Man out of time

FORWARD INTO THE PAST “Future Peter” (Ventimiglia) attempts to manipulate history on Heroes.

Milo Ventimiglia is a grown-up. Who knew? The world can be forgiven for forgetting; as Peter Petrelli in the current season of Heroes, he manages to play both the most massively powerful superhero on the planet and a punk little brother at the same time.

Ventimiglia’s lithe frame lends itself to characters with some growing up to do, including Jess Mariano, a smart-ass romantic foil on the WB dramedy Gilmore Girls, and the pugilist’s progeny in Rocky Balboa. He dates 19-year-old actress Hayden Panettiere, digs skateboarding and sports a sexy, insouciant droop in his lip. No one would ever expect this guy to get into an R-rated movie, much less a bar, without showing ID.

But in person, perched on a sofa in the Soho Grand lobby in New York and ignoring the lunch spread before him, the 31-year-old Ventimiglia is confidently, unmistakably adult. He’s less boyish, radiating maturity in a pressed white shirt and cuff links. Volunteering that he “can’t wait to get back to the office,” he looks more investment banker than TV star (though try finding anyone this calm at Goldman Sachs). A party animal? Hardly. “I sit in my office and worry about production things,” says the budding businessman of his extra hours. His idea of “free time” is the few hours of sleep he gets per night. Woo-hoo.

“The business side of things is so much more fascinating for me,” says Ventimiglia solemnly. “It’s how deals are orchestrated, how they’re put together, how crews are assembled, the smoke and mirrors. It’s kind of looking behind the curtain at Oz.” To that end, he’s directed a series of comedy shorts that ran on MTV and heads up production company Divide Pictures.

Still, Ventimiglia’s not ready to give up his lucrative day job just yet. Acting onscreen since appearing in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1995, the L.A. native is confident but realistic about his place on the Hollywood totem pole. “I don’t think I’m as naturally talented as some people out there, but I work pretty fuckin’ hard,” he says.

For just that reason, Ventimiglia isn’t looking to pull a Sly Stallone by directing himself. “I think, as a director, I could find an actor better than me to play a part,” he reasons. He’s most enthused by how his acting has given him the know-how to sit atop the director or producer’s perch. “I know how hard it is to come up with something as an actor, but also how easy it is to just fucking learn your lines.… Not to sound like the police, but I know when someone’s fakin’ it. ’Cause I know when I fake it.”

There’s a lot of faking it on the Heroes set, but not the lazy kind. “I show up and do the cool superhero shit,” says Ventimiglia of the special-effects fest. Peter, a hospice nurse–turned–world saver, picks up any superpower in the room like a nasty flu, so Ventimiglia spends his days pretending to stop time, fly, turn invisible and, on occasion, explode.

It’s a patchwork of magical talents that baffles even him when fans approach to discuss the logistics of Peter’s mutations (if Peter comes in contact with Sylar, does he absorb all of Sylar’s abilities or just the guy’s ability to learn new abilities?!?). It leaves him to employ what he calls the “distract and walk out” method: “I just say, ‘Guys, I don’t write the show. Register any and all complaints with producers. Nice to meet you. Like your shirt!’”

Ventimiglia doesn’t dismiss his fans’ involvement; he tips his hat to the sci-fi die-hards. He was exposed to the power of inspirational fandom when filming Balboa in Philadelphia, where Rocky is next to godliness. “If you can truly give back to the community through your art, who wouldn’t want to do that?” he says.

That, he claims, and not the fame or indulgent lifestyle, is why he works in the industry. Still, dating a teenage starlet has certainly given him heaps of additional exposure. “There’s nothing I, or anyone, can do about it,” he says with the world-weariness of a veteran star-dater (he was paired with Gilmore costar Alexis Bledel for three-and-a-half years). “You have to be careful to not give up too much of your personal life.”

Not that there’s much of a life to scrutinize. “TV is like school, honest to God,” says the actor. “You get two months off for summer vacation, and masochists like myself decide to work.” This year Ventimiglia banged out a few movies (Game, with Gerard Butler, is out next year) and did a USO tour in Iraq, and is now back on the Heroes set full time. He’s doing the “superhero shit” with an ensemble he raves about, and there’s little he’d change, save one thing. “I miss getting to smile,” he says. “Peter doesn’t smile too much.” Neither does Ventimiglia, but fortunately, serious suits him.

Ogle Ventimiglia on Heroes, Mondays at 8pm on NBC.