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TV Guide
March 22-28, 2003
The Men of Alias
Our dossier on Sydney's secret agent guys
By Shawna Malcolm
Scans thanks to Souris. Transcript thanks to RedRaiderMush.
Michael Vartan
Age: 34
Hails From: Fleury, France
Alias: CIA Agent Michael Vaughn. After a season and a half of sexual tension, he's also (finally!) superspy Sydney Bristow's boyfriend. "I'm glad they got together because it started getting ridiculous," says Vartan. "But it's weird kissing Jennifer [Garner, who plays Sydney]. We're friends."
Insider Intel: "Something I do in the season finale puts a lot of stress on our relationship," admits Vartan.
Prior to Recruitment: Hustled pool and sold his own paintings.
Put on Probation For: Playing Drew Barrymore's English teacher--and crush--in 1999's "Never Been Kissed." "My God, did I suck in that," says Vartan. "I'm much more relaxed now. I mean, it's not good when your only thought is 'Don't vomit.' It's hard to carve out a performance when all you're worried about is not soiling your cast member's shoes."
Mission Objective: "I wish I could be Snoop Dogg for just one day," says Vartan. "Or at least when I go on talk shows. He's witty and so relaxed. I'm always sweating."
Commendation: "He is definitely his own worst critic," says Alias creator J.J. Abrams. "But he's very valuable to the show because you can have him play touch and athletic and incredibly emotional and vulnerable. He's not someone who's easily pigeonholed."
Bradley Cooper
Age: 28
Hails From: Philadelphia
Alias: Disgraced journalist turned CIA analyst Will Tippin, who used to carry a torch for Sydney but is now involved with her roommate, Francie (Merrin Dungey). Or at least he thinks she's Francie. (It's really her evil double!)
Insider Intel: Learning the truth about Francie has an unexpected impact on Will.
Prior to Recruitment: Cohosted the Travel Channel's Lonely Planet: Treks in a Wild World. "I went hiking in the Arctic Circle and glacier climbing in Peru," he says. "I had to take out a $500,000 life insurance policy. Before that, I'd never even slept in a tent."
Went Undercover: As one of Sarah Jessica Parker's suitors on an early episode of HBO's Sex and the City. "It was my first kissing scene," says Cooper, "and I remember [someone] saying, 'No tongue.' I was so frightened. I just kept thinking, 'Keep your tongue in your mouth and say your lines.'"
David Anders
Age: 22
Hails From: Grants Pass, Oregon
Alias: Mr. Sark, right-hand man to insidious former SD-6 head Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin). Sark was originally conceived as an older character, but Abrams changed his mind after seeing Anders audition. He wowed producers with three accents: Russian, German and British. Sark ultimately became a Brit.
Insider Intel: Look for a surprise twist in Sark's relationship with Sydney by season's end.
Prior to Recruitment: Gave tennis lessons.
Went Undercover: As a high schooler on the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen series So Little Time. Anders admits, "Advances were being made." On whose part? "Not mine," he adds with a laugh.
Mission Objective: "I wish [my character] had a first name," says Anders. "Victor Garber [who plays Jack Bristow] jokes and calls me Steve. Steve Sark."
© TV Guide 2003
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