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[02 Jun 2008|04:55am] |
 Daniel Brian Clough
Casting agents, bright lights, teleprompters, and an audience told when to laugh; "Odd Ball Out" was one of the 90's favorite family sitcom's and still to this day, airs re-runs on CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, etc. The show's kid star, Daniel Clough (then known as Daniel B. Cohen), was America's picture perfect kid and gained immense popularity with the show's success. The show ran from 1992-1995 and was abruptly ended by the abduction of the child star. Clough went missing for three years before he turned up again in Duluth, Minnesota. Clough returned home to his family in Los Angeles for a year before emancipating himself legally and attending UCLA, graduating in 2002 with a bachelors degree in Political Science. The reasons of Clough's emancipation were never leaked to the press but the media speculated that it was for the squandering of Daniels' funds.
In late 2003, the world was shocked once again to find Daniel back into acting. His official first role since his abduction was on an episode of C.S.I. but everyone agrees that Daniel Clough's break-through role was in the 2004 film adaptation of Michael Larsen's "Uncertainty." From there, Cloughs' career sky-rocketed, landing roles in "Loon Lake", "Haunted", and more recently, "Speak When Spoken To." Audience members were also wowed in Cloughs' debut television show since the abduction, "A Life Without Boundaries," the new age soap opera.
The returning star has been kind of enough to sit down with us for an interview at a posh coffee shop downtown where Clough enters with a wave to almost everyone in the shop. He dons a baseball cap and a pair of thick rimmed glasses, not unlike the frames he wears in "A Life Without Boundaries." Politely he sits with hand across the table to shake my own hand. As he sits, there are scars all over his arms. He quickly notices my glare and replies with chuckle. "Oh don't worry about those." he snickers, nonchalantly. "I just got back from shooting my new film and I didn't get a chance to wash all the make-up off." he says and proves to me by running a finger across the hollywood scars, rubbing the remaining residue between his fingers. The shop reminds me of Picasso painting and smells vaguely of cuban cigars. No doubt the owner had a few stogies in the stock room every now and again. As he politely smiles my way, I notice that Clough's demeanor is somewhat the opposite of his snobby character on "A Life Without Boundaries" and I wonder if this is his way of separating himself from the role or if he honestly is just very polite. Sources would say the former.
AM: "So, Daniel, you've recently gained a lot of success with [A Life Without] Boundaries. How does it feel to be in the limelight again after so many years of seclusion?"
DC: "Well I don't think seclusion is necessarily the right word. I was abducted. But, as far your question goes, I feel good. I feel that this time around, I'm making my art on my own terms."
AM: "You mean, instead of your parents' terms."
DC: "I mean on my own terms."
[ At this point Daniel doesn't seem very amused, so I continue on with my questions. ]
AM: "I hear that you're working on a new film by your former 'Odd Ball' director, Orin Meyers. Will this be an 'Odd Ball' reunion?
DC: "Orin and I are very excited to be working together again, but this will not be anything like 'Odd Ball.' In fact, it [Spirals] will be unlike anything ever really done before in popular cinema. I'm very excited about it."
AM: "So, recently the media has be speculating a lot on the reasons why you might have divorced your parents. Many people suggest it was because of money. How do you feel about these accusations?"
DC: "I don't really see how that's relevant to my work. People are going to believe what they want to believe and as long as I know why I did certain things, it's really no one elses' business."
AM: "Fair Enough. So Daniel, you went to UCLA, did you not?"
DC: "Yes, thats true."
AM: "And you majored in Political Science correct? What inspired you to study Political Science and how to you plan to apply it to your future."
DC: "Well, I've always been really interested in Law and the government and right now I'm actually working on my Masters. Acting is just something I do as an art, a hobby, I don't really want to do this forever."
[At this point, Daniel seems to be looking at his watch in desperation. It seems he double-booked our interview with a business lunchin.]
AM: "Well it looks like you're in a hurry to go so I better pick a question I like."
DC: "I'm so sorry, I double-booked myself."
AM: "It's no problem. Just one last question. What do you have to say to the inquiring minds who really believe you were abducted by aliens?"
DC: [Chuckles barely audible] "Just keep believing in whatever drives your imagination. The truth is out there."
Clough leaves the room with a smile on his face as if I had never offended him and waves again as he leaves the Picasso disaster coffee shop. "A Life Without Boundaries" airs Friday nights at 7/8 central on FX and will have its final episode this week. Stay tuned.
-Alonzo Gordon, American Media Magazine inc.,
( The REAL story )
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Actor Daniel Clough Dies at 27.