17 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

I think Bergin was before Antonio. A google search has Antonio taking over as the main image in 1996, which lines up with my memory. He didn’t do it until after GH. So the show may be wrong about a lot, but I think it got how big a deal it was for Bergin to get that contract when he did as Marky Mark’s successor to CK. CK was incredibly significant at that time for men’s fashion when it came to pop culture.

Thanks! I thought ASJ did it while on GH. I had no idea he was actually Bergin's successor. I am not sure why everyone thought ASJ was going to be the next star while he was on GH then. It couldn't have been his acting lol although he was insanely hot back then.

For whatever reason, people in the '90s really kept trying to make ASJ happen.

Edited 8 hours ago8 hr by Franko

4 minutes ago, Franko said:

For whatever reason, people in the '90s really kept trying to make ASJ happen.

It has to be his looks. He wasn't the worst actor on GH or anything, but he isn't a good actor either. I actually don't solely blame him for the Melrose Place debacle because that was just a stupid part. I thought he did the best on Night Shift and am actually surprised he didn't make it over to the main show after. I guess knowing what we know about him now it does make more sense.

1 hour ago, Franko said:

For whatever reason, people in the '90s really kept trying to make ASJ happen.

I tend to blame it on that video he made with Janet Jackson, with industry people not realizing it was Janet who made that video "hot," not him, lol.

Didn't they cut his time on MP very, very short after a lot of hype due to BTS issues with him? I think most of his story got shunted to John Enos as his brother Bobby.

23 minutes ago, Vee said:

Didn't they cut his time on MP very, very short after a lot of hype due to BTS issues with him? I think most of his story got shunted to John Enos as his brother Bobby.

I believe so, yes.

4 hours ago, Khan said:

I tend to blame it on that video he made with Janet Jackson, with industry people not realizing it was Janet who made that video "hot," not him, lol.

That's probably it. I will say he could believably smolder, even if I never really was into him. He had a look very suited to that period. And if Mark Wahlberg could be made into a superstar after horrific acts just because he dropped his pants, Sabato could have too. Wahlberg apparently just made better career choices.

6 hours ago, carolineg said:

Thanks! I thought ASJ did it while on GH. I had no idea he was actually Bergin's successor. I am not sure why everyone thought ASJ was going to be the next star while he was on GH then. It couldn't have been his acting lol although he was insanely hot back then.

At the time there were a handful of hot guys that were willing to be shirtless without a lot of hassle, which fed the soap and mainstream magazines which were incredibly popular and important back then. Marky Mark at the time (early 90’s) wasn’t a great rapper by any stretch, but he had a nice body and some charisma and wasn’t afraid to show it off.

ASJ was on GH during a time where he was featured a lot, shirtless a lot, and he wasn’t just a generic soap hunk. He wasn’t that strong of an actor, but he was good at what they made of Jagger, and in a popular triangle. This was when GH still had some real pop culture pull. His BTS issues at Melrose tanked any momentum he had coming off GH, so it was underwear time. And even then he didn’t have the same impact Mark did. Spelling would have used him again had he not been a nightmare. They also tried repeatedly to make something of Eric Neis at the time too. Those guys did the rounds trying to make hot into a career.

12 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

And if Mark Wahlberg could be made into a superstar after horrific acts just because he dropped his pants, Sabato could have too. Wahlberg apparently just made better career choices.

Mark Wahlberg made a lasting acting career out of getting that role in Boogie Nights. He made films before that, but it was that one that gave him a career. He had some talent and ended up in the right projects several times, extending his ability to keep getting cast in films. Even later in his career his small part in Date Night kind of moved him into comedy films. He’s a despicable person, but so is ASJ.

Bergin’s modeling, much like Jagger on GH and Jason Patrick in the Lost Boys were major parts of my teenage gay awareness!

To this day I have no idea what exactly happened at Melrose, other than maybe him and Heather Locklear not getting along.

Just now, Vee said:

To this day I have no idea what exactly happened at Melrose, other than maybe him and Heather Locklear not getting along.

I didn't know that he was difficult. I thought the character was a flop and IMO, he read too young to be Amanda's long lost, abusive ex-husband.

3 minutes ago, titan1978 said:

At the time there were a handful of hot guys that were willing to be shirtless without a lot of hassle, which fed the soap and mainstream magazines which were incredibly popular and important back then. Marky Mark at the time (early 90’s) wasn’t a great rapper by any stretch, but he had a nice body and some charisma and wasn’t afraid to show it off.

ASJ was on GH during a time where he was featured a lot, shirtless a lot, and he wasn’t just a generic soap hunk. He wasn’t that strong of an actor, but he was good at what they made of Jagger, and in a popular triangle. This was when GH still had some real pop culture pull. His BTS issues at Melrose tanked any momentum he had coming off GH, so it was underwear time. And even then he didn’t have the same impact Mark did. Spelling would have used him again had he not been a nightmare. They also tried repeatedly to make something of Eric Neis at the time too. Those guys did the rounds trying to make hot into a career.

Mark Wahlberg made a lasting acting career out of getting that role in Boogie Nights. He made films before that, but it was that one that gave him a career. He had some talent and ended up in the right projects several times, extending his ability to keep getting cast in films. Even later in his career his small part in Date Night kind of moved him into comedy films. He’s a despicable person, but so is ASJ.

Bergin’s modeling, much like Jagger on GH and Jason Patrick in the Lost Boys were major parts of my teenage gay awareness!

I agree ASJ had charisma and I do get why he got cast in things. It didn't translate well. I do think Mark Wahlberg was much smarter about his choices as far as roles. ASJ ended up doing dating shows lol and couldn't pull a gig out of Night Shift into GH even though I thought there was story there.

Yeah, ASJ could've had a career a bit more successful - not at the Mark Wahlberg level with his talent, but better - if his offscreen personality wasn't likely an issue.

I had forgotten he was actually in a movie with Mark Wahlberg (The Big Hit). What a sliding doors moment.

1 hour ago, Vee said:

To this day I have no idea what exactly happened at Melrose, other than maybe him and Heather Locklear not getting along.

Those people famously got along too and still do, unlike the 90210 set during the 90’s. I don’t know specifics, I just know there was some bts friction somewhere, and his character wasn’t working all at the same time.