Just a couple hours ago, I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with Matthew Atkinson from ABC's new show premiering January 3, 2012, Jane By Design. There were no awkward pauses or luls of silence, as he is quite charming when it comes to conversation and boy did he have great stories to tell! We talked about everything from growing up in the south to health and fitness. Matthew seems to be very collected and unafraid to completely be himself. One thing that really stood out to me was when he said "I hate fear or being scared of something, once I'm aware of it, I go out and try to do whatever it is as soon as possible to get it out of the way." This told me very loud and clear that he is ambitious about life, takes no prisoners and is passionate and forthcoming. He mentioned he likes to hike, camp, play acoustic guitar and hang with friends for a casual night out. As he reminiced on old times he told me a story about how he started out doing a play in 5th grade, he wanted to play clark but ended up getting the role of a slave and even though it was not the role he had intended on, he thouroughly enjoyed being involved in entertaining people and once he got his first laugh, he was hooked. We laughed about how every set he's been on the producers/directors and such are always wanting him to take his shirt off, and rightfully so, even though he had it on while we spoke (darn it!) you could clearly see that he takes care of himself. When asked if he counts calories, he said without a doubt "no." Matthew was a joy to speak with and reminded me of a friend from highschool with his warm smile and fun demeanor. I hope he gets everything he wants in life, as I know he will still remain grounded in his roots and true to his soul.
Chasing our dreams and fueling our passion,
Angela Stephens
