|
No stranger to espionage on NCIS, Michael Weatherly has a Casino Royale moment at the Hôtel de Crillon’s
Winter Garden.
Michael Weatherly never knew just how big NCIS is around the world until he went to Paris
and drew attention away from the Eiffel Tower. There, on an outdoor plaza over- looking the world’s most iconic monument,
he triggered a near stampede of fans during a during a trip to Paris for Watch! magazine.
The crowd, which at one
point measured four people deep, endured frigid temperatures as fans stood in line for autographs and photos with the actor.
Though it was only his first day of sightseeing, the occasion turned out to be the prevailing theme of Weatherly’s visit
to Paris, thanks to global syndication, which has made NCIS one of the world’s most popular shows. Wherever he went,
the actor was immediately recognized and in some cases slapped on the head—a nod to Tony DiNozzo, his TV counterpart,
who could only wish for such attention. The actor took a break to share with Watch!
highlights of his visit.
Watch!: It must have been a bit surreal being recognized
at the Eiffel Tower.
Michael Weatherly: It was like being in a parallel dimension.
We were going around and taking pictures, and then all of a sudden, a group of tourists recognized me. I found myself constantly
reminded by the French how much they love the show, which is ironic because the French aren’t really known for their
love of American culture, particularly American military themes.
W: You were in Paris for nearly an entire week. How did
you enjoy it?
MW: It was the best kind of trip … A friend of mine looked
at the itinerary and said, “My God, I’m exhausted just reading what you’re going to have to go and actually
do. I can’t even imagine doing all those things, being in all those places.” We had a weeklong itinerary with
two full days of sightseeing, a full-day photo shoot at the Hôtel de Crillon, and I did a full day of press— 14 interviews—for
NCIS with the French media. It was quite eventful, and I had just wrapped five months of filming NCIS literally two hours
before leaving for the airport. It was nonstop.
W: What was the best part of the trip?
MW: For starters, arriving at the Hôtel de Crillon, and then being placed in an incredibly large
suite with a fl at screen in the living room. I was definitely treated to the kind of hotel experience that is not normal
to my travels. It wasn’t a youth hostel! … Also, seeing all the monuments, having dinner at Jules Verne in the
Eiffel Tower, eating lunch at Grand Colbert, walking down the Champs-Elysées, sampling wine at the Caves Bernard Magrez, going
to the Hermès shop and getting amazing service because all the employees were really big fans of NCIS.
W: Are you surprised when you get recognized?
MW: Yeah, it’s a total shock. I guess, living in Los Angeles, you become so inured to the
whole concept of fame because you’re at the traffic light and there’s Simon Cowell or you drive past Paris Hilton
getting a traffic ticket. It’s commonplace when you’re in this town, so I have become slightly numb to it. In
Los Angeles, nobody really cares if you’re on a show that they like or they’ve seen. But when people are really
into a show as they are into NCIS around the planet, it makes traveling kind of fun. I was walking up the Champs-Elysées the
first day and people were pointing and laughing at me, and I thought for a second my fly was down or maybe I had toilet paper
on my shoe, but they recognized the character, and that can be a lot of fun.
W: And how was the food?
MW:
It’s always a dangerous prospect to arrive in Paris, because I think I ate more in those five days than I normally eat
in a month. When I got back to work my suits were a little tight. It doesn’t happen right away—all that red wine
and caviar! We went to one wine shop, Legrand Filles et Fils, and in the middle of this bustling retail store, where you could
buy everything from figs and condiments to candies and all kinds of delicacies, there was this old wooden table where we stopped
to have lunch, and indulged on wine, cheese, pâté de foie gras. I’m amazed that I didn’t get gout.
W: You also had a James Bond moment at the legendary Hemingway
Bar in the Ritz hotel. MW: Yes, when I ordered the Vesper Lynd martini, in honor
of Casino Royale. Going to the Hemingway Bar was one of the best parts of the trip because there’s this bartender named
Colin Field who has a bottomless pit of knowledge, call it an encyclopedic knowledge of Paris and Hemingway—and also
of the evolution of the cocktail. He brought us through the drinking history of Paris, but then his expertise extended into
the cocktails themselves, and that’s when he began mixing. For every sloe gin fizz he’d serve us, I’d forget
the name of the previous drink I’d had.
The Bar Hemingway’s Colin Field, whose encyclopedic knowledge of Paris and the history of the
cocktail knocked Weatherly’s socks off during a trip to the city.
W: Did you buy a lot of stuff to bring back?
MW: I did …
but unfortunately we live in the postliquid bomb age, so I wanted to bring all this wine back, which I realized I couldn’t,
so I had to drink it all before I got on a plane. You are allowed to carry liquid if you’ve imbibed it. You’re
allowed to carry a full bladder onto a plane, I’ve learned.
W: How were the people?
MW: I would say they’re a lot nicer to you when they realize
you’re on a TV show that they like [laughs]. The people in Paris are a fashionable bunch of folks, with very individual
styles— not just the clothing, not just the style or a look, but a kind of a persona, a bearing, and so you walk around
the street, everyone has their story and they carry an air of—I wouldn’t call it self-importance or anything—
it’s different.
W: You lived in Paris for a while …
MW: I went to the American College of Paris for a semester in 1988. I was 19 years old and I lived
up in the red light district, so there was the Moulin Rouge and all that sort of life. Thankfully, I was completely broke
so I was not able to get myself into too much trouble. But I was there with a friend of mine from the college, and he and
I still found ways to get into a little trouble. We also realized that throwing dinner parties was a great way to eat and
drink relatively cheap. We would invite fellow students and friends, tell them we were having a party on a Saturday night,
and we’d assign different items to different people to bring with them. And it was important to invite women, because
if you asked a guy to bring a turkey he’d show up with sliced turkey from the deli or bring one hard-boiled egg.
W: How often do you go back?
MW:
Well, that was ‘88. Then I went back in ‘95—I took my mother for Mother’s Day—and then I met
my father for my birthday and we drove down to the South of France. I went back in ‘98 for Christmas, and then I rented
an apartment in the summer of 2005 for a few weeks because I just wanted to spend time there … I would love to find
myself living over there for some period of time or having a place there. For me, even as a teenager, I found it a magical
place, and it’s resonated with me ever since. I was born in New York City, and I’m used to exciting, urban environments.
I’ve lived in lots of cities at this point, but Paris is an extraordinary place. It’s very dangerous because you
fall in love all the time—you’ll be crossing the street and all of a sudden, you’ll have some head-turning
experience.
W: You’ve visited Paris in the winter and the summer.
Which do you prefer?
MW: Paris in the winter is a totally different thing than
Paris in the summer. In the summer, because of the temperature, you’re able to do a lot of wandering and there’s
a kind of abandonment. All the students are out and having picnics and they turn the sides of the Seine into a beach. But
in wintertime, it’s cold and sometimes it’s raining, so you’re ducking into these cafes and brasseries and
museums and you’re getting a cup of hot chocolate or having a little espresso or a glass of wine. It’s a really
invigorating city, and it’s got a different romantic quality in the wintertime.
W: Do you have any travel tricks?
MW: Because I started traveling
when I was younger, I learned to travel light—you don’t need three pairs of jeans, they look the same. If you
want to wear those jeans again tomorrow and they’re dirty, wash them. I have a couple of other things or tricks I do.
I like to earn my night in a nice hotel, so I will rough it a little bit and really explore. The best way to get to know any
place or any thing, be it a city, a person, a car or yourself, is to get lost in it. I don’t set out to get lost, but
somehow, I always do.
|
