PFach Goes Back To His Roots

In a recent article in The Queens Courier, Peter Facinelli visited his old school St. Francis Prep to talk to an all seniors audience and then a performing arts audience.

Here's the full article:

Students at St. Francis Preparatory School got a glimpse of Hollywood up close and personal as Prep alumnus and current “Twilight” star Peter Facinelli came back to the Fresh Meadows school and spoke to students.

Facinelli, who plays Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the “Twilight” movies, addressed two student assemblies – one filled with seniors and a second of performing arts students –on Wednesday, December 16 about his career and TV and movie business overall.

The students, one of whom held up a “Peter, marry me” sign during the assembly, snapped photos of the star and asked him questions about his career and the acting business in general.

“He came to us a professional and not as a celebrity,” said St. Francis Prep sophomore Nora Martini, who is a performing arts student at the school. “He talked to us about the business and how this was his dream to become an actor.”

“It’s wild, but I know that St. Francis Prep offers you so much to do, and I knew there were a lot of successful people who have graduated and will graduate from here,” Martini said.

St. Francis Prep principal Patrick McLaughlin said that Facinelli recently reached out to a teacher at the school and said he would like to come back and talk to students.

“He really did a great job,” said McLaughlin, who taught Facinelli when he was a student at Prep. “When something like this happens, just having him walk back into the school sends an important message to every student in this building that there’s someone who walked in your footsteps and is now very successful.”

Facinelli, who was born and raised in Ozone Park and graduated St. Francis Prep in 1991, has been in films including “Can’t Hardly Wait” and “Finding Amanda,” as well as a number of TV shows including “Six Feet Under,” “Damages,” and “Fastlane.”

However, Facinelli, who is married to former “Beverly Hills 90210” star Jennie Garth, may be most well known for his recurring role as Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the “Twilight” series including the third installment Twilight Saga: “The Eclipse,” due out in 2010.

Facinelli, who just finished shooting for the second season of Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie,” where he plays Dr. Fitch Cooper, said he was honored to come back to his alma mater and share his experiences with current students.

“It’s a school that has planted the seeds of who I am today, and I was grateful to be able to give back in some small way. Wherever I go, I will never forget where I came from, and even though I left Prep many years ago, the values that I acquired there have never left me.”

Peter Facinelli being a "good-do"er!

'New Moon' Stars Respond To Brittany Murphy

Tragically Brittany Murphy, 32, has recently passed from cardiac arrest. New Moon stars responded to her tragic death.

Peter Facinelli responded to it with Twitter:

Brittany Murphy... U were Bold, Brave, and Beautiful. Thank you 4 being the free
spirit u were, and always putting a smile on my face.

Dakota Fanning gave E! Online:

"Brittany had such a warm child-like spirit that drew people to her. With her
goes a piece of my heart and I will miss her terribly. I know how strong
Brittany's love was for her family and my heart goes out to all of them,
especially her mother Sharon. I love you Brittany."

PFach Talks 'Breaking Dawn'

Auditions, Taping dates, TwiCast talking about it. Am I the only getting the idea that Breaking Dawn will defintely be in our future?

PFach in the LATimes

LATimes did a little feature on PFach and his new found success. (Personally, love that man!):

Peter Facinelli strolled into a Los Angeles television studio on a recent
Saturday morning for another "Twilight"-related appearance. But you wouldn't
know he was part of a worldwide phenomenon. He wasn't flanked on either side by
brawny Hollywood-standard security guards. And there were no screaming
"Twi-hards" lurking nearby. Just Peter and his backpack. And he prefers it that
way.

As "New Moon," the latest installment in the massively successful "Twilight" saga, continues its reign in theaters -- it has grossed more than $230 million since its Nov. 20 release -- Facinelli, who plays Dr. Carlisle Cullen, the patriarch of the Cullen clan, still finds the frenzy a little daunting.

"There's not many movies -- I can't even think of five -- that people would camp out for," Facinelli, 36, said before going in front of the camera. "It can be overwhelming. I feel very fortunate to be a part of something like that. Not many actors can say that."

Facinelli -- who has three daughters and is married to "Beverly Hills, 90210" alum Jennie Garth -- grew up in Queens, N.Y. He began his acting career 15 years ago, with bit parts in TV shows, then burst onto the scene as a jock in the film "Can't Hardly Wait." The 1998 teen flick, which starred '90s darling Jennifer Love Hewitt, didn't exactly rake in "Twilight" numbers, but it helped launch the careers of such stars as Seth Green, Jason Segel and Selma Blair.

