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The team's demolition expert has a firm grasp on the big picture and the important things in life, with an easy-going nature and a ready joke to lighten the mood. With the military being his "family business" since before the Civil War, he also has a unique sensibility separate from those of his colleagues - which might occasionally cause some differences of opinion.
Some people's lives are planned for them from the day they are born. Such as it was for A.J. He has a family military history that reaches back to Jeb Stewart and beyond. At the center of his being is the sure and certain knowledge that, soft-spoken though he may be, he can match up with any sonofabitch in the Corps who thinks that a thoughtful exterior bespeaks a timid spirit. A.J. attended the Citadel, as did father and grandfather before him, and that causes him no little bit of flak from many of his compatriots in the Service, especially on the female side of the ledger. Very little upsets him, very little pushes his buttons. He has a firm grasp on the big picture, on the important things in life and there are actually very few things that are major. . . the rest just happens. It's the perfect attitude for a man who chose to specialize in demolitions. |
Actor's History
Going to school in France offered Salvator Xuereb unique opportunity - but it also precluded him from acquiring a particularly American hobby: watching television. In fact, he had no idea who James Brolin was when the longtime television star/actor/director/producer made a special appearance (in a role and scene Brolin wrote for himself) in the independent film Lewis and Clark and George, which starred Xuereb. "Jim played a nut, and we hit it off right away." Xuereb recalls.
So much so that Brolin can take credit for luring Xuereb to Pensacola: Wings of Gold, the actor's first television series starring role, and the character of First Lieutenant A.J. Conaway. Conaway is one of the four talented, energetic, determined young people hand-picked for their unique skills and put under the command of a tough Marine Lieutenant Colonel (Brolin), whose assignment is to turn them into an elite Marine multi-skill task force.
The character of Conaway, the team's demolition expert, is also a change of pace for Xuereb: "I usually play a bad guy, and I kind of like that," he admits, "But this time, I'm a nice guy!" Albeit one with some unusual qualities. "A.J. joined the Marines because he probably was a pyromaniac as a kid and channeled it into being an explosives expert," Xuereb says. "He's a lover, not a fighter. And having to kill someone is possibly the worst thing he'd ever be called on to do but, if necessary, he'll do it and do it well."
Born and raised in Manhattan, Xuereb entered New York University as a business major, expecting to enter the family's fashion company. But he'd been interested in acting since he was a child. "I was eight when I saw Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," Xuereb recalls. "I thought it was the coolest thing on the planet and I couldn't believe people were able to do that for a living." Instead, he began studying acting with leading New York and Los Angeles instructors.
Although his first television role was on the series Alien Nation, Xuereb's big break came in an episode of Doogie Howser, M.D., where "I got to make Doogie cool." He has since appeared in Melrose Place, China Beach, The Outsiders and Fugitive Among Us. Xuereb has worked extensively in critically-acclaimed independent films, including such projects as Killing Zoe, The Doom Generation, Natural Born Killers and Mr. Stitch. In his most recent film, My Brother's War, he was cast in the lead role by a director with whom Xuereb has a particularly close relationship: Brolin. Although a frequent director of series television (including episodes of Pensacola), My Brother's War marks Brolin's feature debut. Xuereb calls the upcoming release "a beautiful, poetic movie."
According to Xuereb, working with Brolin again on Pensacola is terrific. "We're really honest with each other. The relationship is both as a father and son, as well as friend and friend." It might be teacher/student as well, since Xuereb's future goals include writing and directing. Regarding the latter, he notes, "The best part of the job is telling people what to do."
He's already offered some direction - in this case, regarding the name of his Pensacola alter-ego. When offered the opportunity to help choose the character's name, he jumped at it. A.J. Conaway recognizes his father, Jean Pierre (hence the "J") and his wife, actress Cristi Conaway, who stars in the new series Timecop, and her father. "I wanted to pay tribute to all of them," he says. Just the sort of honorable thing A.J. would do.
Video Interview with actor, Salvator Xuereb
Question Video of answer When's your birthday? Answer Favorite food? Answer Hobbies? Answer What is your favorite sport? Answer What college did you go to? Answer How did you get started acting? Answer Why did you start acting? Answer Where is your favorite vacation spot? Answer Favorite author? Answer Favorite book? Answer Where did you grow up? Answer What was it like growing up in New York City? Answer If you could take only three things to a desert island, what would they be? Answer What's your favorite kind of music? Answer What one thing or person made the greatest impression on your life? Answer
