Mark Collier (Mike, ATWT):
I went to a signing in North Carolina and two girls asked me if I wanted to go to an Aerosmith/Kid Rock concert with them. I wanted to go but I knew I would get in a lot of trouble with these two girls. I had some restraint. As I look back I should have done it, but at the moment I was like, "No, you're going to get in a lot of trouble. You do not need to be going to an Aerosmith/Kid Rock concert and getting drunk with these two girls. You may get arrested at some point."

On the Mark
Rosanna’s recent return to Oakdale stirred up the old rivalry between Carly and her sister. So, the reappearance of the root of their issues, Mike Kasnoff, was inevitable. But this time there’s an added twist – Mike, once involved in a romantic triangle with the two sisters, is now falling for their cousin Molly! Daytime newcomer MARK COLLIER has stepped into the role of Mike nicely. CBS.com got to know ATWT’s hottest new star!

CBS.com: How did you land the role on As The World Turns?
MARK COLLIER: I had actually tested for [ATWT] last year [for the role of Paul Ryan], and I guess they had remembered that. They came out to L.A. I did not audition in L.A., but they had seen a tape of mine, so I ended up flying to New York a couple of weeks after that. I did my screen test with Lesli [Kay, Molly] and it just seemed to click very well. A couple days later I found out I got it, and five days after that I had to move to New York. It was going from working several different jobs in L.A. and having very little money to living in New York working on the show.

CBS.com: What were you doing in L.A. before you got this job?
MARK COLLIER: I’d been doing a lot of theater. I got involved with a theater company there, so about every three months I was in a different play. But that’s about it. There would be some auditions here and there, but the business has been very slow for the past couple of years. So, this opportunity came along and I was happy.

CBS.com: Did you know about the torrid history of Mike Kasnoff on the show?
MARK COLLIER: I didn’t until I got there. Once I found out I got the job, they just gave me pages and pages and pages of back history and relations that I had with everybody. He’s involved with so many different people: friends, the fact that he dated Rosanna and Carly, and now Molly. So, it was quite a bit, but I was glad [to have the backstory].

CBS.com: Did you know that Mike had been played by another actor before, and did that make you hesitant to take on the role?
MARK COLLIER: Like I said, I didn’t know until I had already gotten the job. I didn’t know that Mike Kasnoff had been on the show before. I didn’t even know that my [character’s] name was going to be Mike Kasnoff. [I was] not really hesitant. I played in a CBS [versus] ABC [charity] softball game the first weekend I was here, and people spoke so highly of Shawn Christian [ex-Mike], so I was like, “Oh, wow.” And the fact that I am [paired up with] Molly [who was married to Jake, played by] Tom Eplin, who had been working for a long time and has a huge fan base. I [thought], this is going to be quite fun to see how this works out, because [I’m] following two people who were big fan favorites.

CBS.com: Did you meet Shawn Christian at the charity event?
MARK COLLIER: No, I’ve never met him. I’m actually friends with his manager, so after I got on the show, we talked, but that was about it. I’ve never seen him on the show; I’ve never watched any tapes or anything.

CBS.com: What was your first day of taping like?
MARK COLLIER: It was a lot! [Laughs] I mean, I think we shot two or three episodes that day, and then the second day was almost double that. Which was good, because I was basically staying in a hotel in Times Square, [and I] didn’t have a lot to do at the time. I was sent five scripts when I was in L.A. and had five days to go over all of them and try to learn it and get there. For some reason - I don’t know if it was from working with Lesli, who makes it very easy - it just seemed very comfortable. It seemed like it fit very easily. Outside of the amount of dialogue that was there! [Laughs]

CBS.com: You have some daytime experience from Sunset Beach.
MARK COLLIER: Right, that was a recurring [role] a couple of days a month. But I had never done [a contract role on] daytime, so I was not used to [having to learn] that amount of dialogue in a short amount of time. I had been doing a lot of theater, and you have so long to prepare for that. So, this was a bit different. But it’s good. It’s a good learning process.

