond a training bra. (laughs) I'm just kidding. I had no set direction. Blondes, brunettes, dark skin, light skin, any race... whatever, I didn't care.

You were a horn dog.

(Laughs) Whatever was the pickings for the evening.

Are you getting back into that mode now?

I'm working too much now. I'm always working in my studio here with my partners, and that's my biggest concern. Going out is such a hassle. The singles club scene where you sit down, talk, get to know each other, hang out-it's such a big ordeal.

Who do you think Is the sexiest actress today?

As of right now, I'm still waiting to meet Halle Berry. (laughs) And she is single.

And beautiful, isn't she?

She's just very classy, too. Halle, oh my goodness. (he gets a big, dreamy smile) Oh, my goodness. Out of all the actresses out there, she's the one who doesn't necessarily need all the primping and prepping to be beautiful, and she comes across so sexy and sensual. (At this point in our conversation, Bailey starts to lick my sandaled foot.) Jesus Christ! What is she doing? Yeah, this is a real sexual household. We're all into physical contact. (laughs)

Tell me what you think of all the plastic surgery and the cookie-cutter look that's so prevalent in Hollywood.

It shows total insecurity. Half of the people in Hollywood are from out of town and are coming here trying to make it as an actor or a model, or whatever. To an extent I understand it, because if I'm spotted by anybody, I want to look and act my best, the whole nine yards, so it's constantly a show. But a lot of people do come out here to try and reinvent themselves. They take it to extremes.

. . .

What about those who'll say, "Oh, the squeaky clean kid from Beverly Hills, 90210 just wants to rough up his image a little."

That point has been brought up a few times. It's funny how people connect so much with the show, as though I am really David Silver. Like I wake up in the morning in Beverly Hills and go to the Peach Pit to get a hamburger. People really think like that, and there's not a whole lot I can do about it. All I can say is that I've had too many people in the hip-hop industry really like what I'm doing. I know where I'm coming from, and the album speaks for itself.

. . .

Is fame important to you?

No. I just want to keep doing good work. I want to grow with the craft in whatever I do. The whole famous side of it doesn't thrill me anymore. It's strange, because I remember the biggest point of my childhood was one Halloween when I was trick or treating and ended up at Henry Winkler's house and he answered the door. So I got to meet The Fonz. That was cool. Then they filmed T.J. Hooker on my street, and I got to meet William Shatner. That was another big moment. But I can never put myself in that same category for some reason, it's just weird.

I think it shows you don't buy your own press.

That is a problem with this industry.

. . .

Is there anything that you'd like to do before you leave the earth?

Yeah, get to know Halle Berry. (laughs) I'm just playing. Halle, please, don't think I'm a sicko... But seriously, I want my family and friends and everybody around me to be taken care of, and to enjoy their lives as much as I enjoy mine right now. (Bailey and Alik enthusiastically wag their tails and give their master a couple of wet licks.)