Sexy Spy

Burn Notice‘s Jeffrey Donovan chats to TV WEEK about being a super-spy

Where do the Burn Notice writers get all their information about spies?
The head writer has contact with a certain operative in the field. I don’t know what agency he works for, whether it’s American or foreign. They go over stuff that will be practical and used in conducting cases. He’ll learn all that stuff and then apply it to the show. But there’s also a lot of stuff out there that you can read. I’ve read a few spy manuals and it’s really interesting what you can get your hands on at the library.

Do you ever try to follow people without them noticing or elude people who are following you?
Yeah, I’ve been doing that since before I got the show. [Laughs.] No, it definitely gives you a sense of how paranoid these people must be. One of the things I learned [about spies] is you can never make new friends unless you are the person who initiates it. All the people who come up to you, you can’t be friends with because you never know what their agenda is. But if you go up to someone, that’s OK. That limits a lot of social life. It’s a neat character but someone I wouldn’t want to be in real life.

As a celebrity, you’re kind of in the same situation, aren’t you? You have strange people wanting to come up and talk to you…

I was walking in Beverly Hills today and I was on the sidewalk going to my car. This woman was walking next to me and this man jumped out of an SUV in front of us. I thought I was going to get mugged, but he started taking photos and I looked at the woman and said, “Is he taking photos of you?” and she said, “No, he’s taking photos of you!” [Laughs.] So listen, I couldn’t tell if someone was following me. He could have shot me! I’m not used to being followed or spied on, and as far as being a celebrity goes, it’s not something I know firsthand about.

Do a lot of women introduce themselves to you?
When you’re in LA, people don’t approach you because it’s filled with actors and directors and wannabes. You’re really not approached by women or anybody. If you go to the Midwest or anywhere outside of New York or LA, they’re much more enamoured by you and people will come up and say they love the show and stuff like that. But I’m never really bothered, to be honest with you. And I like it that way. If I am bothered, it’s always, “I love your show.” It’s a real compliment to all of us. They don’t say, “Hey, I love you, Jeff Donovan.” They say, “I love your show.” That’s more important because I want to do other things down the road. I don’t want to be Magnum PI. I don’t want them saying, “Hey Michael Westen!” I’d rather just be seen as an actor in a really good show.

I suppose it’s preferable to be known for one character that everyone loved than not at all…
I agree. If it’s feast or famine, I’d rather pick feast, but James Gandolfini is forever going to be known as Tony Soprano. When he walks into a restaurant, it’s, “Hey Tony,” but it’s not. His name is James. I’d rather people just say, “I love your show” and forget who I am. [Laughs.]

Are you married? Single?
I have a girlfriend and she’s lovely.

How do you think she’ll cope with the increasing attention?
We don’t live together and we live outside of LA. No one knows who I am. No one bothers me or us, so it’s very infrequent that anybody has to worry about anything.

And of course, if they do, you know how to elude them….
Yes, I just call the writer and ask him, “How do I get out of this situation? Write a scene for me and then I’ll be able to get out of it.”

Finally, how do you feel about yoghurt?
[Laughs.] I love yoghurt, but I wouldn’t eat it as much as he [Michael] does!

Does Michael eat anything else?
I don’t know. I’ve never seen him eat anything else. We’ll see. He’ll have to change his diet. I don’t even know why that became such a fascination, but I just think it’s funny.