While actor Andrew St. John has never been forced by his family to relocate to Africa, he says he can relate to his character, Jesse Weller, on the CW's Life is Wild.  Those who have been tuning in to the show since it premiered on Sunday, October 7, already know that Jesse, though now part of a complete family, is actually a product of a broken home, something which St. John is all too familiar with.

I came from [a broken home] myself,” St. John told The CW Source, “so [Jesse's situation] was pretty relatable, [with a] father not being in the picture.”

Andrew St. John, whose television credits include General Hospital, CSI, CSI: Miami, also said that although he is unsure about what the statistics are, he knows that many children and teens today are going through the same experience.

St. John's Jesse's family troubles, brought about by the incarceration of his father due to a political scandal, gets the best of him on Life is Wild, as he goes from an all-star student and athlete to a self-destructive “troubled youth.”  His relationship with his stepfather, Dr. Danny Clarke (D.W. Moffett) is strained, contributing to the tension in the household.

“Family life at home isn't doing well…  [Jesse's] mother [Jo Clarke, played by Stephanie Niznik], works a lot [and my] stepfather doesn't like the way the family's going… our home life is completely awry,” Andrew St. John explained.

So, Moffett's Danny does what he thinks will help breathe new life into his family: he relocates them to a South African game reserve run by his former father-in-law.

“In order to get a little bit of perspective, Danny decides moving to South Africa would be great thing, a great opportunity, for him to use his medicine to help others and… to… show [the family] a world outside of what we think is so important,” St. John said.

When asked why viewers should tune in to Life is Wild, Andrew St. John said that the show is not only a visual masterpiece, but also a well-written production suitable for family viewing.

“The scenery is absolutely beautiful and we have amazing writers writing for a brilliant cast that is doing absolutely a great job,” he said, ‘[and] it's a great family show that has really strong values and moral backbone.”


-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: The CW Source
(Image Courtesy of The CW)