CBS.com: How have you acclimated to New York?
MARK COLLIER: That’s probably been my hardest adjustment. I came from living in Venice Beach [in California], and it’s a very laid-back and quiet lifestyle there. Coming here, it was nothing but concrete. I grew up in Florida, so I was used to the humidity back then, but [I haven’t been living there for] four years. Now, it’s just trying to get used to that heat and the busyness and craziness of the city. But it’s gotten a lot better because I’ve met some people, so I’ve been going to the [New] Jersey shore and the Hamptons [in Long Island, New York] and things like that. It kind of makes it easier once you start meeting some people. The first month was rough.

CBS.com: You also only had five days to move!
MARK COLLIER: Yeah, I pretty much just sold everything that I owned in five days and flew out. Fortunately, I had a mutual friend who lived in New York so I just came into his apartment and didn’t have to apartment hunt for a while. That was kind of a savior, because rent in the city is ridiculous. And this realtor thing is beyond me! But I like it now.

CBS.com: Most fans have reacted really well to Mike. What kind of feedback have you received?
MARK COLLIER: The letters and some of the e-mails that I’ve gotten have been pretty positive. I don’t really go onto the Internet too much because I’ve heard that’s not the best thing to do. [Laughs] You know, I don’t want to read [negative stuff]. I’ve heard good things, I’ve heard bad things as far as [Mike and Molly] being together. Some people like the old Mike Kasnoff better. I listen to it. [I] just can’t take either [side] too seriously; it’s just people’s opinions. I’ve heard a lot of good things, which makes me happy. I like working on the show!

CBS.com: It seems like Mike will have his hands full with Molly, Carly and Rosanna! What has it been like working with Lesli Kay, Maura West and Cady McClain?
MARK COLLIER: Great! This is the great thing about coming into a character that has already been on the show before – you don’t work with the same people every single day. You get to work with a lot of different people. Maura, Cady and Lesli are all really good actors. For someone like myself who hasn’t been on television, they’re very helpful and they’re fun to work with. And the three of them are very different as far as their acting, as far as their personalities, everything. So, it’s fun. I’m very glad I get to work with those three.

CBS.com: What would you like to see happen with Mike’s storyline?
MARK COLLIER: I, personally, would like to see where the relationship goes with Molly. I think there are still feelings there as well as chemistry between Mike and Rosanna. You know, I would like to see [him] being torn between those two a little bit more. I think that ultimately Mike and Molly will be together, [but] Rosanna was the love of his life. I just like the dynamic of [Mike] being caught in a tough situation.

CBS.com: What do you do when you’re not working?
MARK COLLIER: Well, I’ve really been going to the Jersey Shore a lot because it’s just so nice. I’ve got some friends who live down there, so I’ve been staying at the beach on the weekends. During the week, fortunately, they’ve been keeping me pretty busy. A lot of times on my off days, I’ll just study for the next couple of days coming up. I’m still apartment hunting right now, so that takes up a lot of time as well. On the weekends, I pretty much just go to the beach and see a lot of movies. When you don’t know a lot of people in New York, you find things to do on your own. I don’t think I’ve ever worked out so much in my life!

CBS.com: You lived on the beach, so you obviously really love to be there. Do you surf?
MARK COLLIER: Yeah, I surfed a lot. In L.A., it’s sunny ten months out of the year, [and] you could surf year ‘round. I loved being there because I could run on the beach or go surfing. I grew up in that kind of atmosphere in Florida. I love to fish as well, so they’re going to take me fishing this weekend. I think I’ll probably start doing a lot more of that.

