Milo Ventimiglia Nearly Left Hollywood. Now He’s Doubling Down on Broadcast TV With ‘The Firm You Hold’

Practically three a long time in the past, Milo Ventimiglia stepped on a TV set for the primary time. Since then, he’s barely ever taken a break — a minimum of not an intentional one.

“After ‘Heroes,’ I had a tough time working, I couldn’t get a job,” Ventimiglia says. “It was one of many one or two occasions in my profession the place I considered, what if I did one thing else? What if I acquired out of Hollywood? What if I left, and I moved overseas? What if I did one thing like utterly completely different than the trail that I had been on? As a result of I couldn’t get work.”

Ventimiglia continues: “As an actor, you’re on the market, you’re pounding the pavement, you’re taking conferences, you’re auditioning, you’re placing what you possibly can into these auditions, and also you’re not getting the work. So subsequently it’s type of like, ‘Effectively, in the event that they’re not shopping for what I’m promoting, what am I doing right here nonetheless promoting?’”

Having first drawn consideration because the rebellious, however charming Jess on “Gilmore Ladies” in 2001, Ventimiglia then starred as Peter Petrelli on all 4 seasons of “Heroes,” which aired on NBC from 2006 to 2010. When it wrapped, he took “a extremely onerous look” at his profession path. Then, simply when he was about to throw within the towel, he landed an impartial film, adopted by one other — and the ball continued to roll.

“From there, the final virtually 14 years, I simply haven’t stopped.”

If he had determined to take one other path, he’s unsure what it might be — perhaps he’d be a farmer in Italy, or get into woodworking. “It doesn’t matter at this level,” he says. “I’m so rooted into being artistic, and hopefully including to the neighborhood of Hollywood — and including to folks’s break from actual life.”

That’s precisely what he’s hoping his new present, “The Firm You Hold,” will do when it premieres on ABC Sunday, Feb. 19. Produced by Ventimiglia’s DiVide Photos, which he co-founded along with his finest good friend Russ Cundiff in 2004, the sequence follows his character Charlie Nicoletti, a candy however sneaky conman who, after getting blindsided by a heartbreak, begins a romance with Catherine Haena Kim’s Emma Hill, a CIA agent who can be not too long ago single.

“There’s an honesty to how we’re portraying these characters, throughout the confines of that intimacy that you simply discover in your romantic accomplice. I believe that’s going to be the anchor for the present, and also you’re going to be rooting for them — regardless that you already know it’s almost unimaginable for them to be collectively,” he says.

It’s attention-grabbing he makes use of the phrase “honesty.” When the present paneled on the Tv Critics Affiliation’s press tour in January, govt producer Julia Cohen acknowledged that in life, “lies are needed,” and the sequence will dissect simply that. Ventimiglia doesn’t actually agree.

“I type of take a look at it as presentation. Who’re you presenting for? What are you presenting as? I don’t actually subscribe to the need of mendacity,” he tells Selection. “I believe there’s being well mannered. I additionally really feel like there’s a technique to ship information or sentiment or emotion or info responsibly and respectfully, however in truth.”

Respect is essential to Ventimiglia. As somebody who’s been on set for many years, he understands the significance of making a optimistic surroundings and generally, taking the time to regroup.

“Pay attention, the reality is everybody’s gonna have a nasty day. Stress is excessive. I believe when you can put into consideration that there are lots of people within the course of and everybody’s doing their finest, you possibly can work after it and hopefully encourage others,” he says. “I’ve had my moments behind closed doorways, but in addition in teams and also you simply need to be taught from them.”

Ventimiglia is working on 4 hours of sleep because of the present’s late filming schedule and early press commitments. If he weren’t doing what he cherished, he would possibly complain about that. Certain, it nonetheless appears like work, he admits, however the pleasure he will get in creating one thing entertaining helps; he’s not solely in almost each scene of “The Firm You Hold,” he’s additionally watching each minimize and fielding emails and calls from manufacturing in any respect all hours.

So he enjoys his free time when he can get it: “I get the weekends off generally. We shoot for nearly 5 months a 12 months. I’ve acquired time to leap within the ocean, time to go see my household and spend time with my family members.”

One factor that’s modified over the past 12 months about his free time is how he travels. For the final decade, bikes have been a giant a part of Ventimiglia’s life — he beforehand partnered with Harley Davidson to evaluate a motorbike constructing competitors. Like his character Charlie, it was his selection methodology of transportation. Now, these days are by.

“I’ve had my time on my bikes, and I’m grateful I can stroll away from it,” he says, noting that he’s truly promoting his bike after every thing that’s occurred in the previous couple of years. “I used to be simply wanting on the heartbeat of the roads, I spotted I believe my time on my bike is just about carried out. I’m stopping it by myself reasonably than any individual stopping it for me.”

Apart from that, Charlie is similar to Ventimiglia.

“I believe there’s a an earnestness and sincerity, a not-to-be-fucked-with perspective. He’s not a pushover, however he’s type. You don’t fairly know precisely what you’re going to get from him,” he says. “It’s all a part of how he presents himself, so entering into that position, I felt like Charlie’s simply an actor. So why don’t I not costume him up with something, how about I simply be as pure as I can and simply play a model of myself in a method like I had with different characters. The characters turn out to be an extension of me.”

The conman may be very completely different from the final character he performed. Ventimiglia final starred on “This Is Us,” which aired for six seasons on NBC and got here to its tearful conclusion on tv in January 2022. Two weeks after ending his position as TV’s dad, Jack Pearson, Ventimiglia was on set for “The Firm You Hold,” with barely any break from the emotionally heavy drama of “This Is Us.” This was intentional.

“Oftentimes, in Hollywood, I imagine that actors attempt to craft these careers. I’ve by no means checked out mine like that. I similar to to work. I knew that coming off ‘This Is Us,’ I wanted to leap onto one thing fast however with out speeding it,” he says. “I used to be leaning heavier within the wind. I knew that I had a second to get forward whereas all people else perhaps sat again in search of that good position. I joined a bunch of individuals. We linked arms on one thing that an viewers goes to get pleasure from. Let’s get forward of it. Let’s simply bounce proper in.”

“The Firm You Hold” premieres on ABC Sunday, Feb. 19 at 10 p.m.