‘Burn Notice’ Star Is Smoking Hot

LOS ANGELES (TNA) – Considering Jeffrey Donovan appears on a show called "Burn Notice," maybe it makes sense that he was once fired.

Donovan, who stars on the USA series about a spy who has received an intelligence-community pink slip, says it was the only time he got sacked – unless you count canceled TV shows.

"It was back in college," Donovan recalls. "I was a camp counselor for kids and I was teaching acting. I took it too seriously. The counselor said, 'Oh, no, no, no, we’re just teaching these kids how to be a clown and to be an elephant and to pretend.' And I was talking about the Stanislavski Method!

"Nine-year-olds didn’t respond, and I was fired."

'Burn Notice' star Jeffrey Donovan

Today it’s fitting, in a counterintuitive way, that Donovan has cemented his own job security by portraying an out-of-work spy. USA Network has announced that "Burn Notice," whose season finale is Sept. 20, will be burning up the boob tube next year.

For the uninitiated, a burn notice is "the ultra-ultra pink slip."

Donovan explains: "'Burn notice' is an actual term used by the U.S. government agencies when spies are told they no longer are affiliated with the agency. And any asset –- whether it’s money, credit cards, a house in Paris, passport – has been taken away. They’re left with no money, no way to travel and no identity."

That’s precisely what happened to Donovan’s character, Michael Westen. Now he’s stuck in Miami, his hometown, with only a former partner (played by Bruce Campbell) and an IRA-trained ex-girlfriend (Gabrielle Anwar) willing to help him find who’s responsible for his sudden termination.

In the meantime, Michael uses his Special Ops skills to help those who can’t bring their problems to the police. After years of tangling with international terrorists and the like, who is better qualified to go up against kidnappers, mobsters and crooked cops?

What makes the show so addictive, though, is the wit and humor that’s overflowing from every caper. "Burn Notice" is edgy, but it’s not grim or disturbing. Michael is capable of being a stone-cold killer, but frankly, he’d rather outsmart his adversary than fight or shoot him. His clever schemes and ingenious homemade gadgets are sure to bring a smile.

"It’s a fine line that we walk every day," Donovan, 39, says of the premise. "How do we make a vicious knife fight funny? That’s a tough thing to do. And I think we’re trying either to create a new genre or revive a genre that has long since gone: a funny action-adventure on television."

Michael Westen is part Jim Rockford and part 'The Equalizer,' with a bit of 'MacGyver' mixed in. With Donovan capturing precisely the right vibe at the show’s center – he’s charming yet ruthless, likable yet terrifying – "Burn Notice" became one of the highlights of the summer, while Donovan has emerged as one of the most watchable performers on TV.

Donovan, however, modestly redirects much of the credit toward Matt Nix, the show's creator/writer/executive producer, and he’s all raves when it comes to his fellow actors.

"Their star power surrounds me," he says of the cast. "I just love that I get to swim in their pool. I’m in the shallow end and they’re in the deep end."

Sharon Gless, who plays Michael’s annoying, needy mother, is quick to set the record straight, though.

"This child, Jeffrey, is carrying this entire series," she says. "There is not one scene he is not in, and he more than holds his own. I'm a fan. He's fantastic. Don’t let him put himself down like that."

While many viewers first took notice of Donovan through "Burn Notice," he’s hardly new to showbiz.

He starred with Ashley Judd in "Come Early Morning." He had a memorable cameo in "Hitch" opposite Will Smith. His performance in the indie film "Sam and Joe" earned him Best Supporting Actor status at the Los Angeles Method Festival. And his performance as Det. David Creegan in USA’s "Touching Evil" in 2004 won him critical acclaim.

Donovan, born and raised in Massachusetts, was 16 when his acting career began in earnest.

"A wonderful mentor, who still mentors me to this day, said in an acting workshop, 'You might want to think about becoming an actor,'" he recalls. "I think it was the first time anyone had ever given me encouragement to find an actual career. That basically was my life-changing moment."

At the time, mind you, Donovan was this naïve about show business: "When I saw a horror film and the good guy kills the bad guy, I knew it wasn’t real. But then, when I would see photos of them together at the premiere, I would go, ‘I can’t believe that they’re still friends!'"
 
Since then, Donovan has absorbed the ins and outs of the business. But he’s still eager to learn.

"When you play a role, you do as much research as you can about the knowledge in a particular character’s head," he says. "Fortunately, and unfortunately, Michael Westen knows a little bit about everything on the planet [such as money-laundering, bomb-making and surveillance]. So I feel like I’ve gone to graduate school. It’s infinite what I’m going to learn doing this show."

Donovan even has a "Deep Throat"-type information source.

"I was able to get in touch with a government official, with no name, and I could have some e-mails with him, and he has been very helpful," the actor reveals. "But I didn’t get to shadow a real-life Michael Westen – I would be dead right now if I had!"

What’s both funny and frightening about that last comment, by the way, is that Donovan is only partly joking.