September 14, 2012 11:27 PM GMTUpdated: 09/14/2012 04:27:12 PM PDT
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Actor Andrew McCarthy's new book, "The Longest Way Home"... ( Jessica Yadegaran )«1»Related Stories
Sep 14:
Fab at 50: Five great Andrew McCarthy moviesHe's the baby-faced member of the original brat pack, synonymous with such iconic films as "Pretty in Pink" and "St. Elmo's Fire." But, as actor Andrew McCarthy approaches his 50th birthday, he does it as a different kind of storyteller.
In his new travel book, "The Longest Way Home: One Man's Quest for the Courage to Settle Down," McCarthy, an editor-at-large at National Geographic Traveler, explores his fear of commitment while scaling Mount Kilimanjaro and trekking through Patagonia.
The father of two is still acting -- he just wrapped up a Christmas movie for the Hallmark channel. But it is through travel writing that McCarthy ultimately was able to face his emotional demons, including a strained relationship with his father, and overcome his fear of marriage, he says.
We recently caught up with him -- now married and living in New York -- to discuss the cross-pollination of his two careers.
Q You started acting at 19. When did you start writing?
A I started writing when I started traveling about 10 years ago. I kept a journal and found the writing in it embarrassing and lame. So instead, since I'm an actor, I started writing down scenes from my travels. I found that it stabilized me and kept me grounded.
Q Is that how you got into travel writing?
A One day in Saigon, a young guy on a scooter offered to show me around, so I climbed on the back of his bike. I wrote down what happened
the day we spent together, and it seemed to capture the essence of my experience in Saigon in a way my journal couldn't. I did that for years, until one day I met the editor of National Geographic Traveler magazine and asked him to give me a shot.
Q Where did the idea for this book come from?
A I was sitting in the back of a cab on my way to the airport going to Patagonia. My fiancee and I had just decided to get married, and I was so sad to be leaving her, I was practically in tears, but I was also thrilled to be going. I was like, "What is the deal with this?" On the road I took this issue to explore instead of a book.
Q What did your then-fiancee think of you leaving, and of the book?
A She wasn't thrilled about me leaving, but she knew about my tendencies to separate. Ultimately, she was the compass and the wisdom through which I navigated the book. I think we're both happy about how it ended.
Q How do you think traveling ultimately helped you to commit?
A I believe that travel transforms people. Fear used to rule my life until I started traveling and became more open, accessible and more in tune with who I am. It exposed me and made me vulnerable. When you travel, you leave all the distractions of life behind, and you're left with your own mind.
I didn't have any sort of mentor relationship with my father growing up, so the idea of learning to parent without example was a hard one. I had to come to terms with the idea and fallacy of manhood and find my place as a man in the world. Travel makes me feel solid in the world in a way that's otherwise hard to find.
Q You've just wrapped up a novel. What's it about?
A It's about the secrecy and corrosiveness of a 30-year marriage. It's actually something I'd been working on for years. But I thought it'd be smarter to establish myself as a nonfiction writer first. I didn't want people saying, "Oh great, look, it's a novel by the guy from 'Pretty in Pink.' "
book signing
Andrew McCarthy will talk about and sign copies of his book, "The Longest Way Home: One Man's Quest for the Courage to Settle Down" (Free Press, $26), at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera. McCarthy will be in conversation with fellow travel writer Don George. www.bookpassage.com
