ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, May 20, 1996 TAG: 9605210037
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: HARRIET WINSLOW THE WASHINGTON POST
Antonio Sabato Jr., 24, loves America. ``I don't take for granted living here,'' he said. ``I respect this country.''
A modern-day immigrant, Sabato left Rome when he was 12 and moved to New York with his parents and sister. He then scrambled to learn English and erased any trace of an Italian accent.
``I used to watch a lot of TV and read out loud. And I went to ESL (English as Second Language) classes. Basically I had to go to the first, second and third ESL classes to make it to English class.''
Instead of college, he chose an acting career and continues to take lessons in Los Angeles, where he lives.
Until last month, he was perhaps most recognizable for his role of ``Melrose Place's'' Jack Parezi, Amanda's (Heather Locklear) thug of a husband.
But on April 30, a 90-foot-high Calvin Klein billboard was unveiled over New York's Times Square. On it, the toned actor poses in skimpy bikini briefs.
But he never aspired to model, only to act.
Before ``Melrose,'' Sabato had roles on ABC's daytime soap ``General Hospital'' and NBC's brief sci-fi series ``Earth 2,'' and as one of Janet Jackson's models performing beach calisthenics on her ``Love Will Never Do Without You'' video.
Monday night on NBC (at 9 on WSLS-Channel 10), Sabato stars in ``Thrill,'' a movie about a widower who tries to stop a saboteur from wrecking the widower's family's theme-park ride. The film climaxes when Sabato must save his daughter and everyone else on board before the terrorist's plans come to fruition.
He had a stuntman for a lot of ``Thrill's'' maneuvers but still had to ride a roller coaster as many as 40 times a day.
``I lost count,'' he said, but he never got nauseated. ``When I have to do what I have to do, I'm pretty into it.''
The ``Thrill'' ride was filmed using a Santa Cruz, Calif., roller coaster.
``It's an older ride, made out of wood in the Twenties. Built in about 75 days. It's 80 feet tall with a big drop of 70 feet, and it overlooks the water,'' he said, not that he was admiring the view while riding it. ``You don't want to look anywhere else but down.''
Pleased as he says he is to live here, Sabato went back to Italy last fall to make an Italian miniseries called ``Padre Pappa.''
``I loved it so much - I practically adopted the young actor who plays my son for those 10 weeks.''
But Sabato already has a son, Jack, 11/2. There is, however, no Mrs. Antonio Sabato Jr., but he shares custody of his son with Jack's mother, actress Virginia Madsen.
He said he would love to maintain a two-country acting career. ``I'm able to change [acting roles] a lot. Otherwise I get bored.''
If Sabato sounds at once aloof and overly serious about his profession, it may be because his budding success hasn't been handed to him, despite his physical assets.
It took a couple of tries to land his breakthrough role as Jagger on ``General Hospital.'' He had been called back after a first audition but didn't land the role until two years later at a second one. ABC credits his presence for a tremendous ratings gain.
``I know some people won't talk about their soap roles, but I loved being on that show,'' he said. ``I'm serious about the work.''
He is also sensitive.
After ``Earth 2'' failed, Sabato was mightily discouraged. ``It was an experience that I gave my heart to. And when you work on a series for nine months through cold, heat, wind - you name it - and it turns out not to work.
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Antonio Sabato Jr. and Stepfanie Kramer star inby CNB``Thrill,'' airing Monday night at 9 on WSLS-Channel 10.