Jeffrey Donovan has been living in the cozy Wrigleyville district of Chicago, doing the sex farce "Don't Dress for Dinner." Soon he's headed to prep for filming on Season 3 of USA's "Burn Notice" -- which returns to air more of Season 2 on Thursday. He also recently appeared in "Changeling."
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Your theatrical show is closing -- well, you're moving on.
It's a hit! They extended through March. And I was always intending on leaving -- I need a little break. For "Burn Notice," I train six days a week to get in almost-athlete shape so that I can survive six months of grueling shooting and not get sick.
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What is this magical regimen?
I train Monday, Wednesday, Friday. So I get up at 6 in the morning and I eat for two hours.
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Ha!
Not exaggerating! A typical person burns around 2,000 calories a day. But on the show, I burn about 5,000 calories a day. Then Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday I do martial arts, mixed martial arts, jujitsu, grappling. Then on Sunday, like God, I rest. Then during the show, you break down -- you lose all that muscle mass. And that's my life.
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That's disgusting.
Hey, man. In these dire times, as you know, I am blessed that I have a job.
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I feel like perhaps I'm not going the extra mile like you are.
I barely read. I hardly watch TV. And I'm not in tune with the pop culture. My training is to look like I'm an ex-operative for the CIA.
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And yet you rarely appear shirtless after all this work.
Well, I can count, in the first season, two shirtless times. And the second season, I would say at least two in the first half -- but this opening, that starts off the second half [of the] season, I'm in the least amount of clothing I've ever been. I'm in a little Speedo. I was shaking right before the take.
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Now you know how the ladies feel.
Oh, my God. I don't know how they do it, in these little thongs and little bikinis?
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Besides your trainer, who advises you the most?
I would say it's a team effort. Obviously I have my agent who I've been with -- I've never had another agent! -- going on 14 years now. Sarah Fargo in New York and Brad Schenck in Los Angeles. And I trust them. They get me. They know that I'm in this for the material. You don't see me at L.A. parties. You don't see me at premieres for movies I'm not in.
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Your theory is that burning too fast is burning out.
