#jonathanbrandisarchive

[jonathanbrandisarchive]

Jonathan Brandis Calling! Don’t Hang Up! Make a Long Distance Love Connection!

Who's that on the phone? It's Jonathan Brandis checking in with you!

Teen Beat Superstars, 1995

Ring! Ring! "Hi, it's Jon. What’s up?”

You never know—if you've written Jonathan Brandis a fan letter and included your telephone number, you just might be hearing those words! Jon has been known to call fans out of the blue, but admits that often it doesn't turn out as well as he expected. "I'll call out of curiosity," he admits. "And they'll say, 'It's not you!' and then they hang up!"

Well, to avoid that disaster, here's the formula for phone fun with Jon! First of all—stay calm!! Jon loves it when a fan treats him like a normal guy; when you can talk to him about everyday things, topics that interest most people.

Stay away from showbiz subjects—Jon is involved with that 24-7 and when he's getting to know someone new, he wants to discuss anything but.

And just what is Jon into these days? Just check out our JB Phone Guide in case it's your number he dials next!!

Jonathan Brandis Phone Guide! * What Jon's Listening To Now: Boyz II Men, Elastica, Nirvana, Cranberries, Hole * Best Hollywood Pals: Brian Austin Green and Jenna von Oy * Fave Sport: Basketball—"I love going to Lakers games." * How Jon Relieves Stress: "I just get in my car and go." * Biggest Turn On: "Girls who understand me, are supportive and listen to me talk about stupid things for hours on end." * Biggest Turn Off: "Girls who don't completely open up over time; they just hold on to a façade.” * Dream Crush: "Geena Davis. She's a goddess—enough said." * Most Prized Possession: "My 18-year-old Star Wars lunch-box." * Where You'll Find Jon When He's Hungry: Taco Bell * Most Amazing Fact: Jon's afraid of bugs, but he also claims, "For $100,000 I would eat a bowl of live crickets!" * Most Surprising Fact: "I hate the beach." * What You Would Find In Jon's Refrigerator: "Jello pudding, Yoo-Hoo and bottled water."

Okay, you've got the basics, so why not drop Jon a line and see what happens?! You can write to him c/ seaQuest, NBC-TV, 3000 W. Alameda Avenue, Burbank, CA 91505—and maybe, just maybe, it'll be you who gets a surprise call from Jonathan!

[jonathanbrandisarchive]

Jonathan Brandis: Can You Love Him As A Bad Boy?

Teen Beat, April 1994

Here's Jonathan trying to get the hang of being a cartoon voice without banging his head on the microphones.

Practically since Jonathan Brandis appeared on the scene, he's been christened "the boy next door" or "the all-American good guy." His old friend from Danbury, Connecticut, Blossom star Jenna von Oy, sums up the general consensus of Jonathan by saying: "He's still a sweetheart, the same person I knew when I was little."

The Dark Side

But would you believe the actor who showed his "feminine" side in Ladybugs, and wins the hearts of girls everywhere each week as Lucas on seaQuest DSV, has a secret longing to flex his acting wings and play the bad guy?

"Bad guys are twice as interesting," explains the blond-haired, blue-eyed Jonathan, "In the future, I'd love to be a bad guy in a [live-action] film."

Well, the future is here-sort of. Besides his sea-duties on Sunday nights, Jonathan has joined the Saturday morning cartoon clan as the voice of evil magician

"Mozenrath" in Disney's Aladdin. "Mozenrath is a great evil wizard," Jonathan told us, "the complete opposite of Aladdin.... He conjures up enough trouble to make Aladdin's life a living hell. It's really fun."

Toon Time

Jonathan is having a ball playing Mozenrath and he loves being the voice of a cartoon character. "It's a totally new experience for me," he says.

Actually, Jonathan could be head of publicity for Disney's Aladdin—he just can't stop talking about it! "It's a great cartoon," he says, "and there are kids playing kids, which rarely happens. Usually in car-toons, the actors providing the voices are much older than the young characters they are playing."

Oops, Did I Do That?

"It's very different from seaQuest," explains Jonathan of his Mozenrath duties. "It happens really quickly. Plus, it's a great workout for your voice. At first, I found myself doing a lot of body movements with the voice, and the director had to tell me to stand still because my face kept bumping the microphone. Or I would get too close to the mike which would make my lines really loud."Eventually Jonathan learned how to work as a cartoon voice and he's been having fun with it ever since! What's even better is that his fans love this "other side" to his personality, too – tons of fan mail proves that. Bad boys are lovable, too!

[jonathanbrandisarchive]

Welcome to Jonathan Brandis’ Telephone Zone!

So, now you know Jon Taylor Thomas loves to talk. not to make your decision between the two guys even tougher, but we feel it’s only fair to tell you that Jon Brandis loves to shoot his mouth off just as much. This chatty guys has even been known to fall asleep on his telephone while talking to his buddies late in the night! Picture yourself chillin’ on your couch, with a portable phone in hand and listening to JB’s voice on the other end…

Tutti Frutti, 1994

RRRRIIINNG! While filming Sidekicks with Chuck Norris… 

"There was one scene where I had to be up on stage during the karate tournament and we were actually shooting in front of 2,000 people. They gave me a set of about eight or nine clay bricks that I had to break in front of everybody. I went down and smashed 'em and every brick broke but the last one and I got booed! It was horrible!"

