Now that's Method acting.
In an upcoming episode of Drop Dead Diva, actress Camille Guaty plays a reality star dumped on live TV by a Bachelor-like cad — played by Jake Pavelka. In the "Final Rose"-like scene, Pavelka's character Toby must choose between two women in bridal gowns; Guaty's character, Wendy, goes into hysterics when Toby glibly gives her the bad news.
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And it turns out Pavelka had the perfect inspiration to get into his villainous character: he shot his scene last Monday — the same day he learned of fiancee Vienna Girardi's fling with actor Gregory Michael.
"Jake literally discovered the news about Vienna while on set, moments before shooting this scene for the first time," Guaty tells UsMagazine.com exclusively.
"He did an incredible job!" the actress gushed. Pavelka's real-life heartbreak, she added, "gave him something to work with."
Guaty, who has appeared on Las Vegas, CSI, Family Guy and other shows, helped Pavelka get through his emotional day. "I just told him to stay focused and use what has just happened towards the scene."
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By all accounts, her advice worked! "Let's just say when we were discussing this scene beforehand, Jake found it really difficult to tell me that I wasn't the one," she explains.
"And after he heard the news from Vienna, it seemed like second nature. I guess we have Vienna to thank!"
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Last Friday, while guest-hosting Good Morning Texas, Pavelka drew a sharp distinction between the fake reality star "Toby" and himself. "He has similar life experiences but made very different choices…he's not that nice of a guy."
"I am acting," he added. "This is a fictitious character that I came up with in my head."
