The ‘That Thing You Do’ actor, who is starring in season 2 of the series ‘Blue Ridge’, shares why he stays fit
Credit: Clutch Pockets Wambli/Shutterstock; Courtesy of Johnathon Schaech
NEED TO KNOW
- Johnathon Schaech first gained attention for his shirtless pool scene with Winona Ryder in How to Make an American Quilt
- The actor is now 56 and continues to stay fit with daily workouts and a strict diet
- Schaech recently won a bodybuilding contest in the 50+ category
Johnathon Schaech knows his washboard abs were a contributing factor in his first big break more than 30 years ago — and he’s OK with that.
“The role that put me on the map was when I came out of the pool with my shirt off, with Winona Ryder in How to Make an American Quilt,” says the actor, of the 1995 film, which also starred Maya Angelou and Anne Bancroft. “I’ve always done good films with high-end actors. But I’ve always known I’m the guy who’s asked to take my shirt off. I’m that guy.”
Credit: Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
Now 56, Schaech, who went on to star in the 1995 Tom Hanks film That Thing You Do, says it’s more challenging to stay fit enough to go shirtless — but he’s up for the task. “I’m very strict with my diet. I work out every single day, upper body, shoulders, chest, biceps legs. And every day I do 20 minutes of cardio on an incline whether my lower back is killing me or not.”
Schaech kicked his routine up a notch when playing sheriff (and former Green Beret) Justin Wise in his INSP series Blue Ridge (season 1 is streaming on Amazon). “He has to be physically imposing,” Schaech says of his character. “When you look at him, you’re like, ‘Oh, I should not mess with that guy.’ ”
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When one of the writers proposed a Rocky-esque montage with Schaech’s character working out (sans shirt) in an episode in the second season of the series (which premieres July 19 on INSP, streaming later on Amazon), Schaech knew he’d have to be especially disciplined. “I worked out like a bodybuilder.”
That was something he learned three years ago when, on a whim between seasons while waiting out the Hollywood writers’ strike, he entered a bodybuilding contest near his home in Franklin, Tenn.— and won.
Credit: Courtesy of Johnathon Schaech (2)
“It was on my bucket list,” he says of the contest, in which he took first place in the 50+ category after training with his friend (and former Mr. Universe) bodybuilder Mike O’Hearn. When he won the competition, “my kids were so excited. I was elated.”
Staying fit has long been a way of staying on the right path for Schaech, who went down a dark road of addiction after being sexually abused as a young actor.
“Lifting weights is like a meditation for me,” he says. “If I don’t get in the gym, my brain sort of takes over and becomes obsessive and compulsive. The gym calms me. It centers me. It actually puts my brain back in place.”
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And staying in shape is key as the dad of two young kids, says Schaech, who shares son Camden, 12, and daughter Lily Jo, 5, with his wife Julie Solomon Schaech, a podcaster and business coach.
Credit: Courtesy of Johnathon Schaech
“As soon as I had a child, I knew I had to be fit because I’m a little older,” Schaech says. “All the dads are a lot younger than me. When my little girl is 16, I’m gonna be in my 60s. I kept thinking, ‘How am I gonna beat that equation?’ Lifting heavy weights is good for the soul, because you’re doing something challenging and it’s good for the bones. Now I’m fit for fatherhood.”
His kids also inspired him to take on his Blue Ridge role, he says. “When the show was first brought as a show for family, I remember thinking, ‘That’s a good idea.’ It’s hard for me to watch most television because my kids walk in the room,” he says. “This show is like the old school police procedural, where you don’t have to worry about a graphic sex scene or gratuitous violence. The family could sit down and watch it. It’s like Yellowstone without the sex.”
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Schaech has also been busy reconnecting with his old That Thing You Do friend Hanks, who he says has been a support to him over the years, especially after he moved from Hollywood to Tennessee. “When I was going through tough times, he would travel out to see me,” he says. “Just check in, sit down with me. and have lunch with me.”
Credit: Johnathon Schaech/Instagram
Schaech just traveled to Australia to shoot a part in Hanks’ upcoming WWII film sequel Greyhound II. “It was incredible that he thought enough of me to bring me back,” Schaech says of Hanks.
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