RRRRIIINNG! While filming Ladybugs with Rodney Dangerfield…

"You know, Rodney was great with me. There are a lot of things said about him and I've heard a lot, but what it comes down to, was that he was great with me. There was never a problem with him. He invited me to his room, we read the script together, we rehearsed to-gether, we went out together, we went out on the town... there was like 55 years difference in our ages, but it was great, it really was!

RRRRIIINNG! On waking up in the morning…

"I usually get up around 6 a.m., then I try to go to the club for a little while to work out and wake me up. I'm the worst in the morning! I just can't get up! Then I go to the set and try to maybe sleep in my dressing room. Then, of course, the assistant director has to come in and wake me up!"

RRRRIIINNG! On his seaQuest character, Lucas…

"He's not a trouble-maker-he's highly brilliant, but he's not taken seriously because he's half the age of everybody else. He's kind of like the comic-relief genius. He doesn't really have a family, so he tries to find that in each member of the crew. He's also a wizard, so they always call upon him."

RRRRIIINNG! A message to fans...

"Keep watching seaQuest! You'll never see anything like it again on television! It's amazing! Also, stay in school and don't drop out. Graduate I know school is hell, but you need the credits to do things in life!"

[jonathanbrandisarchive]

“Home Alone” with Jonathan Brandis!

The Star Of The Neverending Story II And He Wants You To Come On Over!

16, 1991

It was a typical school day for Jonathan Brandis, a ninth grader at a private high school in Los Angeles. He'd just gotten done with French and history (his two favorite subjects!) and when he got to his house at around 3:00, both his mom, Mary, and his dad, Greg, were out! That meant that the afternoon was all his to enjoy, and to do whatever he wanted! Well the very first thing he did was call up 16's roving photographer, T.C. Farley, to invite her to come over and spend the afternoon with him! After all, being home alone is fun, but it's more fun when you've got a friend to be alone with!

"Welcome to my humble abode, come on in!" Jonathan picks up the welcome mat in front of his house, to emphasize his point to T.C.!

For the first order of business, Jonathan showed T.C. what he's been up to musically. He's been puckering up to the trumpet for going on six years now. He's also been jammin' on the keyboards for a year, and he thinks he just may be starting to like the keyboards a little more! "I love all types of music, from heavy metal to jazz," he told T.C. "My favorite groups right now, though, are Faith No More, The Doors, and The Cure.”

"Smile, you're on Brandis Camera!"  One of Jonathan's all time loves is making his own videos! He even writes original scripts and has his friends act them out at school! His favorite movies to go and see are science fiction flicks, like Star Wars, his number one favorite.

Home alone means munching on your favorite food, and if you’re Jonathan, it’s ice cream and chocolate syrup!

Reading aloud to T.C. from his favorite Stephen King book, Jonathan couldn't help getting a little spooked! Is that a prowler outside? Would he have to man the fort à la Macaulay Culkin while "the rents" are away?!

Jonathan's mom and dad arrived home in time for dinner, (though after all that ice cream, Jonathan wasn't exactly starving!). He was glad to see them. After all, parents aren't so bad! (In fact, Jonathan's real close with his!)

[jonathanbrandisarchive]

JON'S BACK ON BOARD!

seaQuest Sets Sail For Another Season—And You Made It Happen!

16, 1995

Everybody said it couldn't be saved—that low ratings, cast quarreling and high costs had capsized the sub and totally sunk seaQuest. But Jon, Darwin and company will be returning this fall in a brand new time slot (Wednesday at 8:00 PM, ET) with brand new adventures and an even bigger role for the Brandis babe-all thanks to your encouragement and enthusiasm! Proving in a big way-never underestimate the power of love and letter writing!

BACK TO THE FUTURE!

Along with the new time slot, seaQuest will experience some other changes as well.

At the end of last season, the ship had been captured by a UFO, but this fall, the mighty sub will emerge safely, six years in the future. Roy Scheider, who portrays Captain Nathan Bridger, will only be around for a few episodes and, according to insiders, the show will be even more youth-oriented-and that (hope-fully) means tons more TV time for the object of your underwater affection, Jon (natch!)

WILL LUCAS GET THE GIRL?

Jon has very definite opinions about his character, Lucas. According to the blue-eyed babe who plays the brainiac, it's about time Lucas got some real responsibility—and a real girlfriend. "I'd like to see him grow up a little," says Jon. "I'd like to see him wear a uniform, maybe have a little more command—and get a girl for once." 

Just as Lucas takes more responsibility on board, 19-year-old Jon is hoping to take more responsibility behind the scenes-writing and directing. "I was able to write and produce the ‘Siamese Dream’ episode last season," Jon tells. "And hopefully, if I write another one next year, they'll let me direct as well. Writing and directing are both really my first loves.”

