IF THAT'S LOVE // Press Archive // Trevor St. John

TVGuide Online Q&A (TVGO 8/12/03)
At the moment, One Life to Live's Trevor St. John (Walker) is daytime's biggest enigma. Is he truly the cunning and calculating brother of the late Mitch Laurence? Or is he Todd Manning, resurrected from the crypt with a hidden agenda -- and an amazing plastic surgeon? St. John's not about to spill the beans about his character's true identity, but he's happy to shed some light on himself, and why playing the international man of mystery is turning into one fun romp. -- Delaina Dixon

You're a newcomer to daytime, but you've been in film and other TV projects.
I've done a lot of films -- Higher Learning, Crimson Tide, Bio-Dome -- the most recent one was Payback with Mel Gibson. Mel kidnaps me in the film. I also did a TV movie with Glenn Close called Serving in Silence: [The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story].

How are you enjoying your stay in Llanview? You got thrown into the mix rather quickly.
I'm enjoying it quite a bit. It's such a great environment, and these people are just so generous. This is really a strange set because there aren't a lot of huge egos, even a little bit. It's a nice place to come to work; my co-workers are friendly, and the work is fun. And I get to play a really interesting character.

We're still trying to figure out if he's good or bad.
That's exactly what I want you to be thinking. I don't want you to figure out whether or not Walker's good or bad because you'd be putting him in a category, and it's way too soon for that. As soon as you label a character, you limit your options. I can't say if any character is good or bad, because we have all those qualities. Part of my training is not to judge the characters I play.

Okay, let's get to the question. Are you really Todd?
I don't look anything like Todd.

Reconstructive surgery ---
He had a different voice and height...

-- and in the soap world, anything can happen.
It is a soap world, and anything can happen. You'll know definitively on Aug. 26, so keep watching.

Alright, what about his relationship with Blair? Does he want to be involved with her?
Oh yeah, definitely. There are feelings, genuine feelings, absolutely.

And his relationship with her daughter Starr? Is that sincere as well?
He knows that's one of the ways to Blair's heart, certainly.

Are you from the West Coast or East Coast?
I am from the West Coast. I'm from Spokane, Wash., originally, but I spent almost eight years in L.A. working on film and television. Then I came to [New York] to do theater, which is really what I love to do more than anything. The lifestyle here is completely different.

Were you doing theater when you got the role on One Life?
I had just completed a play off-Broadway when I got [OLTL].

What do you like to do in your spare time?
So many things. I am a baseball fan.

Who's your team?
The Seattle Mariners, and they just took two out of three from the Yankees, who I can't stand.

You can't stand the Yankees, and you live in New York?
I think it's great, I root against the Yankees. (Chuckles) I also practice Buddhist mediation. And I own a fitness education company.

Who do you teach?
We teach personal trainers. I recently went to Denver, Colo., to teach biokinetics as it is related to exercise to a group of about 60 physical therapists and personal trainers. I used to be a trainer six years ago, but I educated myself to such a degree that it made sense to teach others.

How did you get into Buddhist meditation?
I got into it through my music. I'm a jazz drummer. I studied with a famous drummer named Peter Erskine. He turned me on to a book called Effortless Mastery. It's the single greatest book on the [creative] arts that I've ever read. It's mind-blowing stuff, and talks a lot about the power of meditation. I went to the Shambhala Center here in New York City, founded by Chögyam Trungpa; he [founded] them all over the world. It was no longer just about music or art, but became a way of life for me.

How long have you been practicing?
A year and a half. I do it at home -- I've got a little bench there -- I do it at work, and I go to the Center.

Have you reached that point of enlightenment?
The whole idea of mediation is not to get to anywhere different. It's being more awake to what's really going on. The big misconception about meditation is that it's just an unconscious state. You actually become more aware of your surroundings and everything that comes into your peripheral vision. The biggest change is that you become more present and less anxious and fearful. And you have less desire. If you didn't desire anything, you wouldn't fear anything.

Sounds like good advice for your alter ego. If you had to give him some words of wisdom on calming down a little bit, what would it be?
Breathe.