Jessica Radloff of Glamour magazine talked with Grimm star David Giuntoli for the fourth installment of “On a Date With”. In a very honest interview, David Giuntoli reveals a lot about himself, including the momento he found out he got the lead role on Grimm, dating, and more. Source: Glamour
Check out an excerpt of the interview.
Glamour: According to most interviews, your career path goes something like this: Born in Milwaukee, grew up in St. Louis, went to Indiana University, got cast on MTV’s Road Rules, and then hit it big in L.A. Set the record straight.
David: Road Rules did not help out in the acting career. It did kind of show me that Los Angeles existed, and it piqued my interest in the world of production and entertainment. I studied a bit at iO (Improv Olympics) in Chicago, and then I came to L.A. and studied for a couple years before I even tried to get an agent. One of my actor friends said, “Don’t even think about the business until you’ve studied for two years.”Glamour: How soon after did you book your first role?
David: I came out here in the summer of 2005. In early 2007, I got an agent, and in that first week I booked two different roles: Ghost Whisperer and Veronica Mars.Glamour: What do you remember most about the moment you found out you got the lead role on Grimm?
David: I had to pull over. I had just tested at Universal, and then afterward they called me back in and I thought, “Oh man, this is good!” I made a change that they asked me to do. Bob Greenblatt, the head of NBC was there, and they were all cool and receptive. Afterward, when I got into the car, I got a call from my manager, my lawyer, and my agent. I thought, “This is not a bad call! They don’t all call at the same time when you don’t get it!” They called to tell me I got it, and I lost my mind. I had to pull over on Lankershim Blvd. because I didn’t want to drive through a Poquito Mas. It was such a vivid memory because you work so hard, and you know that it’s going to somehow change your life. And it did.Glamour: And then panic sets in. [Laughs]
David: I was really frightened of how much work it was going to be, if I was going to be able to pull it off—basically I started to get nervous about actually doing the job. You don’t think about that part when you’re auditioning!
Glamour: You’ve talked about your struggle as a kid with ADD. In television, there’s a lot of downtime. How do you handle that, and how does it still affect you?
David: I used to be on Ritalin like crazy, but I’m not anymore because the side effects aren’t positive. I don’t take anything [now]. When I’m on set, there’s a lot of downtime. At first there was a lot of Angry Birds, but that goes nowhere. Now it’s a New Yorker subscription that my sister gives me for my birthday or I’ll create distractions on set. I’m sure different directors hate me at certain times. [Laughs] But yes, it’s hard. It’s hard to get my attention. I get very excited around people that I like, so when so-and-so shows up, I’m like, “Ahhh!” and we’re just joking around all day.Glamour: Which is how you greeted me today. You were all, “Ahhh!”
David: One-hundred percent.