Men's Health - 25 Janvier 2012

Playing the straight-and-narrow man can take its toll on an actor, particularly if the role is Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner and the show is CBS’ gleefully diabolical, often pitch-black procedural Criminal Minds.

Celebrating the broadcast of the show’s 150th episode this week (Wednesday, 9 p.m.), Golden Globe-nominated actor Thomas Gibson is the polar opposite of the frequently furrow-browed Hotch—light, easygoing, and ready to laugh, even at himself. “Hotch’s fatal flaw is that he takes his job a little too seriously, and that can lead to an early grave,” says the 49-year old Gibson. “I work hard, but I leave it at the office. You have to.” Gibson, also much-loved for his roles on Chicago Hope and Dharma & Greg, shares some tips for blowing off some steam between cracking the byzantine brains of Criminal’s iniquitous masterminds.

Men’s Health: Television production schedules can be rigorous, 12 hours a day. That’s a lot of time to be playing in shadows. How do you shake that off?
Thomas Gibson: Yeah, you really need a way to shake off the day, but also to build the strength and stamina for the next one. That’s something Hotch hasn’t quite figured out yet. I’ve always been involved in sports as a kid. I swam competitively as a kid. I played all the team sports—baseball, football, and soccer. But I also went to summer camp for a few years where we were exposed to team handball and track & field and marksmanship and skeet shooting, all kinds of stuff. There were certain things that stuck. There was a counselor there who thought I had some tennis potential. So I played for a while. Summer I was 13, my grandfather and my father taught me how to play golf. I took lessons that summer, and I played everyday that summer. I probably would’ve kept playing, except I realized that girls don’t watch golf; they watch tennis. So I let my golf game go dormant and started playing tennis.

Men’s Health: The score, of course: love-love.
Thomas Gibson: Right! (Laughs) Moving out to LA about 20 years ago, I got completely bitten by the golf bug again. You can play pretty much any day of the year. I was working at 20th Century Fox, doing Chicago Hope, and right across the street is Rancho Park, with a 9-hole, an 18-hole, and a driving range. I’d run across the street and hit some balls between takes. That was an amazing way to focus.

Men’s Health: You’ve been named the number-two celebrity golfer in the world, right behind Dennis Quaid.
Thomas Gibson: At a certain point, my handicap was right around 3 or 4, but there are lots of guys out there who are really good. I’m about a 5 or a 6 now. There are a few guys I could take, but my game is erratic. I can hit it a long ways, but I can hit it a long ways sideways. I’ve actually got a little tendinitis right now, so I’m trying to lay off and let it heal.

Men’s Health: How have your methods of “blowing off steam”—or staying in shape—changed as you’ve gotten older?
Thomas Gibson: About 5 years ago, I had some disc issues in my lower back. The doctor I saw said “core work is going to be your friend.” And another friend of mine, an internist, said, ‘When you turn 40, things are going to change. You’ve never had to worry about your weight or your metabolism or anything else. That’s all about to change, my friend.’ I exercised by playing sports, but I was not a gym guy. I never really thought about staying in shape; I just played games I enjoyed. When I started having back issues, I started taking working out seriously. I am now an immersed devotee of Pilates. I work out on a machine every day, usually The Reformer. I work out religiously. It’s great for my back. It’s great for my core. I’ve been exposed to lots of exercise regiments and movement classes as an actor, so I understand the importance of stretching and staying limber, but Pilates is what’s really spoken to me. It workseverything out.

Men’s Health: You’re an avid cyclist too, right?
Thomas Gibson: Yeah, a couple guys on Criminal Minds are really serious cyclists. When I was in New York, I took my bike everywhere for transportation. I didn’t have a fixed-gear bicycle, like a lot of the messengers do, but I had a stripped-down deal—having lost a few good ones in New York—and I did 10 to 15 miles a day just getting around the city. I try to keep up with that too, in Los Angeles and when I’m home in San Antonio. But Pilates is what’s keeping me stretched. I’m trying to fool my body into not being over 40, but it may be catching up with me a bit.

Men’s Health: When all else fails, you can always relax by singing a little Satchmo, right? I understand you do a pretty great Louis Armstrong impersonation.
Thomas Gibson: That is true, but most of the world doesn’t know it. That might be a good thing. (Laughs) When my sister and I were kids, swimming down in Charleston, there was this pizza parlor that had this old Dixieland band play and I just loved Louis Armstrong and the sound of his voice, and I got up there with the band and started singing Louis Armstrong songs when I was a kid. I have no idea why, but I did it and I loved it. I still do Louis Armstrong pretty well, but I’m a little more self-conscious about it these days. Maybe Hotch’ll lighten up one of these days, and we’ll do “What A Wonderful World.” (Laughs)

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