GIVI Magazine - November de 2010 - EN

6 od on a motorcycle or by scooter. Because Gunner is not only a biking enthusiast but also a successful actor, who has to dodge the contract clauses which want him confined to an infinitely safer and more placid automobile for commuting. Gunner, first of all, how did you hear of the GIVI brand? “I was in Milan for an advertising shoot and being a motorcycle enthusiast, I was instantly astonished by the number of two- wheelers darting everywhere. And after that, I noticed the brand name on the top cases, installed on practically every motorcycle or scooter in circulation...” Other than the motorcycles, what struck you about Italy? “Obviously the history, the buildings, the monuments ... but if I am to be completely truthful, I wasn’t aware that this count- ry was so passionate about bikes. I remember that early one morning, when I returned to my hotel after jogging around the Sempione Park, I couldn’t find anyone at the reception or in the restaurant. I wanted to eat breakfast but the place was deser- ted. So I popped into the kitchen and there were all the staff huddled over a tiny TV set watching the Australian GP, at the break of dawn!” So motorcycles are in your blood... “Yes, if I made it to Hollywood, it’s thanks to motorcycles. I’m not one of those people who have bought a bike because it’s trendy at the moment. From when I was a child, I followed my father around the motocross tracks in Florida, where I was born. Then what happened? “Then my father, who was a Honda rep, was transferred to the company headquarters in California, so our entire family moved to Orange County in Los Angeles. It was the end of the Eighties, motocross and supercross were really explo- ding, and maybe due to the fierce competition or the change of environment, I became one of the fastest in my category. Basically, something clicked inside me. But higher speeds brought injuries, which lead me to wonder, if that was what I really wanted to do with my life. The reply was no and in this aspect my father supported me enormously because he made me realize that one tiny injury too many might have left me with no alternatives, if not a job as a mechanic. I decided to finish my education and search for a real job, perhaps in the motorcycle industry. The opportunity arose when I learnt that Honda was creating a new sports division to deal with the press. I remember that one of the key aspects of the interview was a simulated video commentary, with a race rolling on a big TV screen in front of me: it was fundamental to keep calm and to demonstrate the ability to convincingly commentate a mechanical breakdown or disappointing re- sults in front of dozens of microphones. Well, straight away I felt at ease and I got the job”. In addition to discovering your acting talent... “In a certain way, yes. From the start I realized that I liked in- teracting with the fans of the pilots and in a sense, being un- der the spotlight, even if I was working 18 to 20 hours a day”. But how did you change from being a P.R. to becoming an actor and above all what have motorcycles got to do with it? “I’m getting there... In the period when I was in charge of the Honda press office (end of the Nineties), Supercross finally as- serted itself and our pilot Ezra Lusk, was the only one to pose a serious challenge to McGrath for the title. With four races a year, between Anaheim and San Diego, the hospitality area was always full of actors and people who worked in Hollywood. Many of them were stuntmen and thanks to one of them I lan- ded my first part in TV, a role in Fox’s Fast Lane. From there on, it’s been just one thing after another”. So you left a stable job at Honda to throw yourself into an acting career? “The wages were good but the curiosity of putting myself to the test in front of the camera was so strong that in the end I gave up my job”. Any regrets?