Interview by Lori Bizzoco. Written by Rebecca White.
James Tupper is famously known for his roles on shows like the ABC series Men in Trees and the NBC medical drama Mercy. Most recently, he has played David Clarke on ABC’s Revenge. After a month-long hiatus, season four is coming back on Sunday, Mar. 8, so buckle your seat belts for some unexpected twists and turns! In our exclusive celebrity interview, Tupper opens up about his relationship and love with Dig star, Anne Heche, his family life, and his role on Revenge.
James Tupper Shares His Celebrity Love Story and Gives Relationship Advice
It was love at first sight for Tupper and his longtime partner Heche. The celebrity couple met when they worked together on Men in Trees, but it wasn’t as easy as you may think. Both stars were married at the time, and although he says that their marriages were dysfunctional, they didn’t act on their attraction for each other. “Being married made it a lot worse because, for eight months, we didn’t come together,” the actor reveals. “But we had this incredible abiding friendship and, out of that loyalty, grew love.”
The famous couple isn’t married yet, but they do remain eternally engaged. “One of the really fun things we do is every year I ask Anne to marry me. She always says yes, and then we just never pick a date,” he says with a laugh.
The Hollywood couple have been happily together for almost eight years and have son Atlas together as well as Heche’s son Homer from her previous marriage to cameraman Coleman “Coley” Laffoon. They plan to celebrate Atlas’s sixth birthday and Homer’s thirteenth birthday this weekend in Beverly Hills with close family and friends. “We’re renting a hotel room in Los Angeles and an adjacent hotel room,” the actor shares. “Homer is going to have his best buds come, and then Atlas and his best friend’s family are renting a room beside us. Our cousins and nephews are all going to come, and we’re going to hang out by the pool and celebrate.”
Related Link: ‘Revenge’ Star Josh Bowman Says People Shouldn’t Care About His Personal Life
You may be wondering how the duo juggles their busy careers with a grounded family life, and you wouldn’t be alone. Tupper reveals that it’s essential to go after your passions. “Follow your dreams. Just do something little every day that makes you feel full,” the star advises. “Anne and I are both people that do that, and when we come home at the end of the day, there’s a feeling of fullness, and it makes our partnership stronger.”
Doing something that you love and really care about is some of the best dating and relationship advice you can receive. This is especially true when you’re in a celebrity relationship with a lot of pressure and scrutiny. “People who are pursuing what they love are providing nourishment for their relationship,” the actor adds.
James Tupper Talks Behind-the-Scenes of Revenge in Exclusive Celebrity Interview
Although Tupper couldn’t give us any information on the upcoming episodes during our exclusive celebrity interview (no spoiler alerts here!), he did share a behind-the-scenes secret for fans of the show. As you may know, costars Emily VanCamp, who plays Emily Thorne, and Joshua Bowman, who played Daniel Grayson, are a real life celebrity couple. Although Bowman’s character was tragically killed off earlier this season, he still visits the set to see his girlfriend and provide laughs for the cast and crew. “Just the other day, he came to set,” Tupper divulges. “Me, Emily and Nolan Ross were having a scene, and behind us was this large yard. During the scene, he wandered through it, and everybody started busting up laughing. He was like, ‘I’m still alive!’”
Related Link: Rumor: Are ‘Revenge’ Co-Stars Emily VanCamp and Josh Bowman Dating?
Obviously, the cast and crew enjoy their time together, but as avid viewers of the series know, the show is not always fun and games. Tupper’s character was actually presumed to be dead for the first few seasons. The drama only recently revealed that he was alive, providing one of the biggest shockers of the entire series. “Revenge is the only show I’ve ever worked on where, as soon as I get the script, I go right to the last two pages to see if my character is still talking,” he says with a laugh.
You may have been surprised to find out that David was still alive, but the writers have actually been planning that since the beginning of the show; they just didn’t know when it was going to happen. “In the history of television, it’s the longest introduction to any character,” the actor shares. “I would turn the show on during the second or third season, and in every scene, they’d be saying, ‘David Clarke wouldn’t have wanted that.’ I was like, ‘That’s crazy — this power that’s built around his memory.'”
Tupper says the cast and crew hope to continue for many more seasons. When asked how they keep coming up with story lines for these characters, he says he’s wondered the same thing! The writers have assured him that they aren’t done yet and have much more up their sleeves. It sounds like season five is just around the corner — stay tuned!
You can keep up with James on Twitter @MrJamesTupper. Tune in for Revenge this Sunday, Mar. 8 at 10/9c on ABC!
