Believe it or not, Clueless turns 30 this July. (As if!)
Jeremy Sisto was a high school student himself a few years earlier in his film debut, 1991’s Grand Canyon, where he was “super-starstruck” alongside Kevin Kline, Steve Martin and more. But playing opposite Alicia Silverstone in the ’90s cult classic put Sisto on the map.
At the time, though, “It felt like a bit of a snag,” the actor, 50, exclusively shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “The other films I had done weren’t as successful as I’d hoped.” Clearly, he rallied, going on to play roles from the title character in 1999’s Italian miniseries Jesus (he met the pope but was “hung over”) to a former addict in 2003’s well-received Thirteen.
Sisto currently fights crime on the CBS smash FBI (Tuesdays, 8 p.m. ET). Ahead of a big episode for his character on Tuesday, February 4, a humble Sisto looks back on his Hollywood journey. “The path is basically made up of what I get offered,” he quips. “I don’t turn down a ton because they all seem fun and exciting, especially the part about them wanting me.”
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The high point of this line of work? “Getting to keep doing it,” he says. “Every offer is a high.”
Scroll down to revisit Sisto’s biggest TV and movie roles from over the years:
‘Clueless’ (1995)
At 21, Sisto reunited with Hideaway costar Silverstone, 48, for this coming-of-age hit. “We were leaning on each other, [figuring] out how to handle the pressure of being teenagers trying not to screw up big opportunities,” he shares. Why does he think Clueless resonated? “There’s a genuine sweetness at its core.”
‘Six Feet Under’ (2001 – 2005)
Snagging the part of the complex Billy Chenowith, who struggled with bipolar disorder, was a “gift” and “confidence booster,” Sisto says. “Every episode I was in, I’d think, [creator] Alan Ball wrote this scene believing I could pull it off.” He’s still in awe of the HBO drama’s series finale, considered one of the best of all time: “Every great show should end like that. It was perfect.”
‘Take Me Out’ (2004)
The actor hit a home run as a bigoted baseball player in this West Coast production, winning a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award. To play “small-minded, mean” Shane Mungitt, he tells Us, “I focused on getting into a defensive place, living with the assumption that everyone was against me.” He hopes to get back to the stage once his kids are older.
‘Law & Order’ (2007 – 2010)
Dun-dun: The NBC legal drama has been on the air since 1990, but Sisto admits he’d never seen an episode before his initial audition — because he didn’t own a TV! “I did an episode as a lawyer before joining as the detective, just to get the feel of the show,” he recalls, “and I showed up having learned all of Sam Waterston’s lines. Wrong lawyer, whoops!” His run as Detective Cyrus Lupo spanned 60+ episodes.
‘Suburgatory’ (2011 – 2014)
He played single dad George Altman on the ABC sitcom, and “it was the perfect time in my life to be doing a comedy, having young kids and all,” notes Sisto. (He shares two children — daughter Charlie, 15, and son Bastian, 12 — with his wife, Addie Lane.) He and Jane Levy, a.k.a. onscreen daughter Tessa, “hit it off right away.”
‘Break Point’ (2014)
Sisto served up his first flick as writer, about tennis-playing brothers, collaborating with opponent on the courts Gene Hong. “We loved sports comedies and wanted to see an irreverent character wreaking havoc in that country-club world,” he tells Us about the film, which also starred David Walton, J.K. Simmons and Amy Smart. Even Sisto’s game improved, thanks to postproduction magic: “I didn’t realize I [could] speed up my swing time!”
‘FBI’ (2018 – Present)
Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine faces a moment of truth on the show’s February 4 episode. (If we got an earpiece like his, maybe Sisto could whisper the episode’s top-secret details?) Portraying the “jabbering” Fed in Dick Wolf’s police procedural is “fun,” he says. “I like his playfulness and his commitment to keeping the energy flowing in an investigation.”
With reporting by Andrea Simpson
