If you were a fan of the Reese Witherspoon flick “Sweet Home Alabama,” you probably found yourself swooning over her hunky love interest, Josh Lucas. Well, here’s your chance to not just meet, but also break bread with the actor, who has joined with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) as a judge for its “Reel Summer” video contest.
“When I was approached [by IHG] I thought, this is actually quite fascinating — that some really interesting talent could emerge in just the 15 seconds you have to make a video,” says Lucas.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the entries and getting to choose from the 25 films that the public votes for. And I look forward to that person coming to New York and our having an interesting discussion.”
And while the NYC-based actor and father (of Noah, almost 2) enjoys the “creativity of the city” — especially Red Hook, Brooklyn, where he rents a garden — he also “loves to get away from it entirely.” We asked Lucas — whose TV pilot, “The Mysteries of Laura,” with Debra Messing, bows this fall — about some of his favorite places to visit, where he’s dying to go and what he really thinks of Alabama.
I was born in Arkansas, but the place I loved growing up was near Charleston — Sullivan’s Island and the Isle of Palms. I found it a real struggle when we moved to Seattle, but now my mom lives on Vashon Island, a 20-minute ferry ride from the city. It’s almost exactly the size and shape of NYC, but with a population of just 10,000 — it’s remote, with lots of farms, and really beautiful.
What I love most about acting is how many different places I’ve gotten to see. One of the most memorable was South Island in New Zealand — I really experienced the power of nature there; its beauty and serenity were extraordinary, with mountains butting up right against ocean. It’s the greatest drive I’ve ever done, from top of South Island to the bottom.
Alabama has a remote, natural beauty; I recently made another movie there, and we rented a house outside of Huntsville, on a river. We shot in the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville; the city was kind of cool and urban — and even to some extent, liberal.
I’ve traveled in the East, but I’ve never been to Indonesia — everyone I know who’s gone to Bali says they never want to come back. And I’d love to check out Tahiti, too.
My favorite place is New York. Even though Clinton is here and Obama wants to move here — New York manages to retain a little bit of humility.