Man Of Style: Billy Campbell

By Mark Morrison -- His sweatshirt reads "apathetic" though he's really not. It once said "Gap Athletic," but that was before he tore off various letters--he hates wearing labels. But he can't escape this one: As sensitive architect Rick Sammler, the divorced dad who romances newly single mom Sela Ward on ABC's hit series Once and Again, Billy Campbell is the Perfect Catch.

While he appreciates such praise, the Virginia-born actor doesn't take it seriously. In his 15 years in Hollywood he has heard the hype before--most notably when he starred in 1991 in Disney's The Rocketeer (opposite Jennifer Connelly, whom he almost married). Besides, Campbell prefers to keep things low-key--in both sensibility and style. He drives a 1984 Jeep with a zillion miles on it, wears Birkenstocks year-round, keeps his 6-foot-4-inch frame fit playing rugby, and says that he's "in love" with a long-distance girlfriend, whose identity he chooses to keep private. Where this relationship is headed remains to be seen. At 40, Campbell has yet to walk down the aisle, though he says that "The kids on the TV show have really kicked in my dad instincts."

Who's better at dating--you or Rick?

Rick--and he's not very good! I never had that ability to close the deal. I couldn't get over the thought that whatever I did would be presumptuous--like if I kiss her she's going to belt me. My [six] half-siblings have a nickname for me: Flounder. I'm the worst.

Haven't you looked in the mirror? How does a guy like you have problems?

It's the mirror you hold up to your soul that's a true measure of how you'll stride forth in the world. Some people who might not appear to be attractive are incredibly sexy just because of what comes out of their eyes.

Thanks partly to Once and Again, grown-ups are back in style on TV. What's the most grown-up thing you own?

A grill. For years I resisted buying one. Last year I succumbed. But I hardly ever use it.

What did you excel at in school?

Drawing was the one thing that held my attention. I went to commercial art school in Chicago to be a comic-book artist. I loved the artists more than the titles--Jack Kirby, who did The Fantastic Four and my favorite [strip], Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth. And I like Dave Stevens, who drew The Rocketeer. But when I was in art school, I sat in on an acting class and it was either sit at a drawing table the rest of my life or mix it up with these people.

What's the secret of Southern style?

I have a theory: The heat and humidity make a perfume come out of the earth. You get that in your body and never lose it. Folks down South spend evenings on porches talking to each other. It's just different.

Are Southern women different?

There's nothing like a woman with a Southern accent--it's sexy. Then again, I've known plenty of women who have that Southern-belle thing going--perma-smiles and big hair. But you take somebody like Sela [who is from Mississippi]... my God, she's sexy!

How do you like women to dress?

I prefer loose and casual, but I certainly appreciate form and figure. I'm less prone to wanting to know somebody who has the need to wear tight clothes than I am wanting to find out about someone who is in jeans and a shirt. I think when a person is really sexy they just don't try so hard.

What would you wear on a dinner date?

You're pretty much looking at it. I'm not much interested in Le Dome or Spago. I like casual places like Something Fishy in Malibu near Topanga Canyon or A Votre Sante [in Brentwood]. That's about as fancy as I get.

So who is this girlfriend?

I'm technically single. We're a world apart geographically, but I'm not one for whom time or distance is a problem. I'll probably see her in April. The phone bill is enormous.

What's the oldest thing in your closet?

Cowboy boots I've had since I was 12. My mom bought me size 12 1/2 so I would grow into them. My feet are now size 14. [When I was younger] I would wear shoes that were too small, which caved in the outside of my feet. It's like I had them bound.

Anything else from childhood you still have?

A Pooh Bear I've had for 35 years. It's in my bedroom, either on the bed or on a chair nearby. It's pretty threadbare, [but to my eye] it's still in good condition.

Where do you like to go shopping?

I bought two Hugo Boss suits last year. But I usually go to the Gap and Banana Republic because I like basic, simple stuff that's loose-fitting. And I like comfortable materials that breathe.

Are you always so well groomed?

When I'm not working I have long hair and a beard. I don't shave, though I do thin it out on my neck.

No gray hair yet?

Any day now. In fact, it's already happening in my nostrils. But if you have to go gray, that's a good place. I'm starting to get those wild hairs on my eyebrows. I bet I also have hairs in my ears--but I just can't see them.

You're of Scottish descent. Do you ever wear the family plaid?

I have a kilt that I wear to a supper every year on the anniversary of the death of Robert Burns. People do readings, sing ballads, and drink Scotch. My dentist introduced me to it.

So tell us, what do you wear under a kilt?

Nothing. A kilt is air conditioning, and you don't really need underwear. I'm telling you, man, if I could get away with wearing a kilt every day--without people thinking I was immensely pretentious--I'd do it. [I think] I know exactly what women are feeling when they're wearing skirts. It's wonderful.__In Style (January, 2000)