We met with Ethan Peck, who plays Patrick on ABC Family’s 10 Things I Hate About You at 25 Degrees restaurant at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The grandson of Gregory Peck, Ethan took time out on his day off from filming to have breakfast with us and give us the scoop on filming, his time in school at NYU, and his inspirations.
Were you a fan of the movie 10 Things I Hate About You? Do you remember when it came out?
Yeah, that was ’99, right? And I definitely saw it when I was, I guess, 13, 14-years old. When I got the audition, I hadn’t even recalled the film at the time. They were [mentioning it was a remake], and I couldn’t quite remember what it was, but it’s a great movie. And it’s really exciting to be working under that franchise.
How did Heath Ledger’s version of your character influence your portrayal of Patrick Verona?
Well, as I said before, I didn’t see the film before I auditioned for it and couldn’t really recall the film and was just having a really bad day, so I didn’t care to go back and look at the film, which sort of worked to my benefit because I think that I brought somewhat of an original interpretation of the material to the audition.
So… after I tested for the show, I watched the film. And I mean, he’s so different, anyways. With all due respect, I didn’t take any inspiration from him only because this Patrick Verona is a new Patrick Verona really. I mean, the show is completely different from the film for the most part… you’ve got to open a world up. […Patrick is] sort of a loner. He’s still a badass, rides a motorcycle. We don’t know too much about his personal life yet. But he’s slowly coming out of the woodwork I guess.
Can you tell me about how closely they stick to the storyline?
Yeah, absolutely. We’re actually not really sticking close to the storyline of the film at all. There are two sisters, the Stratford sisters, and the father. And they’ve moved out from Ohio I think, and Padua is supposedly in San Diego.
I’m the school badass, as you know. And that’s pretty much it from what I remember. Like, there are big scenes, like, with Patrick in the film sitting on the bleachers and wooing Kat. And I don’t think that that would be included in the series because, first of all, that’s so iconic and particular to… that film. And my Patrick wouldn’t do that, I don’t think.
What’s your favorite trait of your character, Patrick Verona, and what part of your personality do you use most in portraying Patrick Verona?
My favorite trait about Patrick is that he’ll give attitude and be flat. The humor that we’re arming Patrick with is flat sarcasm because that’s who he is as a person and that’s what makes him a badass… there’s a scene with Cameron the scene where he’s waiting at a vending machine and the soda won’t fall down, of course. And he’s like, “What the heck?” And Patrick comes up and Cameron’s like, “It won’t drop.” And I’m like, “Your testicles or the soda?” [laughs]
And the great thing about Patrick is [that] he won’t be like, “Oh, I’m just joking,” which is what I would do. And I love that kind of humor that Patrick just is that. And it’s only funny from an outside observer as opposed to the people involved. But I’d like to think that I have a hold on that sort of flat humor with my friends, what we use.
Has Larry Miller thrown out improvs for you guys?
Yeah, he does. Actually, I haven’t worked with him yet. But Lindsey who plays Kat was all saying how it’s so amazing they’re always improvising. So yeah, he definitely is using his skills.
So you’d mentioned how when you came in from New York you didn’t really know the rest of the cast. Since chemistry is so important, did it take a couple days to sort of work out how you fit in with the other cast?
Yeah, absolutely. For instance, Lindsey’s really funny and has a very powerful presence. So we sort of talked about that and her humor. She’s very sarcastic and also like really hilarious and supportive. So it’s difficult to sort of, like, get a sense of people, who they were outside of their characters because, I mean, it’s difficult to distinguish a person from who they’re playing because you see so much of who they actually are and who they’re pretending to be, usually. She’s very, very intelligent.
What were you like in high school?
I was such a dork in high school. I played sports. I played in the symphony. I auditioned all the time. I was thrown off the sports teams for auditioning all the time. I didn’t do as well as I wanted to because I didn’t care really.
In school or in the auditions?
All across the board because I was doing so many things, but specifically school. I just really didn’t have any interest in grades and the system. And I didn’t realize it at the time, I just felt really guilty about it. But I found myself feeling like an outsider all the time because I didn’t really understand why people had to have certain groups of friends and why everybody couldn’t just get along.
When did you start working as an actor?
I guess it started when I was about 8-years old. I did a film when I was ten for Showtime called Marshal Law. And then I had a couple experiences doing commercials, guest stars on television. I played Young Kelso on That ‘70s Show. I had a small cameo on The Drew Carey Show. Little things here and there.
Did you have moments when you were acting as a child where you thought, “Wow, that’s me?”
Yeah. When I was younger, I didn’t really know what to think of it or [how to come to grips]. And… in the latter half of high school, I found myself being much more self-aware. And it became very scary to see my own work.
It took me college to sort of figure out how I looked when I did certain things, which is weird to think about because [for example], I would have a scene where you, like, open the door. And it’s like, “How do you open a door, you know, looking—normally?” [laughs] So you just sort of run over those moments.
When I was younger, I had the gift of not caring. And then in high school, you get all, like, weird and like, self-conscious. And now hopefully, I’m returning back to childhood in a lot of ways, with the experience of an adult, being a child. [laughs]
Are there any actors whose career path you would like to emulate, as far as transitioning to different sorts of roles?
Probably Javier Bardem. He just makes amazing choices… and every time it’s just like he knocks it out of the park. So I also love Giovanni Ribisi, which, I mean, from his work, starting with Saving Private Ryan, which sort of introduced me to him, to Lost in Translation… he’s incredible.
What are you watching right now on TV?
I don’t have a TV. I’m going to be getting it because I think college guys never have a television really. But I’m just going to go through film and just sort of educate myself. So I just watched 3:10 To Yuma. I recently watched Mongol… it’s about the rise of Ghenghis Khan. I find foreign films to be especially inspiring if it’s well done, obviously, because it’s so disparate. […D]ifferent cultures and—I mean, like, I watched the World Baseball Classic, and I’m not a fan of baseball. But I was totally amazed by the focus of the players from different countries and they way they behaved on the field compared to Americans. So even that, as an actor, was inspiring and enlightening. So inspiration is around every corner along the way.
Did you still know some of your high school buddies?
Yeah, like a couple of them, one of them, in particular, who’s a really close friend of mine, but I made a lot of my friends very early on, I mean, like, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and I made a couple of really close friends in college, as well.
Are they making fun of you for going back to the high school?
Oh, no, they haven’t, actually… When they see it, they probably will.