Peter Facinelli strolled into a Los Angeles television studio on a recent Saturday morning for another “Twilight”-related appearance. But you wouldn’t know he was part of a worldwide phenomenon.
He wasn’t flanked by brawny, Hollywood-standard security guards. And there were no screaming “Twi-hards” lurking nearby.
As “New Moon,” the latest installment in the massively successful “Twilight” saga, continues its reign in theaters — it has grossed more than $230 million since its Nov. 20 release — Facinelli, who plays Dr. Carlisle Cullen, the patriarch of the Cullen clan, still finds the frenzy daunting.
“There’s not many movies — I can’t even think of five — that people would camp out for,” Facinelli, 36, said. “I feel very fortunate to be a part of something like that. Not many actors can say that.”
Facinelli — who has three daughters and is married to “Beverly Hills, 90210” alum Jennie Garth — grew up in New York City. He began his acting career 15 years ago with bit parts in TV shows, then burst onto the scene in the film “Can’t Hardly Wait.”
“Things were different then,” Facinelli said. “We were young, and, in this movie, teens were watching, but there wasn’t paparazzi out taking all of our pictures.”
He went on to star in Fox’s short-lived series “Fastlane” and appeared in the HBO series “Six Feet Under” and FX’s “Damages.” When his agents approached him about taking a role in a “vampire movie,” Facinelli was hesitant.
“I was like, ‘Um, no,’ ” Facinelli recalled.
“I was proud of my roles up to that point. I was thinking a gory, B slasher movie. You know, vampires in caves who turn into bats. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.
“But I read the first book and I couldn’t put it down. If I could have made myself a vampire, I would have. That’s how much I wanted the role.”
Career now in overdrive
Luckily, no skin was punctured in his casting for the part. Now two films into the saga, Facinelli has seen his life — and career — go into overdrive.
“I’m a lot busier,” Facinelli said. “I’m traveling a lot more.
“And I’m meeting a lot more people. I’ve been acting for 15 years, so I’ve sort of always had a fan base. But this is a whole other level of fans. They’re die-hard.”
In between his “medical” commitments — aside from playing bloodsucking Dr. Cullen in the “Twilight” saga, he plays a doctor on Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie” — Facinelli is communicating with fans.
He can usually be spotted using his iPhone, blasting tweets to his million-plus followers on a daily — if not hourly — basis.
“It’s my way of having control over what people know about me,” Facinelli said.
It’s a savvy attempt to combat the hysteria. While his young “Twilight” co-stars grapple with the media whirlwind attached to the vampire saga’s success, a slightly older Facinelli has a different outlook.
“It is easier for me to deal with now,” he said. “I can’t compare to Rob (Pattinson) and Kristen (Stewart), because I’m not with them on a day-to-day basis. But I can say that for me, when I was 23 or 24, I wouldn’t have been able to handle this level of success.
“Being put under a microscope, I wouldn’t have been able to process it. As you get older, you constantly try to find yourself, and in my early 20s, I didn’t have a full sense of me. But now, I’ve been with me for a lot longer.”
As the thirst for all things “Twilight” continues, Facinelli is having fun with the brand. He recently launched Vampire Transformer, an iPhone application (also compatible with the iPod touch) that allows users to morph anyone into a vampire.
“This is what I spend my days doing,” he said, browsing through his vampire gallery featuring images of his “bitten” daughters and wife. “Any time I have a free moment.”
Those free moments are becoming increasingly rare, but that’s OK. “I’m enjoying this while it lasts,” he said. ” ‘Twilight’ is another gig for me, and I’ll move on and do other gigs. And, hopefully, the fans will come out and watch those too.”
