JESSE McCartney, a kid from Westchester, never figured he’d become a pop star – before his movie career took off.
The former boy-bander is currently touring to promote his latest album, “Departure,” but is suddenly turning up all over TV – from “Law & Order: SVU” to an upcoming story arc on ABC Family’s “Greek.”
“I always saw myself in my 20s working in film. I saw myself as more of an actor than a musician,” says the top-selling pop star who has been appearing on TV since he was a kid (in a recurring role on “All My Children”).
“It just kind of happened this way that the music took off a little bit quicker than the acting, and I just went with it.
Now he is poised to jump into movies, starring next spring in “The Last Airbender,” a film adaptation from M. Night Shyamalan of the Emmy-winning animated Nickelodeon show that is slated to hit theaters in 2010.
“At this point, I really put myself under a lot of pressure to keep the two balanced because I don’t want the acting thing to go away,” he says. “I’ve got a lot more to show for myself in the acting world.”
He says he sees himself more as an entertainer than as a singer who acts or as an actor who sings. “I started in theater. I was always doing both. When I was 12, I was in ‘A Christmas Carol’ with Roger Daltry before I even knew who he was. I remember thinking about how cool I thought the show was, it was a perfect mix of acting and singing.”
McCartney has provided the voices for characters in several animated films, including “Horton Hears a Who” and the Disney video release, “Tinkerbell,” he says that he hopes his future roles will be much darker.
“I’m drawn towards the more dramatic, darker roles,” he says. “Those have always been the kind of scripts I enjoy the most.” McCartney cites the new Shyamalan, martial arts movie as an example.
“Film is definitely where I want to be eventually,” he says.
But, for now, his next major acting role will be on “Greek,” a light comedy about college kids. When his six episodes air in March, McCartney will be seen playing a popular freshman who is heavily recruited by different fraternities.
“It’s two totally different social groups,” he says. “I’ve made some really good friends on the show and some of these guys are really funny, and I think you’ll probably see some of them in film really soon.”