The 352 is now represented on prime-time television.
ABC’s new drama, “How to Get Away with Murder,” premiered Thursday and has Gator alumnus Lenny Platt on its cast list playing quarterback Griffin O’Reilly.
The 2006 criminology graduate said he still has the Gainesville phone number that came with a new phone he bought as a student.
“I kept the number proudly,” the 30-year-old said. “I have no plans to change it.”
Before settling in Gainesville, Platt was born in Philadelphia, where he lived until moving to Orlando at 11 years old. With Universal Studios and Disney World practically in his backyard, he was exposed to film and TV, he said.
“I was immersed in it,” he said. “It fueled my appetite for cinematic and dramatic arts.”
At UF, he took classes in criminology for his major, mass communication for his minor and theater — just for fun, he said.
A lover of crime shows like “Dexter,” he said his most memorable UF class was forensics. But then he would write, direct and act in a former student film club. He melded his studies and passions, becoming a law student at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in Manhattan and an actor, where he typically played alleged criminals in shows like “Law and Order: SVU.”
“It was all helpful background,” Platt said. “I’m glad I went to a school as rich and vibrant as UF.”
Outside the classroom, he met lifelong friends in the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity and his now-fiancee, a graduate of the School of Journalism and Communications.
Platt’s brother Chris, a 20-year-old UF telecommunication sophomore, said some of his brother’s experiences influenced his decision to attend UF.
“Lenny always said his college years were some of the best of his life and that this school gave him some lifetime friends,” Chris said. “I feel some solidarity with him now that I’m a Gator. I can relate to him more, and I try to catch him up about what’s changing here.”
Platt said while he knew he wanted to pursue acting, he strived to become a well-rounded person, adding entertainment lawyer and BBQ Film event production company partner to his resume.
Being a Gator also had a hand in his character building. The UF community may notice some similarities between Tim Tebow and Platt’s character O’Reilly — including their haircuts.
“I modeled Griffin, a star athlete, after Tebow,” Platt said. “Tebow is Christian, a quarterback and a rock star on the field. But of course Tebow would never be embroiled in a murder mystery.”
Fourteen million people tuned into the “How to Get Away with Murder” pilot featuring names like Academy Award nominee Viola Davis.
“I watched the show last week and giggled to myself when my brother briefly popped up,” Chris said. “I’m rooting for him even though he’s likely a murderer.”
Journalism interim chair and associate professor Ted Spiker also watched the show. He met Platt and his fiancee when they were at UF, and they keep in touch.
“I was thrilled to see Lenny on the show Thursday,” Spiker wrote in an email. “Lenny is so humble and passionate about what he does, and I’ve always loved that he embraces all kinds of new adventures. This is a great new one for him.”
Platt said while working on the show is daunting, he is excited to see his character grow in substance. Seeing the show’s ads on subways and taxis is humbling and surreal, he said.
“A couple of nights after we saw ‘How to Get Away With Murder,’ my wife and I were flipping through the channels,” Spiker said. “When we hit a rerun of ‘Law & Order,’ she said, ‘Wait, that’s Lenny.’ And there he was on that show, too. And I think that’s the way it’s going to be — we are all going to see a whole lot of him.”
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 9/30/2014]
