C H R I S O’ D O N N E L L
Photographed by: John Russo
Produced by: Photohouse Productions
Interview: John Russo
Styled by: Linda Medvene
Grooming: Natalia Bruschi
Location: Santa Monica, California
Video: Ken Waller Media
JR: You stepped into the Batman universe at a time when superhero films were still finding their identity. How did that experience shape your understanding of fame and expectation?
CO: Scent of a Woman was a big deal, and people knew you were the kid from Scent of a Woman and recognized you and it was incredibly gratifying and satisfying to be a part of something so amazing. When Batman Forever came out, that literally changed my life. I must have spent two months traveling around the world promoting it. I was in Jakarta, and I got off the plane, and I am walking through the airport, and getting swarmed, people all over me. And I am in Indonesia, like, “What the hell just happened to my life?” I couldn’t believe it. The awareness of this thing was so much bigger than I ever expected, and that really changed things from a privacy level to feeling like you are being watched all the time, so that had a big effect on my life.
JR: You have worked with giants, Pacino, Schumacher, etc. What was a piece of direction or advice that stayed with you long after the set wrapped?
CO: I don’t know if it is so much specific advice. I will say watching someone like Joel Schumacher, whose filmmaking is a completely different experience than watching Marty Brest or Paul Brickman make a film, what I learned and appreciated about Joel more than anything was his decisiveness. It’s chaos on a set and everybody needs answers, and Joel had a very specific point of view and an opinion on everything. He did not care what anybody thought, and his word was final. And that’s really important on a set — you can’t hem and haw, you can’t be wishy washy. People were looking for answers, and he was there to give them.
JR: You have lived through and witnessed the dawn of social media. Do you find it to be a blessing or a curse?
CO: I really enjoy scrolling through my Instagram and TikTok feed and watching what people are up to and keeping track of people, or just the things you can learn and the things you are fascinated about. What I don’t like is the pressure it puts on kids, where the kids can see where their friends are all the time. You want to talk about feeling left out? There’s a party going on and you see all your friends somewhere and you are not there, it’s like, “Oh, my God, that’s so cruel.” I realize that there’s a real opportunity in social media and Instagram. If you build a big following, it helps with endorsements and things like that and can be lucrative. I have just been not able to find the exact way for me to engage my fans in a way that keeps them interested and entertaining them. But at the same time, I am very blessed. I live a really charmed life in a lot of ways but there are people struggling and it feels inappropriate to be posting different places I am going and people I am meeting. It’s just too much. So, I have held back on that.
JR: It gives you information and keeps you up to date on what’s going on in the world and I totally agree with you. I find it a little bit of a turnoff when people or actors give you everything, I woke up…I had breakfast… I went to the bathroom and then photos to prove it. Lol
CO: We didn’t know everything about the great movie stars back in the day, and it’s okay to have a little bit of mystery, I think.
JR: When you think about legacy, not fame, but legacy, what do you hope your kids will understand about the choices you made?
CO: Well, I think they understand it already. The way I was raised, my parents always put us first. I got married when I was 26, and I knew that I was not going to be putting my career first. So, I think my legacy will be that my priority has always been my family and that career always took a backseat to the family, which was the way I chose to do it.
JR: Well, I think that’s a beautiful thing.
CO: I don’t know how I have done it, but I managed to keep working. I think I joined SAG in 1984, and I am still working away. It’s hard to believe I was able to raise a family and do all that. And now it’s going to be an interesting time because my youngest is 18 — we are almost empty nesters now — and suddenly it’s a little easier if we say, “You know what? Let’s go do this project that’s on the other side of the world.” It’s just Carolyn and me. We don’t have to pull anyone out of school or make those hard choices. I look forward to having a new version of that experience I loved so much when I was younger, getting to set up camp in different parts of the world. And that’s been fun about the first season of Nashville. I just spent eight months in Nashville, and I really fell in love with the city. It’s a great place to be.
JR: Speaking of Nashville, the 9-1-1 franchise is known for its massive set pieces. What’s the most ambitious or technically challenging sequence you filmed so far in Nashville that you were like whoa?
CO: I think it was the premiere episode, where a tornado hits a concert. The entire stage collapses on everybody and the logistics of that was a lot. It was a lot of people and special effects and just it took a long time. We were just starting out, and it was a new crew, and you are running around trying to take on this big emergency. I think they did a great job, and I am proud of everybody and they worked really hard. I know they will keep coming up with more and more outrageous emergencies, I know the season cliffhanger is set up to start up next year with a bang, so we will see.
JR: Chris, I have the highest level of respect for you.
CO: Thanks John, I appreciate it.
JR: Your career and just everything. Anytime I mention your name to people, you have such a reputation, a great reputation as just a nice guy.
CO: Well, I appreciate that.
JR: And I think that goes a long way in our industry, trust me.
CO: Life’s too short for dealing with a bunch of assholes. (laughs)
JR: Amen to that