NEWS

There's always room for another action hero, especially if you're able-bodied, muscular and don't mind slamming into trees.

When Disney sung out they were looking for a new 'George' for the Australian-filmed "George of the Jungle 2", bodybuilder Christopher Showerman answered the call. But as the young music grad turned actor discovered, it wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

In this Exclusive Interview, Clint Morris talks to the sportsperson and actor about his experience working in Australia, keeping fit, eating healthy and how Arnold Schwarzenegger is responsible for his penchant in having a toned, tanned bod.

When I was in 2nd grade I made a bicep pose during quiet time. Sue Brown yelled "Hey, look at Chris's muscle!" Discovering this new way to get attention, not to mention a detention for interrupting quiet time, but I digress, I started to work out to develop my body. At seven, I was already fascinated by the notion that we can change and develop who we are by our will and effort. When I was nine, I saw a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger in a book store. This was way before Conan. I was drawn to it like a moth to the bug zapper. I got my first weight set that year - 110 pounds (about 50 kilos). If it weren't for the widespread drug use necessary to compete, I may have pursued a career in bodybuilding.

I got into acting when I was five, but like body building, they were both ways to weasel my way into the limelight. Looking back, I think I was just starving to be noticed.

I love Australia! I can't wait to come back and do it all again! I was on the Gold Coast and the weather was perfect, the people were adorable, the air was clean and the landscape was breathtaking. It is paradise! Learning how to drive on the wrong side of the road was a head trip though. I occasionally found myself swerving in and out of oncoming traffic.

The only hard part was trying not to explode from sheer joy of getting to play this wonderful character. The script immediately forgives me for not being Brendan so it takes a lot of that expectation away and hopefully primes the audience to be open to a new George. I have seen the first George of the Jungle and I thought Brendan was great, but I was careful not to fall into the trap of trying to emulate another performer. I mostly studied monkeys at the LA Zoo to prepare for this role as George was raised by primates. When I booked George, I had to drop about 10 kilos while maintaining my muscle mass in less than 2 months! The intensity of diet and exercise was at such an excruciating level, I thought I would die. The end justified the means, as I got down to 88 kilos and 3.3% body fat. Whew!

I was in Las Vegas with our visual effects crew shooting some exteriors and stayed at the same hotel as Brendan while he was working on the new Looney Tunes movie. I wrote him a note telling him how great I thought he was and left it for him at the front desk. Five months later, he showed up to a charity event I was at, came up to me and introduced himself. He said he would have gotten back to me in Vegas, but I didn't leave any contact info! He is a really wonderful man - and even taller than I am!

Disney has mastered the art of sequeling directly to home entertainment. Once it was apparent that Brendan wasn't going to star in it, George 2 was drafted up as a DVD premiere. It was almost a full year after he turned down the job that I signed up as the new George. Once we shot the movie, there was some talk of releasing it to theatres but the economics just weren't practical by then. I'm really excited that this movie is releasing direct to video. The way I see it, folks all over the world will be taking me home with them. That sort of makes us family, right?

I trained in Surfers Paradise at The Personal Training Center. Rodney Johnson was my trainer here in the states and Marissa Manning was my Aussie trainer. I also got some nutrition and training tips from the amazing Jonathan Davie who just competed in the Mr. Olympia competition.

Yeah, I love to write and play music. If I didn't have it as a creative outlet, I would probably be a criminal. I have a guitar, a bass, and a full size electric piano that I play here. When I was in school I also played bassoon, saxophone and was the drum major in the marching band. My main focus was singing though. I taught voice lessons for four years after college.

Since working with these groups, I know for sure there is no such thing as altruism. I have so much fun with my Special Olympics guys its crazy. They are so alive and in the moment - they remind me how to live. They constantly make me laugh and they're completely excited about working out. I think about them when I need inspiration in my workouts. I got involved with The Elizabeth Glazier Paediatric Aids foundation because of my involvement with George of the Jungle 2. It is such a great organization that rallies millions of dollars every year to help children living with HIV and AIDS. When I think about the opportunities I had as a healthy kid, it really makes me want to make a difference for young people who aren't as lucky.

If I'm not working I get into the gym by 6:30 am and do an hour of cardio. Then I do another hour with weights on one or two muscle groups. I always finish the workout with a rousing ab routine. Now I have added another hour of cardio later in the day because I want to shred up. They say the camera adds 10 pounds, so it's either lean up or find a lighter camera. When we were shooting George I was up at 4:30 am working out 4 hours a day which included a 45 min. ab workout. If I wasn't working out or doing my movie things, I was sleeping. It was really insane, and I loved it!

My diet was protein and green leafy things - like pond scum. When I woke up, I would have a tiny bit of Oatmeal (50 g dry) and a protein shake and a fist full of Musashi supplements. Once on set, the caterers made me an egg white omelette with spinach leaves. Mid morning I would have some raw vegetables rolled up in a sheet of nori. Lunch was 300 grams of chicken or fish and a small bit of sweet potato with some salad with vinegar for dressing. In the afternoon I would have a Musashi protein bar with the chocolate shaved off and would end the day with chicken and salad. All this washed down with at least a gallon of water daily.

Sea of Fear is a low budget thriller about these guys who charter a boat and then start to disappear off it. There is no graphic violence shown so it is as scary as your imagination wants it to be. I play Derek, a blue collar outsider who just wants to fit in. It's an independent film that is still looking for a distributor right now so there is no set release date at the moment, but we finished with principal photography in November 03.

I love to do stunts! Someday I want to do a high fall. I recently did a ratchet for a commercial - where a cable yanks you really fast out of frame. I also did some really scary stuff for Sea Of Fear out in the middle of the ocean - but I can't tell you what it was - go see the movie! The producers won't always let you do your own stunts though depending on the danger level. I did about half of my stunts for George 2 - the other half, the more dangerous half, was done by my double, Kyle Gardner. One morning he came to the make up trailer all covered in bruises because he spent the previous day slamming into bulldozers just to make me look good on film.

I loved Rocky. I really identify with the underdog story. I also love the Superman series. My next goal is to be the Man of Steel. I'm all about movies that awaken our inner superhero.

Yeah. Actors: Start working out. Bodybuilders: Learn how to act - it's the quickest way to become Governor of California. Decide what it is that you really want, infuse your life with excitement around it, learn everything you can about it, go for it with everything you've got, and never, ever, ever, ever give up.