Seth Gabel may have swapped the Atlantic Ocean for the Pacific when he left his hometown of Hollywood, Florida, for the Hollywood Hills (with a stop in New York in between), but as long as he could follow his passion, he was happy to move “wherever it took me.” Conveniently, it was to the Westside, a place of “creative relaxation,” as he calls it, and “not too far from the beach.” Married to actress Bryce Dallas Howard (daughter of Ron) and the father of two young children, the 33-year-old actor known for his roles on Fringe, Nip/Tuck, Dirty Sexy Money and now WGN America’s Salem has it all and then some. The talented performer had us in stitches as he reminisced about his journey from Hollywood to, well, Hollywood.
Josh Gad is responsible for your career as an actor, right?
Well, let’s not give him too much credit! Yes, though, it’s true. I’ve been friends with Josh since we were both in kindergarten together. He was a performer even then, and I was just a shy little kid. When we were 11, he brought me with him to a summer acting day camp just to try it out. I fell in love—not with him, but with acting.
He’s also the godfather to your children. What do they think about having Olaf as an honorary family member?
My son has met a lot of celebrities and has known Josh since he was born, but after Josh invited him to a screening of Frozen and hung out with him after, my son was incredibly starstruck. He had Josh sign the butt of his Olaf doll.
As my grandmother is well aware, I’ve done many outrageous things in my career. I’ve killed countless people, peed in a soap dispenser, made sweet love to my mom (who turned out to be a man), pissed on Shane West and pissed off Donald Sutherland. Not to mention the many naked sex scenes. What was the question again?
One of your first roles was as the “sweet young sailor” on Sex and the City. What do you remember about that?
That was one of my first jobs and first auditions. Originally the role was dubbed “hot young sailor” in their fleet-week episode, so I felt offended when they changed it to “sweet.”
Your real last name is Cosentino. Why did you change it?
It was the name given to me by my adoptive stepfather, whom I love. He agreed, though, when I went to NYU, that it might be best for an Aryan-looking Polish Jew like myself not to have an Italian last name. Gabel was my grandmother’s maiden name, and, growing up, I heard many stories about my great-uncle Martin Gabel, who endured being disowned by his father to become an actor and ultimately succeed in the business.
Your character on Salem once had a scene where you had to go to the bathroom on Shane West’s character. Is that the most outrageous thing you’ve done on screen?
As my grandmother is well aware, I’ve done many outrageous things in my career. I’ve killed countless people, peed in a soap dispenser, made sweet love to my mom (who turned out to be a man), pissed on Shane West and pissed off Donald Sutherland. Not to mention the many naked sex scenes. What was the question again?
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Balancing Meals
“Breakfast at Gjelina in Venice (1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd., 310.450.1429). For lunch, Pho Cafe in Silver Lake (2841 W. Sunset Blvd., 213.413.0888), Guisados for tacos in downtown L.A. (541 S. Spring St., 213.627.7656) or Sunny Blue for their omusubi (Japanese rice balls) near Venice (2728 Main St., Santa Monica, 310.399.9030). The kids are easy and love The Counter in Santa Monica (2901 Ocean Park Blvd., 310.399.8383.”
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Painting the Town
“I love going with the kids to Paint:Lab, where you can paint and draw for hours (1453 14th St., Santa Monica, 310.450.9200). I also love walking Main Street and Abbot Kinney in Venice. ZenBunni chocolate is extraordinary (1629 Abbot Kinney Blvd., 424.238.3388). We also enjoy The Museum of Jurassic Technology (p. 82) or The Magic Castle (7001 Franklin Ave., Hollywood, 323.851.3313).”
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Prime Time
“The IAMA Theatre Company (6320 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., 323.962.1632) and The Lost Nomads are my personal faves for theater and improv. For dinner, go to Cut in Beverly Hills and get the Japanese wagyu beef (9500 Wilshire Blvd., 310.276.8500). It will cost about as much as a small mortgage or a car payment, but, trust me, it’s worth it.”