The lights of Hollywood will be shining in Morris next week, as movie star Colin Egglesfield makes an appearance at the Orpheum Cinema for the Morris premier of his new movie, “Something Borrowed.”
The movie stars Egglesfield, Kate Hudson, and Ginnifer Goodwin, and is based on the popular book series by author Emily Giffin.
Egglesfield is the son of Morris obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Bill Egglesfield, who practices at Toussaint Obstetrics and Gynocology, and former Morris therapist Kathleen Egglesfield.
He said he is excited to be coming to Morris for the premiere here.
It will be on the heels of his L.A. premiere of the movie and the Chicago premiere, which is the day before. Egglesfield, who travels to Morris often to visit his parents, said he loves the little town.
“I think it’s a great community,” he said. “It has real people and a great sense of family. . . I’ve even been to the Corn Festival. It was a lot of fun.”
Egglesfield will sign autographs at a meet-and-greet after the movie at The Pub inside the Quality Inn. Proceeds will go to Grundy Community Volunteer Hospice.
His parents say they are excited to see their son and go to the premieres.
“He has maintained his Midwestern ethics,” Egglesfield’s father said. “He treats everybody with respect, like we taught him.”
Dr. Egglesfield said that, when his son starred on the soap “All My Children,” in the role of Josh, people wouldn’t call him Dr. Egglesfield. He was “Josh’s dad.”
“I think it’s surreal,” his mother said of his career. “It’s nothing I would have predicted when he was young. He was a shy little boy, very quiet and studious. He liked model airplanes and sports.”
Kathleen said she used to love watching him when he was on the soap, because she would get to see him several times a week.
Colin Egglesfield was in the spotlight long before making movies. His 180-episode role as Dr. Joshua Madden on “All My Children” and his character Auggie Kirkpatrick on the short-lived “Melrose Place” were TV favorites.
He’s also had roles in the television series Hawaii Five-O, Brothers and Sisters, and Nip/Tuck, as well as in the movies “Beautiful Dreamer,” “Vampires: The Turning,” “The AuPairs,” and “Must Love Dogs,” among others.
He has a Hallmark movie, called “Carnal Innocence,” coming out in May.
But Egglesfield didn’t always have a Hollywood career as a goal. In fact, he began following his father’s footsteps to become a physician, majoring in biology as a pre-med undergraduate at the University of Iowa. Just before graduation, he heard a radio spot about a talent search for models. He thought he’d check it out.
“I always knew I wanted to travel and see the world,” he said. “I love different cultures. My mom is from Ireland, and we’ve been there a few times. I thought it would be exciting. I never thought it would be a serious thing, though.”
But the modeling industry thought differently, and Egglesfield soon found himself working for some of the great designers in world-class cities. Over the next few years, he lived in Milan, Paris, Tokyo, London, and New York City, modeling for Versace, Calvin Klein, and Armani, among others.
“I always knew it wouldn’t last forever,” he said.
He began his film career in commercials, appearing on several, such as one for Folger’s coffee. Then he began getting small television roles. Law and Order SVU was one of the first.
“I took acting classes and just watched interviews of different actors I admired,” he said. “I became a student of what it takes to be an actor.”
Egglesfield said he loves being an actor, but it can be difficult going on multiple auditions and not getting the parts. Even getting a role, he said, is tough when it’s over because it can be months before the next job.
“I love being an actor,” he said. “I absolutely love it. When I’m working.”
Egglesfield said he plays the character of Dexter Taylor in “Something Borrowed.” The movie is a romantic drama that asks the question, “Do you risk hurting others for true love?”
In the movie, Dexter tries to date a young woman to whom he is very attracted, but she is shy about accepting his advances, so he starts dating her best friend (Kate Hudson), to whom he eventually becomes engaged. Then, just before the wedding, Dex realizes he might have made a mistake.
Egglesfield said Kate Hudson was very professional on the set, never arriving late and always knowing her lines and just what was going on. She enjoyed working with the director, too, to get the scenes the best they could be.
“She’s cool,” he said of Hudson. “When she’s working, she’s very serious about what she’s doing. She really thinks about the scenes.”
