McIntosh grad gets “Accepted”

This Friday night, 23 year old Travis Van Winkle, a native of Peachtree City, Ga., will make his debut on the silver screen in theaters nation-wide when the new movie “Accepted” opens.

After graduating from McIntosh High School in 2000, Van Winkle went to The University of West Georgia for three years where he majored in business management and played football for a year, “I wanted to be in the NFL,” Van Winkle said. He commented, “I didn’t know what I was doing. I was a lost puppy.”

During this time he modeled for popular clothing companies including Abercrombie & Fitch. His experience with modeling led him to appear on the short-lived television show “Are You Hot?” where celebrity judges Rachel Hunter and Lorenzo Lamas told contestants whether or not they met their personal “hotness” standards. “It was bad,” Van Winkle said. Although he didn’t get the thumbs up from Hunter and Lamas, Van Winkle’s experience ultimately led him to move to Los Angeles, California to pursue acting professionally.

Van Winkle said he always knew he was going to be an actor, but had never taken classes or pursued it before his move to Los Angeles. “I never pursued it. I waited for it to find me,” he noted. “‘Are You Hot?’ brought me to L.A.”

“I wanted to finish college,” he said, but when the opportunity to move was before him one year short of graduation, he called his father who told him to go for it.

Shortly thereafter Van Winkle was a resident of Los Angeles. “That was June 5, 2003,” recalled Van Winkle. “Two days later I was enrolled in acting classes.”

He managed to get plenty of work as an extra immediately upon his arrival. Working as an extra allows actors who are trying to break into the industry a chance to play minor background characters and add items to their resumes, but often is done for little pay. Van Winkle had modeling and commercial agents already, but didn’t have a theatrical agent for six months.

He worked on several student films. “I got fired from the first one,” said Van Winkle. “I was just a bad actor.” He didn’t give up, however, and did a few more after his first attempt, getting his feet wet. “Then I was ready,” he said.

Van Winkle got bit parts on several shows including “MAD TV” where he played a guy wearing daisy duke shorts. In 2004 he landed roles on the television shows “Quintuplets” and “That’s So Raven.” In 2005 he had jobs on “Malcolm in the Middle” and the popular teen soap opera “The O.C.” where he played a teenage drug pusher. He also booked a job in the straight to DVD movie “Confession.”

On set for “That’s So Raven” Van Winkle felt the pressure of being a paid actor on a real set, “I was really scared. I was just trying not to get fired.” However, he learned through the actors on set to let go and have some fun. “I learned that if they hired you it’s because they liked you and they aren’t going to fire you,” he said. His role in “Confession” also helped him learn the ropes. It was his first film with a real budget and although he says he was scared there too, it helped him prepare for what was to come.

Compared to many actors in Los Angeles, Van Winkle’s career has moved at a relatively fast pace. “I’ve got a lot on my resume,” he said. “Though for me personally, as well as professionally, there have been many ups and downs. Compared to most, though, I have worked pretty consistently.”

Van Winkle’s character descriptions often read the same way: the bad boy-frat guy. “I’m not really a jerk, but I tend to play one,” Van Winkle noted. He said it’s his look that has landed him a similar role in several productions. Although he may be type-casted now, he said he is happy to play that role until he has enough success to pick and choose a little more.

Likewise in the new movie “Accepted” due out this Friday, Van Winkle says he plays “that guy.” “I play the typical guy who’s there to spoil the party,” he said.

“Accepted” tells the story of a high school burnout who discovers he has been rejected by every college he has applied to. So what does he do to avoid the wrath of his parents? He creates his own college for all the students who couldn’t get in anywhere else.

Van Winkle stars as Hoyt.

He saw the movie last week and is very pleased by the finished product. “The movie is funny. There’s actually a story and it sends a great message,” he said.

On starring beside actor Justin Long, who is best known for his role on the TV show “Ed” as well as film roles in “Dodgeball” and “The Break-Up,” Van Winkle said he learned a lot from him. “He’s on the verge of blowing up. Each take was different and it was great to work alongside him.”

Blake Lively, one of the leads in “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” also stars in “Accepted.” The movie also boasts first time director Steve Pink who wrote the scripts for “The Sure Thing,” “Grosse Pointe Blank” and “America’s Sweethearts.”

Van Winkle said that many in the cast were relatively new to the industry and they all learned together. “It was great,” he said. “We all got along really well.”

Van Winkle got the job by reading for a casting director who liked him enough to bring him in to read for the director. He then was brought in to read with Justin Long in front of studio executives. Gone was the scared newcomer who was afraid of getting fired, and out came the confident actor who felt the role was his. “I understood my character and when I went in there to read I wasn’t nervous,” he explained. “I have definitely come into my own. I feel like it has taken forever, but for me to be as confident right now as I am is great. I am in control.”

Van Winkle just finished filming “Transformers,” which will hit theaters July 4, 2007. Once again Van Winkle describes his role as the boyfriend of the lead female who also happens to be a jerk. This time Van Winkle will be starring alongside experienced actors Jon Voight, Bernie Mac, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel and comedian Dane Cook. The film is directed by Michael Bay who directed “Armageddon” “Bad Boys 2” and “Pearl Harbor.”

Van Winkle will begin shooting his next film, “Asylum,” in September.

In ten years time Van Winkle sees himself “in a very good place on top of the acting industry, but also doing a lot better.” He says he would like to use his success to influence people. “I don’t want to be the typical guy who gets rich and famous and becomes a moron with his position,” he expounded. He describes himself as a down to earth guy who has always been a bit of an underdog, “I was always the youngest or the last in my group of friends in high school. I was 17 when I graduated from high school.” That helps him stay grounded along with a very close knit group of friends. “I’m not afraid of getting caught up in it,” said Van Winkle.

For future projects, Van Winkle said he would like to film a romantic comedy with Kate Bosworth or Anne Hathaway to show his softer side. He would also like to work on a comedy with Ben Stiller, Jim Carrey and Will Ferrell.

For now, Van Winkle offers this piece of advice to anyone interested in moving to Hollywood to become an actor, “Do it now. Don’t wait. If I would have contemplated it, I never would have made the move.”

Van Winkle says his decision to move to Los Angeles has changed him for the better, “I’ve changed as a person because of it. It’s matured me and made me a better person. [Acting] has been my career path since 2003, and this is what I am meant to do.”

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