"Things were different then," Facinelli said. "We were young and in this movie teens were watching, but there wasn't paparazzi out taking all of our pictures. Things weren't so intense 10 years ago. I remember when someone would take a picture, it'd be three days before it would surface in the tabloids at the grocery store. Now, 30 seconds after a picture is taken, it's on the Internet; and 45 seconds later, hundreds of people have commented on it."

He went on to star in Fox's short-lived series "Fastlane" and has appeared in the HBO series "Six Feet Under" and FX's "Damages." When his agents approached him about taking the role in a "vampire movie," Facinelli was hesitant.

"I was like, 'Um, no,' " Facinelli recalled. "I was proud of my roles up to that point. I was thinking a gory, B slasher movie. You know, vampires in caves who turn into bats. It just wasn't my cup of tea. But I read the first book and I couldn't put it down. If I could have made myself a vampire, I would have. That's how much I wanted the role."

Luckily, no skin was punctured in his casting for the part. Now two films into the saga, Facinelli has seen his life -- and career -- go into overdrive.

"I'm a lot busier," Facinelli said. "I'm traveling a lot more. And I'm meeting a lot more people. I've been acting for 15 years so I've sort of always had a fan base. But this is a whole other level of fans. They're die-hard."

In between his "medical" commitments -- aside from playing bloodsucking Dr. Cullen in the "Twilight" saga, he plays a human doctor on Showtime's "Nurse Jackie" -- Facinelli is communicating with those fans. He can usually be spotted finger-deep on his iPhone, blasting tweets to his million-plus followers on a daily -- if not, hourly -- basis.

"It's my way of having control over what people know about me," Facinelli said.

It's a savvy attempt to combat the hysteria. While his young "Twilight" costars grapple with the media whirlwind attached to the vampire saga's success, a slightly older Facinelli has a different outlook.

"It is easier for me to deal with now," he said. "I can't compare to Rob [Pattinson] and Kristen [Stewart] because I'm not with them on a day-to-day basis. But I can say that for me, when I was 23 or 24, I wouldn't have been able to handle this level of success. Being put under a microscope, I wouldn't have been able to process it.
As you get older, you constantly try to find yourself, and in my early 20s I didn't have a full sense of me. But now, I've been with me for a lot longer."

As the thirst for all things "Twilight" reaches staggering heights, Facinelli is having fun with the brand. He recently launched Vampire Transformer, an iPhone application (also compatible with the iPod touch) that allows users to morph anyone into a vampire with the touch of a finger.

"This is what I spend my days doing," he said, browsing through his vampire gallery featuring images of his "bitten" daughters and wife. "Any time I have a free moment."

Those free moments are becoming increasingly rare, but that's OK.

"I'm enjoying this while it lasts," he said. " 'Twilight' is another gig for me and I'll move on and do other gigs. And, hopefully, the fans will come out and watch those, too."

Via LATimes

PFach and Rpattz at New Moon Party

Is it okay that I'm a little jealous?

PFach on Jimmy Kimmel

Love You PFach

Video Games - E3 2010 - Comedy

Here's a Breaking Dawn spoof with Peter. I love that man to death!

~TwiGurl

Peter Went From "Fatherly" to "Brotherly"

Peter Facinelli sat down with Vanity Fair for a quick interview. Here is the article in it's full length:

As the patriarch of the Cullen clan, have you assumed a similar fatherly
role with the cast?
You know, on Twilight I feel like they looked to me as the father figure, but because we became so close, I’m more of an older brother now.

Has there been a difference in the way you interact as a cast since you filmed Twilight?
Rob[ert Pattinson] has more security guards hanging around him! [Laughs] Other than that, not really. We really enjoy each other’s company, and we’ve been working so much on this movie that we really haven’t had as much time to hang out with each other. We’re putting in these long hours and then just heading home. Usually we just try to catch dinner with each other then get back up the next morning and do it all
over again.

