He was all of 14 years old when he made his mark in the movie industry as the lead character in Lord of the Flies, but even before that, his was a name that drew “oohs” and “aahs” from those who travel in upper-crust circles.
However, of late, Balthazar Getty is more likely to illicit tut-tuts of disapproval, following his highly-publicised affair with notorious husband-pilferer, Sienna Miller.
While between interviews at this year’s Rome Fiction Festival, the heir to the Getty oil fortune was often seen sneaking off to a secluded corner, where he’d engage in furtive cellphone conversation.
True to our fairer-sex sentiments, the female journalists assumed the actor was sharing sweet nothings with his wife of eight years, Rosetta Millington.
But shortly after the festival closed, those shocking snaps of Getty and his new lover canoodling along Italy’s Amalfi coast were released, so we now know it’s probably Miller he was chatting to at the time.
Not that we blame her for wanting to hook her claws into the millionaire father-of-four. The screen simply does not do the man justice: When first introduced to Getty, I am pleasantly surprised to see that he sports a full head of salt-and-pepper hair, complete with that confident, nonchalant attitude of those born into a life of wealth and privilege.
Even more astonishing is how completely unaffected he remains by his social standing in life. As he puts it: “It’s always been a part of my life, so for me, it’s probably as normal as it is for you to be a part of your family.”
It’s ironic that Getty has chosen to turn his back on his wife (despite describing his home life as “close”), when one considers that his Brothers & Sisters character is exceedingly family orientated. So much so, Tommy Walker even breaks off his affair with Lena when his wife, Elizabeth walks out, because he can’t bear the thought of following in his cheating father’s footsteps!
What was it, then, that drew Getty to Tommy?
“I was looking for something character-driven after Alias, where I wasn’t pushing the story,” he said.
“Obviously, any actor would be lying if they said working on a TV show didn’t get tedious at times, but it’s a belief in the material that keeps you inspired and keeps you going.”
That said, when he first read the script Getty believed the producers would want him to play the part of Justin, given that his personal battle with booze and drugs would certainly afford him a clear insight into that character (Getty was an alcoholic at 14 and a fully-fledged heroin junkie by 17 - an addiction he battled for six years).
Regarding that dark period in his life, the actor explained: “I don’t have any regrets … That’s the thing with addiction: you either feel as though you’re done, or you don’t and I just felt done.”
Although there are some persistent rumours doing the rounds that his decision to hook-up with Miller is linked to a binge-boozing relapse …
As it turns out, the television network executives were set on a younger-looking actor to take on Justin, so the role went to Getty’s (now) good pal, Dave Annable instead.
Still, that shouldn’t stop him from offering Annable a pointer or two on how to affect the “druggie” attitude.
“Nooooo,” roared the laughing Getty at such a suggestion . “I’ve never given Dave any advice on how to look f*&#ed-up. He does that all by himself.”