Kerr Smith Just One of the Guys

Dawson's Creek actor Kerr Smith reveals that--sex symbol or not--a TV star is a regular person, too.

What if TV stars were as down-to-earth as you and me? Sometimes they are. Kerr Smith, who plays Jack McPhee on the popular TV show Dawson's Creek, doesn't think he's sexy, usually hates his hair, doesn't have time for regular gym visits, loves chocolate chip mint ice cream "that is the right shade of green" and wants to lose 10 pounds. "I hate having to do 20 minutes of sit-ups a day and dieting is really tough for me," says the six-foot star, who bared it all on a recent episode. Luckily, Smith exercises well enough to display his washboard abs and other body parts on the runaway hit series.

Born and raised outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, acting was not Smith's first career choice. "I was going to be an accountant," says Smith, who received a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Vermont and still enjoys playing the stock market. "However, the idea of crunching numbers behind a desk eight hours a day just didn't excite me," he says.

What did excite him was acting, and now he's putting in 12-hour days on the Dawson's Creek set in Wilmington, North Carolina. "It's difficult to get in a good workout more than four days out of the week," admits the actor, whose average weight is 175 pounds. "I've tried it all--five-day sessions with two days of rest, four-day workouts with one day of rest--everything. I think what works best for me is going in there and working on whatever I feel like that day for 90 minutes. My body responds better with two or three days a rest per week."

Indeed, Smith is knowledgeable about his body's needs. "I've been lifting weights for about ten years now," says the former "tall and scrawny" actor who began weight training in the 10th grade to build muscle and never quit. "Now it's pretty much maintenance--just trying to keep what I've built up over the years," he says. With a pat routine of chest, back, arms, shoulders and legs, Smith does high reps with lower weights. "I rest only about 45 seconds between each set, so it's a very aerobic type of workout that keeps me cut, too," Smith explains. In addition, he incorporates 30-minute runs three days a week. While Smith admits to a rigorous routine for his abdominals, he says, "I've always been OK with my arms. They've been a good size and haven't required much work."

Possessed by a competitive nature which propelled him to engage in sports, Smith downplays his athletic prowess. "I was your average athlete--nothing great, but I had fun with it." Even with nine years of baseball and soccer and five years of lacrosse, Smith admits to having one true love. "Skiing is my favorite sport. It's the one I really adore," he says. In fact, the combination of his love for the sport and Vermont's ideal conditions inspired Smith to join the ski patrol in Stowe, Vermont. "I played sports my whole life, but I think I played because it was something I did with my friends," he says. "However, it bred a competitiveness in me which helps in my career now."

"If anyone asked me what show I'd like to be on when I moved to Los Angeles from New York (where he was working on daytime TV's As the World Turns), I would've said Dawson's Creek or Party of Five. But I blew the Party of Five audition," he says. Luckily, he didn't blow the Dawson's Creek audition. By now, everyone knows Jack, the guy who stole Dawson's girl. In reality, Smith has his own girl, actress Ali Hillis from North Carolina. The two share a Venice, California beachfront apartment where you can find healthy fare. "I like to cook fish and chicken dishes, but I don't have any recipes. I take a piece of tuna or salmon and throw whatever is in the cabinet on top, but it will always have Old Bay. It's a staple in my kitchen," he says. Other Smith staples include tuna fish "right out of the can," orange juice, fresh fruits, low fat dairy foods such as cream cheese and milk, plus supplements such as vitamins [B.sub.12] and C.

Snacks? "Well, I do try to stick to fresh fruits and vegetables, but I love chocolate and ice cream, so sometimes I'll deviate a bit and give in," he says. "It's hard to be really disciplined. I'm only human."

What Smith and Hillis do not share are their workout strategies. "We have worked out together, but I'm one of those guys who likes to do it alone. When I work out with her, I can't concentrate," he says, laughing.

Ironically, with a head for numbers and a body for sin, Smith doesn't keep a written tally of calories or fat grams. "I try to keep a running mental count of my daily fat intake, but I know my body will expend 3,000 calories in an average day," he says. "When I'm trying to lose some weight, I'll cut back to 2,000 calories. I know my body and how it runs."

Given the show's reputation for featuring "hunks," Smith may surprise people by being anything but a stereotypical sex symbol. He taught himself the piano (which he still plays) 12 years ago, started a business marketing firm with his financial analyst father after college, and is writing a screenplay about a college experience. He wants to get out of Hollywood soon and move to a ranch in Utah with Hillis and his boxer dog, Maxine, but that's probably after he's done shaking things up on Dawson's Creek. "Yeah, I'm here for another five seasons as far as I know," Smith says. "I'm happy with my part and the show itself. We're not your superteens, we're everyday people--and I'm comfortable with that."