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Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Richard Schiff

By Jae-Ha Kim, Tribune Content Agency on

Richard Schiff says that until "West Wing," most people couldn't pinpoint who he was or why they recognized him. Those days have changed. In the past year alone, the Emmy Award-winning actor has worked on multiple films and television series. Schiff just ended a run as an attorney on DIRECTV's "Rogue" and can be seen in BBC America's "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency." Schiff resides in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Sheila Kelley, and their children. Fans may follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Richard_Schiff.

Q. You don't seem like a Los Angeles kind of guy.

A. I'm not a huge fan of L.A. at all. I'm here because my wife has a business here and we bought a house here years ago, so we live here. I'd use any excuse to get out of L.A. I'm glad I get to work elsewhere. And my wife is always looking for the next adventure and next place to go, so we do get to go away, which is nice. We love Napa for romantic anniversary escapes.

Q. Which city do you visit often?

A. Chicago is one of them, because my son is a student at the University of Chicago and he embraces the motto, "Where fun comes to die." I just did an interview with Marilu Henner and she was speaking of (the school) with such a great emotional memory. I think it's a great school to have gone to, but people sometimes forget how hard it is. The joke is that if you want to breeze through college, go to Harvard. If you want to struggle and work, go to the University of Chicago. (Laughs) No, they're both great schools, obviously. We're very proud of our son.

Q. Besides visiting your son, what else do you like about Chicago?

 

A. There's so much, but the theater stands out. I really love the theater there. I first visited Chicago around the early '80s, before Steppenwolf got really famous. I hung out with John Malkovich, Glenne Headly, (Gary) Sinise and all those great actors from the early days. I saw a play by Robert Falls at the Wisdom Bridge Street Theater. I love the Lookingglass. I shot a couple of films in Chicago. And when I'm not going to the theater, I'm always happy to hang out in a blues bar until four in the morning. I don't have any dislikes about Chicago, because I haven't spent a winter there yet. But if Steppenwolf was to ever give a call and offer me a part in a play that's exciting, I'd be happy to live through a Chicago winter.

Q. Where do you like to travel overseas?

A. We had a great time in Italy, going from town to town. I loved Tuscany. We loved Florence and Siena. Rome is a little crazy, but fascinating. There's a little town above Cinque Terre, but I can't remember what it was called. We were told not to go there, but Cinque Terre was all booked, so we went. It was my favorite place in Italy. No one spoke English and we found this old room that the whole family stayed in and the kids outside were playing soccer until four in the morning. The beach had rocks on it and no sand. Maybe that's why Americans stay away from it. I don't know. I loved it there. I always feel at home in Paris. London -- I worked there quite a bit and I consider that like my second home. I love any place that has centuries of history. The U.S. is a very young country. I always think about Steve Martin's character driving along with his British girlfriend in "L.A. Story" saying, "Some of these buildings are over 20 years old."

Q. Does traveling get old for you?

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