Sometimes it?s hard for me to write these spotlights without feeling as though I?m gushing over the talent; But when you meet these guys and they turn out to be everything you expect plus more it?s hard not to.

In the case of Justin Hartley, I knew very little about him other than his work on the hit Television Show, Smallville. Well, that and the fact that he?s hands down one of the hottest actors on TV today.

But usually actors who look that good on film and have the keys to the kingdom literally handed to them in Hollywood, there?s a certain unintentional air of superiority that comes across. Let?s face it, if people were constantly kissing your ass all day long you?d come to expect it too.

But fortunately, as I found with up and coming actors like Steven Strait or even the more established Seann William Scott, Justin Hartley couldn?t possibly be more down to earth or more appreciative of the opportunities he?s been given.

While it may seem to some that Justin appeared out of nowhere, he actually cut his teeth in the acting world in a genre far different from the one he now finds himself in.

?I actually did a soap opera for three years,? he explains, ?so I was kind of under the radar but at the same time was recognized by people who watched soap operas. But if you don?t watch soap operas you would never know who I was so it was kind of a cool introduction [to the whole fame thing].?

Soccer moms and stay at home dads are quite different from the uber involved and passionate comic book fans that now trail him. But as far as he?s concerned it?s all a welcome compliment.

?I don?t mind it at all, although I can?t say anything about, ya know like Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Jennifer Aniston… you know, all

those people cause I have no idea what that?s like. I have absolutely no idea. I can?t even imagine what that must be like. I?m still kind of flying under the radar a little bit so it?s cool. I can go to the grocery store I don?t have to worry about getting beat down or anything.?

We caught up with Justin at this year?s Comic Con; a yearly gathering of everything comic book and lately, everything entertainment where fans are at their craziest. But true to his laid back appreciative attitude he seemed to love every minute of it.

?I love Comic Con,? he begins with that winning smile, ?pretty much everybody that walks up to you has nice things to say, it?s kind of a love fest here and people are so into and are appreciative of what you do. It?s one of the times of the year when you?re off set that you feel that appreciation.?

?You know, you?ll be on set and you?ve got mud on you and it?s raining and you?re freezing and its 4 in the morning and you?re putting on the uncomfortable costume and stuff but then you come here and people are like, ?wow that one scene that you did was so amazing,? and that was the scene you were thinking about complaining about when you were on set so it also kind of reminds you how lucky you are to have the job that you have.?

With any luck Justin will be back next year for another round of the comic love fest now that he has been made a series regular on the hit show Smallville, now entering it?s eighth season!

?[I?m going to be] a series regular this year. They?re doing a lot of interesting things this year a lot of twists we?ve got new characters coming aboard; unfortunately we don?t have Michael Rosenbaum. Who I adore, I loved working with him. He?s a great actor but also

a really fun guy to work with. Some of the things that people don?t understand is that Michael Rosenbaum is the opposite of Lex Luthor he?s nothing like him, but he does it so well on screen that you assume he is.?

For any true fans of the show don?t worry we?re not going to spoil anything so please read on as Justin describes a bit more about the season ahead.

?They are going back and telling the Smallville origin story of Green Arrow. So that?s kind of cool. Telling the story of how he came to do the things that he does and then also Clark is this year going to accept more and embrace more his destiny whereas Oliver kind of shies away from the Green Arrow a little bit he starts to question it a little bit more. So you?re going to see the origin of the Oliver Queen / Green Arrow story and the trials and tribulations of it; which is kind of cool because after all he?s human. So it?s kind of neat to see him as the underdog kind of go through that hard kind of thing that everyone goes through.?

For years the debate and speculation has been rampant over the idea of producing a feature film based on The Justice League; a story surrounding heroes like Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow and the Flash. But all the while on the small screen, Smallville had been planting the seeds for the very same thing by bringing in characters like Hartley?s Green Arrow as well as Kyle Gallner as the Flash, Alan Ritchson as Aquaman, Alaina Kalanj as Black Canery and Lee Thompson Young as Cyborg. So what?s the hold up on that?

?It would be fun. I?m sure there?s a lot of thought that goes into that and I don?t have anything to do with those meetings but I?m sure people have talked about it or whatever but

we?ll see I mean, I?d be up for something like that, I love my job it?s incredible I mean, c?mon. Also I have a daughter and she?s getting to the age now, well almost, where she thinks it?s cool what I do, you know the superhero thing so yeah it?s neat to be the real superhero to your kid.?

It’s hard to imagine this total young Hollywood heartthrob already settled down with a wife and kid but it?s true (collective sigh), and they are both beyond beautiful. Seriously, it?s a perfect family portrait.

While young Isabella may be beginning to realize what daddy does for a living, mom has put the kabosh on any extended viewings of the show.

?She hasn?t seen a full episode of Smallville. There was one time where I totally messed up. We were watching a show it was called ?Rage? it was two years ago and I?m watching it and I?m like, ?I think this is gonna be a really good show I wanna see what it?s about,? and my daughter was there and she was like two and I had totally forgotten I got shot in the episode… it was horrible; father of the year moment, terrible. We?re sitting there watching and all of a sudden and it?s a squib so it was like, ?Boom!? and I fall over and she starts freaking out! So that wasn?t good. So from then on it?s been like, ?OK we?ll watch this scene on a rerun or whatever.? But the wife is like, ?No, we?re not watching that anymore we?re not putting her through that anymore.? Cause that was like two weeks of asking if I was gonna die… ohh it was horrible it?ll probably be like therapy sessions about that later it?s gonna end up costing me millions.?

The fortune of being cast as one of these iconic American heroes is beyond amazing. Super Heroes are probably the most sought after

roles in Hollywood today and young Mr. Hartley has gotten to play not just one, but two. Originally cast as the lead in the ill fated Aquaman Television Series, he got a second chance to save the world when producers turned around and then cast him as Green Arrow on Smallville.

?I was really lucky. I had no idea that would happen. When I got that call I was in the process of going to do another show. I hadn?t quite signed on for it yet but I was saying by the end of the day I was gonna sign on and go do this show. But then Al Gough called me and he was like, ?What are you doing????? and I was like, ?Well, what are you doing?? So that?s how I kind of got that phone call it was really great and really fortunate for me. It was probably the best decision of my career so far because I love it – I love my job and being happy is 90 percent of it, right??

When he isn?t busy shooting arrows and thwarting the evil plans of Lex Luthor and Tess Mercer in Metropolis, Justin carved out some time to work with one of our great friends, actress Rosario Dawson on a new web series called Gemini Division that can be viewed at www.geminidivision.com.

?Yeah we did a web show called Gemini Division and there?s I think like 50 episodes, about three or four minutes each it?s gonna be on NBC.com and I think it premieres mid August. It was a lot of fun, everything was green screen, [but] I?ve seen little clips of it and I?m not kidding you, you can?t tell.

There?s a part where we?re supposed to be in Paris and it looks like we?re in Paris and we?re not we?re sitting in some tiny little sound stage with green paint behind us, it?s amazing it? really amazing, really talented

people.?

And so what was Justin?s take on our favorite wild and crazy celeb friend Rosario?

?I don?t know her that well, just from being on set with her but she?s very good at what she does and she?s hilarious. Hilarious! She doesn?t seem to be the kind of person who forgets where she comes from and is very gracious and generous and open and creative and wonderful to work with.?

Something tells me as time goes on the same will be proven true for Justin. Some actors out there have the looks, the talent and the fortune to be successful; Justin has all that plus the charm and humility to always appreciate it. I can?t wait to see what happens next for TheCinemaSource?s new favorite Actor To Watch!!!