By Jae-Ha Kim
Tribune Content Agency
February 24, 2015
Best known for playing hotshot attorney Mike Ross on the USA Network series, “Suits,” Patrick J. Adams is also an avid photographer who enjoys photographing his travels. The Canadian actor phoned for this interview just a few days after his last trip.
“I was just in Mexico and Brazil,” says Adams, 33. “I was in Brazil for a guys’ trip. We did a week of hanging out and it was outstanding. And then my fiancee (‘Pretty Little Liars’ actress Troian Bellisario) met me in Mexico for another week of traveling. I loved every moment.”
Fans may keep up with Adams on his website and on Twitter.
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
A. We traveled a lot. My dad was a journalist. One great trip we took was to Israel. We went there and drove through the whole country and it was pretty incredible. We went to the Philippines and saw the beauty of that country, but also what poverty really looks like. That had a profound effect on me.
Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?
A. I spent a month in New Zealand a couple years ago. It’s one of my favorite places. It was amazing. I wish we could’ve stayed there forever. It was so breathtaking and the people were so kind and it was so easy to get around. We also had a fantastic trip to Berlin, which is one of my favorite cities of all time. I would jump at the chance to go there again. My father was in Berlin when the wall came down. It has a real historical significance for our family. I also love going to Canada. My sister lives off the coast of British Columbia and it’s just the most spectacular place. She lives off the grid in a cabin made of logs. The people there are some of the greatest I’ve met in my life.
Q. What is on your travel bucket list?
A. I want to travel to Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia. … I’ve never done Africa and would love to do it. It’s such a large continent, though, that I don’t know where to start. I would love to find a way to get to Africa, though, and explore it. I’ve never been to Australia. I was so close when I was in New Zealand, but I didn’t have time to visit. Just having been to Brazil, I’d love to spend more time in South America, Peru, Chile, Argentina. There are so many incredible places I need to get to.
Q. What do you always bring on your trips?
A. I always travel with one book. I’ll read it and then leave it for someone else, and take another book. I bring a notebook or a journal and my computer, so that I can go through my photos. And a couple of cameras. That’s it.
Q. Do you prefer luxury trips or roughing it?
A. It’s all good. I’m a big camper, so I always have a knife, backpack and water bottle ready to go. I just like seeing new places.
Q. Are you an adventurous eater?
A. I think so. I will try anything once. I try to be smart when I’m traveling, but there’s no way to avoid the water. I’m actually a little sick from the Mexico trip. It’s not a big deal, but it takes a bit for your system to get used to everything.
Q. What would you say to someone who wanted to travel but was apprehensive about leaving the country?
A. You just have to do it. For me, every time I go on a trip to some place I’ve never been, there’s a little bit of fear. I just have to embrace that fear and go for it. That’s how you learn. You meet new people, see different things. I find that most of the world is welcoming to visitors.
Q. You’re famous. People are more welcoming to celebrities, don’t you think?
A. (Laughs) I’m not so famous. And most of the time I travel to small towns where no one has any idea who I am because they aren’t watching TV and if they are, they’re not watching “Suits.” To be honest, I don’t really consider it a vacation unless I’m going someplace where they don’t recognize me.
Q. Do you speak any foreign languages?
A. I’m terrible at languages. I’m trying to learn Spanish. I tried to learn French as a kid.
Q. I always thought actors would have an easy time learning languages, since you’re already accustomed to memorizing lines.
A. Not me! I think I get overwhelmed, to be honest. There’s so much to learn.
Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A. Living in Los Angeles, we’re lucky because there are so many places. I went to Death Valley right before I left for Brazil. Day trips to Santa Barbara or driving up the coast are fun. We will spend a lot of time out there. I like to go to San Francisco. We’re going to Utah to ski in a couple days.
Q. Where is the most romantic destination?
A. New Zealand. We did a lot. We did a three-day backpacking trip through Routeburn Track. Standing in the middle of the mountains away from everything with all the peaks and clouds that come rolling in, you’re sitting in amazement at the beauty. That’s pretty romantic, I think.
Q. You’re well known for your photography. How much gear do you travel with?
A. I usually bring too much gear with me. I haven’t learned the art of picking just one. I just bought a Leica. It was kind of a big deal because I’ve wanted one for years. I bought it as a gift for myself after I got the series. It was expensive, but it takes phenomenal photos. For walking around the streets of New York, my Rolleiflex or Leica work great. The Rolleiflex is a magical camera. If I’m having a party at my house, I’ll use my old Polaroid. I love the instant gratification of the Polaroid. I do a lot of photography with my phone. And I bought a little point and shoot Sony camera. Some images from the gallery are from that. The phone is so much better than the point and shoot.
Q. Do your friends get sick of you taking their photos on vacations?
A. (Laughs.) I take photos on trips, but not as many portraits of my friends or whoever I’m traveling with. I like to get the local flair. I love shooting people from there and walking around the neighborhoods taking photos. With Troian, I can tell her to stand somewhere and she’s really good about letting me photograph her. At the end of the trip when we have a great gallery of photos, that’s when every appreciates it more. Some part of me thinks that my becoming a photographer was in reaction to having photos of myself taken all the time. My success as an actor made me want to invest in getting behind the picture. I’m not really that comfortable to being in the front.
© 2015 JAE-HA KIM
DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
