Despite his hard man image, AJ jokes he’s not quite as tough off screen: “I’m afraid of sharks and snakes”
He left Ireland at the age of six and grew up in Canada — now AJ Buckley is one of America’s biggest TV stars.
The Dubliner plays Navy Seal Sonny Quinn on CBS hit SEAL Team, and will also be instantly recognisable to fans of Supernatural, and CSI NY, having played geeky crime technician Adam Ross on the series for eight years.
Already a gym shark, AJ — which stands for Alan John — was trained by military experts for his special operations character, and admits it was a world away from pumping iron.
“The training was a real wake-up call,” he says. “I thought I was in shape… then when I started filming, I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, this is very different!’
“We’ve got about 100lbs of gear on us, and it’s all real stuff we are carrying and using, other than the blanks in the gun. When you have to run up these hills and deliver dialogue as if you’re not out of breath, you really need to put the time into training.
“It’s been awesome, in a sense I get paid to work out, but I really enjoy the transformation that I was able to do in my career — going from playing Adam Ross on CSI, this sort of nerdy guy, the same with Ed Zed on Supernatural, to then segue into this John McClane-type action role that I wanted to play my entire life.
“It is by far the best show I have ever got to work on — it’s literally a dream come true. As a kid, you run around the town playing with (toy) guns with your friends, and in this I get to go to work every day and fly around in Black Hawk helicopters, shooting things, and things are exploding. It’s the greatest role I’ve ever had.”
Having grown up in Vancouver, the dad-of-three now lives in charming Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife Abigail and their daughter Willow (nine) and five-year-old twin sons, Ranger and Bodhi. While filming, the thrilling show has taken him to locations such as Columbia, Jordan and Puerto Rico.
Despite his hard man image, AJ jokes he’s not quite as tough off screen: “I’m afraid of sharks and snakes. Just before I came out here, I was doing some yard work and I was planting some grass. I went to move this log and this huge snake popped out and lunged at me. Literally, I have never jumped so quickly! We need St Patrick to come to South Carolina.”
Catching up with Magazine+ during a trip home to Dublin, the 46-year-old continues: “It’s just so great to be back. There really is something magical here. When I landed I could feel it right away.
“I was born in Donnybrook and later moved to Malahide, and then I left Ireland when I was about six. The last time I was here was for the IFTAs 11 years ago, and my wife and I walked around (the city). It’s always a nice trip down memory lane.
“You know when you’re a kid, everything just looked so much bigger, the river, the park — all these memories come back.”
AJ first moved to Los Angeles at 17 to film 1998 horror Disturbing Behaviour, starring Katie Holmes and James Marsden, but after almost 30 years in the City of Angels, craved a quieter life.
“We moved to South Carolina about two-and-a-half years ago. It’s a little slice of heaven. I wanted to get the kids out of LA, I didn’t want them growing up in Los Angeles and we ended up finding Charleston by accident,” he tells.
“I had done a movie there like 20 years ago, and then we went over to visit a friend (and) take a look at houses and sure enough, we found one. My mom also moved in with us, so it ended up working out great. It sucks having to travel so much and be away from the family, because the show takes us around the world.”
Blue Bloods, Narcos and The Mentalist are among the other shows on the TV regular’s CV. But the doting dad also has an unusual side hustle — after creating a stylish nappy bag with a built-in changing station.
“When Willow was a baby, I brought her to a public bathroom to change her nappy. There was no changing table and, of course, I forgot the pad. I had to take my T-shirt off and lay her down on the floor,” he explains the inspiration behind Paperclip bags.
“If you had told me at some point in my life I’d be playing a Navy Seal and selling diaper bags on the side, I’d think you were mad. It’s been a crazy journey.”
Now he’s hoping to keep the adventure going closer to home: “For the longest time, I’ve wanted to come back, whether it’s for a play or TV series or movie. I am dying to do something in Ireland.”