What would you say is the one major thing that has changed about your life since starting the franchise?
I’m traveling a lot more than I used to and interacting with a lot more people. The fan base on this, I don’t know how else to explain it … it’s a cultural phenomenon.
People will actually hop on a plane to see you. Sometimes I do these charity
events, and people fly in to come and see me. I’m just really, really impressed
with [the fan] dedication to these books and to the movies. I’ve always had a
fan base with the work I’ve done, but never as rabid as this.

You seem pretty dedicated to them, too, judging by your Twitter
page.
You know, I love connecting with the fans because I’m a fan of the books myself. They’re all so dedicated and wonderful to me that I love to be able to give back. So if stopping for a picture or signing a book of theirs puts a smile on their face, then that makes me happy, too. I kind of go out of my way to make sure—if there are fans hanging around the set—to try to stop and say hello to them before I get in the van. It takes five minutes to make people happy. I love interacting with them.

You’ve been working steadily since your early twenties—the same age that some of the Twilight cast members are now. Have you been able to offer any advice to any of them, especially at a time when they’ve suddenly been thrust into the spotlight?
I’ve had some conversations with some of the cast about
careers because I’ve been working for fifteen years. They’re just starting out
with their careers, and for a lot of them this is their first big break. I think
they look to me and ask, How do you sustain that? It’s still a mystery to me,
too! I feel very lucky. For me it’s about longevity and not about just one
movie. It’s got to be a scary time for them because this movie is giving them
lots of opportunities. It’s up to them to steer this journey into a career, and
not just be part of Twilight and be gone. I look at them, and it’s got to be
pretty scary to have that much on their shoulders pretty quick, but I think
they’re really talented, really smart, and I think that they’re going to be
fine.

What has this done for your career?
I’ve done a lot of movies and different roles, and this is another role that I love to
play. I look forward to continue doing a lot more. It’s definitely broadened my
fan base even with my own kids. For a long time, they didn’t get to see any of
the work I’ve done because of the mature content.

Have any of your daughters seen Twilight?
All three of them have seen it! They’re ages twelve, six, and three. They love it. The 12-year-old has read the first two books, so she loves the movie. My 6-year-old loves it even more; she wants to watch it all the time! Now the 3-year-old, because the 6 year-old likes it, wants to watch it all the time, too. I asked her what she liked about it and she said, “I like the scary parts.”

Have they met the cast? Did they get excited?
My kids are pretty unaffected. They don’t get too star-struck. To them it’s just “Dad’s friends,” which is kind of nice.

How does New Moon differ from Twilight?
You know, Twilight was an independent movie. It was shot very documentary style, the way Catherine [Hardwicke, Twilight’s director] shoots. It has a rawness to it, which I think is nice. New Moon’s a little bit crisper, it has a little bit more of a
studio feel, but it still has that edge.

What’s it like playing the same character for three different directors?
That gets interesting. It’s exciting in one way because every director brings their own flavor to the movie. Each director’s personality is different so you kind of
have to adapt to their way of working, but I’ve had really good experiences on
all three. Sometimes it’s nice working with the same person over and over
because there’s a familiarity, but I’m used to working with different directors.
On Nurse Jackie we get different directors on each episode. I like it because
they bring different ideas and make you think of things you might not have
thought of before—pushing you to look at it from different angles. I think it’s
harder on the directors to come in and try to make these movies as grand as
Twilight was and take on the responsibility of getting the story accurate in
terms of telling it from the book. Then they have a whole cast that they haven’t
dealt with before, so I think it would be more daunting for the director.

You have so many new cast members coming into it, too …
Our group is such a great bunch that we’re all so welcoming. It’s like
broadening your family base. With open arms, we were there waiting. They came
out to dinners with us and just became part of the family.

Speaking of family, will you please give me one word to describe
each of the Cullen clan actors starting with Kellan Lutz?
Ok. [Laughs] Goofy!

Nikki Reed:
Complex.

Jackson Rathbone:
Artistic.

Kristen Stewart:
Sweet.

Elizabeth Reaser:
Awesome.

Ashley Greene:
Pixie-ish, she’s like a fairy—she’s so light on her feet. Bubbly, that’s the word.

Rob Pattinson:
Mmm, Rob. Rob’s a good one. It’s
hard to narrow down to one. So many words come to mind! Brooding, tortured … but
he’s a good kid. What’s the word for a solidly good guy?

Solid?
Solid. He is. He’s solid.

Finally, what your word of the day?
Cold!

Via Vanity Fair