An actor with All-American good looks and a nice-guy disposition is often envied by his colleagues because he gets first crack at those coveted leading-man roles. But an actor who has the aforementioned virtues, and can also knock off second-banana and character roles with equal aplomb, seems especially enviable. One chameleon-like actor who fits the latter description is the multi-talented John Allsopp. In the past three small-scale musical productions that are staged annually at Hollywood's Actors Co-op, I have marveled at the diverse characterizations achieved by the versatile Allsopp-a sweet-spirited young baseball player, a narcissistic rogue, and a bungling hero.
In the classic Damn Yankees, Allsopp played the romantic lead role of jock Joe Hardy, the fountain-of-youth reincarnation of a middle-aged man who had sold his soul to the devil. Achieving a fine chemistry with Linda Kerns, who played his wife, Allsopp eloquently capitalized on the poignancy and humor of the role. Playing a choice character role in the cult hit She Loves Me, he was sometimes weaselly and sometimes charming-but always hilarious-as the rascally womanizer Kodaly. And in last fall's musical farce Something's Afoot, this lanky actor sparkled yet again, playing the buffoonish leading-man character with the assured slapstick flair of Dick Van Dyke in his prime. And to top it off, he's a damn good singer.
On a recent afternoon at the Co-op, where Allsopp was rehearsing for the Actors Co-op Too! (second stage) production of Jean Anouilh's The Lark, he spoke to Back Stage West about his various roles. He explained, "Ever since college, I was used to always playing the na've sort of 'aw-shucks' guy, as in Damn Yankees. It's great that someone-you know, Bonnie [Hellman, the director]-gave me a chance to do something different when she cast me in She Loves Me. I was originally auditioning for George [the romantic lead]. It's a blast to play nasty characters. You can totally lose yourself. It's better than always doing what you're known for."
He continued, "In The Lark, I'm playing the promoter who's just flat-out evil and Charles, this foppish kind of a little boy, who is pretty deceitful. I think the challenge in playing these kinds of characters-as bad as they are-is to find something that the audience can like or respond to in some sense. As for my role in Something's Afoot, I've done a lot of British farces in the past. But this was tweaked up a notch. Everyone feels safe working here. You're not worried about falling on your face."
A native of Florida, Allsopp moved to California in 1991, after training at both Florida State University and the Burt Reynolds Institute. He quickly racked up impressive credits in film (Hard Time) and television (Evening Shade, Murder, She Wrote), appeared at such theatres as the Matrix and the Tamarind, and joined the Co-op in 1995. He currently works as a personal fitness trainer while continuing to pursue acting roles.
Throughout our interview, the unassuming Allsopp frequently used the word "blessed" in describing the opportunities that have come his way, as if his talent were a secondary factor. Audiences enjoying his wide-ranging performances-brimming with honesty and warmth-can be grateful to share in the blessings.