CBS.com: You’ve always lived in warm weather climates. Do you think you’re prepared for a New York winter, which can be very cold?
MARK COLLIER: That’s what I hear! [Laughs] Everybody keeps telling me, “It’s so beautiful, the change of seasons.” I’ve never seen the change of seasons in my life! It’s not like I’m excited about it, but I think it’ll be fun to see. I’ve been snowboarding before, so maybe I can pick that up. That’s going to take a big adjustment, I have a feeling. [Laughs] I think I tested for something here right around Thanksgiving, and this has got to be one of the most beautiful cities around then because they start putting up the tree, and people are ice skating. It’s very much like the old, classic movies you see, and that’s very cool to me. I think getting to see that will be fun. I’ll be wearing a lot of clothes! [Laughs]

CBS.com: I assume you don’t own many winter clothes.
MARK COLLIER: Actually, I do have some, but you know, they’re pretty old and probably way out of style. [Laughs] I need to get some different clothes so I won’t look like a goofball walking down the street!

CBS.com: When did you decide that you wanted to be an actor?
MARK COLLIER: It really hit me about midway through college. I knew that that’s what I wanted to do. It was just a very tough decision because it’s a long shot to be able to work and sustain a career. And [you have to] give yourself to it. It’s not something you say, well, I’ll try it for a few years and see how it goes. Right when I got out of college, I was down in Miami for a little while. There’s not a lot of acting there, but there was some commercial work, and that got me excited about it. I decided, well, if I’m going to be poor for a really long time, I’d better go live in a climate that at least I’m used to! So, that’s [why I] moved to L.A. instead of New York. When I was in grade school, I was constantly doing plays, but come high school and college, I really didn’t do too much. Once I was in college, I said, I need to do this. I’m glad I did.

CBS.com: What was your first “big break”?
MARK COLLIER: Realistically, this has got to be my first big break. You know, I had worked [as a] guest star on 90210 and things like that, but [I wasn’t a regular] on the show [or] doing interviews. That’s what I consider a break, and this would have to be it.

CBS.com: If you weren’t an actor, what would you be?
MARK COLLIER: It’s a toss up. I’d either want to be a camp director, or I would probably just live in the [Florida] Keys somewhere and fish for the rest of my life. I grew up going to summer camp; I was a camp counselor for a long time. That was [a lot of fun] for me: being around kids. They have a lot of energy. It’s fun. I can’t think of a better way to spend your life.

CBS.com: Have you ever worked construction, like Mike?
MARK COLLIER: I’ve had a lot of beat up, old cars, so I did a little bit of the auto mechanic part of Mike, but [I have never worked in] construction, no.

CBS.com: A lot of people say it’s like a family over at As the World Turns. Did you feel that as well?
MARK COLLIER: Definitely. I’ve worked in places, on independent films, where nobody gets along and everybody hates each other, and everybody is trying to outdo the other person. This is just not a place like that. Michael Park [Jack] took me to the softball game the first weekend. He offered to pick me up. Everyone’s just in a good mood there, they’re happy and they’re all having a good time. It makes it fun to come to work; I wish I was working five days a week. How many people can say that about their jobs? Not many!

CBS.com: You haven’t been on the show that long, but is there someone you haven’t worked with yet that you’d like to have scenes with?
MARK COLLIER: I like Scott Holroyd [Paul] a lot. I would love to be able to have scenes with him because he’s a great person and we’ve gotten along really well. But, I would love to work with Larry Bryggman [John]. I don’t know if that’ll ever [happen], unless I’m at the hospital dying or something, but I think he’s a tremendous actor. I’ve seen him in a lot of films and I’d love to have the opportunity to work with him.

CBS.com: You said earlier that you’ve seen a lot of movies this summer. What was your favorite one?
MARK COLLIER: I love Austin Powers, so I went and saw [Austin Powers In Goldmember]. I have to go see it again because I laughed so hard, I missed a lot of things. But I really liked Road to Perdition. A lot of people thought it was boring, I liked it. I think Paul Newman is just one of those people that you see on screen and you’re like, “Wow.” I’d have to say Road to Perdition is my favorite so far. There are a few that I want to see that I haven’t seen. I still want to see Signs. I’m a big Joaquin Phoenix fan.

CBS.com: Are you single?
MARK COLLIER: Yes, I am.

CBS.com: Were you dating anyone in L.A. before you left?
MARK COLLIER: No, I did not actually have a girlfriend when I left L.A., [which] made that [move] a little easier. That would have been tough, I’m sure.