And your letters to the powers-that-be at seaQuest proved, beyond a doubt, that Jon is your first love. Once they read about how much you loved the show, and couldn't live without your weekly dose of Jon, they couldn't possibly cancel it. So thanks to you, there'll be another season of undersea adventures and serious Brandis-watching. Full speed ahead!

Now that seaQuest is back in business, what better time to write a "Congrats!" note to Jon (or any of his castmates)?

[jonathanbrandisarchive]

Jonathan Celebrates Happy Old Year

On New Year's Day, Jonathan Brandis spends time reflecting on the past, not getting all obsessed over what's ahead.

Big Bopper, 1994

Making New Year's resolutions isn't a big item on Jon's list of things to do. Not that he thinks they're a terrible idea or anything. He has even made some in the past. But, in his experience, they just don't seem to stick. "I do make resolutions things like, 'I'm going to stop biting my nails,' or I'm going to keep my room clean," he tells us. "But I always forget on January 2!"

Another reason why Jon tends to play down the whole New Year's thing is that, in his opinion, January shouldn't have a monopoly on fresh, new beginnings.

"You never know when a good year is going to start," explains Jon. "It may start on May 13, or it may start on November 5. I think people look at January 1 and go, 'Oh, good, maybe this year will be good!' You always have good hopes for the next year. But you never know when anything good is going to start."

Jon does think that this time of year marks more of an ending than a beginning. For this reason, he feels it makes more sense to spend his energy appreciating the past rather than wondering—or, for that matter, trying to somehow control—what the next 12 months will bring.

Says Jon, "I think the end of the year is a time for reminiscing about what important events happened. You know, it's like when you move out of your house, and then you remember all the things that happened there. It's the same thing. When you're moving on to a new year, you remember all the events that occurred that maybe you were kind of oblivious to, and then you notice how important they were."

It's hard to believe Jon has been oblivious to the important events of 1994, a pretty monumental year by anyone's standards. Jonathan passed one milestone on April 13, when he turned 18. Then there was the month-and-a-half-long experience last spring of living in a foreign country—the Czech Republic—while filming Good King Wenceslas. In late summer, Jon moved from his parents' home in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley to the new-and-improved seaQuest set in Florida. Though his parents, Greg and Mary, helped get him settled, these days, Jon is living on his own for the first time in his life. sea Quest is doing great in the ratings, and Jonathan is a bigger star than ever.

Hmm, J.B., we can't help but wonder what's in store for you in 1995!

[jonathanbrandisarchive]

Jonathan Brandis Centerfold Posters

Tiger Beat (L), Big Bopper (R)

[jonathanbrandisarchive]

Memorizing Lines Doesn’t Strain Jonathan’s Brain!

How does Jon commit pages of dialogue to memory? Very Easily.

BOP, 1995

It’s something you just gotta wonder: How do actors memorize all those lines? Some actors find memorization more of a problem than others, of course. But when Jon Brandis, 19, gets a new script, getting the dialogue into his brain isn't that much of a problem. Jon just takes into consideration a few key points: Who wrote the script? How much time do I get to memorize this? Am I memorizing a two-hour movie here, or a small TV guest-starring role?

Once he has those things answered, the rest of the process is a walk in the park. "I can memorize a whole paragraph in 20 minutes," he's told us, "and make it sound good."

Jon, who has had to memorize like you wouldn't believe for films like 1993's Sidekicks and, of course, his weekly TV series seaQuest DSV, says the key to whether learning lines is going to be a pleasure or a pain is knowing whether the person who wrote the script is into details or not. Some seaQuest writers, Jon has told us, don't really care if he misses or changes a word or two or 26. If he doesn't have to get every word exactly the way it is written, Jon can make speedy progress learning lines.

On the other hand, some writers want Jon and his castmates to recite the dialogue word-for-word. In that case, Jonathan goes over the script "constantly, constantly, constantly" at his place in Orlando, Florida, away from the noisy, distracting set.

Luckily for Jon—especially when he's faced with an intense memorizing session—he usually has a lot of time to study his lines. After they get a script for an episode of seaQuest, the cast has about 15 days before the episode starts filming. If he's not needed in the first scenes being shot, Jon might have a little longer to get his lines down.

Even with this long to prepare, Jon gets plenty of chances to get things down pat. On days a scene Jon is in is being filmed, he gets the benefit of a half-hour-or-so rehearsal before the camera starts rolling. After that, the crew needs about two hours to set up for the scene, leaving time for Jon to go over any lines he might have blown during the run through.

Then, just before the camera rolls, the cast rehearses one last time. "If you don't know it by then," according to Jon, "you're in trouble."

But Jon doesn't get into this kind of trouble very often, however. In fact, the whole process of memorizing seems pretty second-nature to this guy. When we've asked if absorbing dialogue is at all difficult for him, he's said simply, "No. Not at all."