At the turn of the 21^st century, Hollywood was firmly under the spell of a little phenomenon called the Teen Movie. And unless you were under the age of eight (and/or living under a rock), you were probably familiar with the spiky hair and pursed lips of Shane West. He practically ruled the genre, churning out classics like Get Over It, Whatever It Takes, and, of course, A Walk To Remember. But at 34, West is all grown up with a starring role on The CW’s hit action series, Nikita. Read on to get his take on high school, the teen movie heyday, and aging in Hollywood.

What attracted you to the role of Michael in Nikita?
I had always been interested in these types of shows, and when they decided to remake Nikita, it was done very well, with a great group of producers. They hired Maggie Q to be Nikita, who has to be hands down the best Nikita that’s ever been cast, and that’s how it was packaged to me. I loved Roy Dupuis’ work as Michael in the original series, and loved how dark the character was, and I really wanted to give that a shot. Also, Michael was supposed to be a little bit older than I am—I’m 34, but we’re on season 3, so I guess I was 30, 31 at the time—and to have the chance to play this type of role so early on in my career was kind of a no-brainer. The episodes just continued to get better and better; they really put you on the edge of your seat and grab your attention, and that’s something that hasn’t slowed down.

MORE

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) — The CW is giving “Nikita” a new home following the November sweeps period.

The Friday drama will shift to the 8:00/7:00c hour (from 9:00/8:00c) beginning November 30, network sources confirmed to the site this afternoon.

Repeats of freshman hit “Arrow” will follow at 9:00/8:00c until at least January 18.

To recap:

Friday, November 9
8:00/7:00c – “America’s Next Top Model: The Girl Who Freaks Out On Horseback”
9:00/8:00c – “Nikita: Consequences”

Friday, November 16
8:00/7:00c – “America’s Next Top Model: The Girl Who Becomes America’s Next Top Model” (Season Finale)
9:00/8:00c – “America’s Next Top Model: The Girl With The Best Top Model Freakout” (Special)

Friday, November 23
8:00/7:00c – “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” (Repeat)
9:00/8:00c – “The Happy Elf” (Repeat)

Fridays (November 30-January 18)*
8:00/7:00c – “Nikita” (New Time Slot)
9:00/8:00c – “Arrow” (Repeats)

* note that holiday specials will fill the night on December 14 and December 21 as previously announced(read the story)

Events and Appearances > 2011 > New York Comic Con

Events and Appearances > 2011 > Bing Presents The CW Launch Party
Events and Appearances > 2011 > HFPA And InStyle 2011 Toronto International Film Festival Party

Captures > 2011 > 2011 Teen Choice Awards
Events and Appearances > 2011 > 2011 Teen Choice Awards

Captures > 2011 > EW Livestream at San Diego Comic Con