NEWTON'S
LAW

Cheating the Grim Reaper Helps MELROSE PLACE's John Haymes Newton Embrace Life

BY WILLIAM KECK

Concluding a provacative lunchtime dissertation on holistic healing methods, re-birthing techniques, walking on coals and proof of extraterrestial life, MELROSE PLACE star John Haymes Newton (Ryan) is in the middle of explaining his thoughts on a soul's journey through time and space when he glances down at his watch. Uh-oh. In just 15 minutes, he's scheduled to be across town to tape a segment of DONNY & MARIE. In an instant, the former SUPERBOY (see sidebar) undergoes a transformation - morphing from New-Age guru into Hollywood TV star. A paradox? Most definitely. Yet somehow, Newton manages to mesh his conflicting worlds with grace. Everything, he explains, is is as it should be.
     "I used to think, 'Ugh, I'm taking my shirt off for the sixth time' - every episode," sighs the single guy, who shares his alter ego's fear of commitment. "Bu tthen I thought, 'All right. This is what's hapenning. MELROSE PLACE is a show people like and this is what they want.' The moment I let things just be, life took off. I stopped struggling, let myself go and started flowing with the river." A river, we might mention, that has long been punctuated with whitewater rapids.
     The youngest of five children, Newton grew up in a conservative Catholic family in Chapel Hill, NC, where his mom still teaches school. Now the owner of 200 acres of land in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, the homegrown hunk remembers when the times were tough. "I came from the middle of the tracks - when the train was coming, I had to jump out of the way," he grins, displaying his boyish charm. "My dad left when I was like 4, so we were pretty much on our own and I was always getting into trouble."
     Contact with his father remained "limited" after Dad departed, but Newton managed to maintain close ties to the remainder of his kin, including sister Becky, whose work with animal genetics pits her directly against his own organic/vegetarian practices. "Don't get me started," he cautions, spooning his carrot soup at Santa Monica's Real Food Daily Cafe. "Betsy and I have gotten into many, many arguments over that. Basically, now we just let each other be and don't bother each other about it."
     A born rebel, Newton always felt more at home under the stars than he ever did confined to a fluorescent-lit classroom. He did poorly in school and continually questioned his place in the world. "I was a rebellious, angry kid, which was related to my father leaving, as well as a lot of things," he relates. "But it all gave me fuel to be an actor, so I'm grateful for everything."
     As he matured from boy to man, Newton never outgrew his attraction to thrill-seeking danger. "Statistically, I probably shouldn't still be here talking," grins the bodacious biker. "I ride all year 'round - in the snow in Chicago, in the rain. I've had 12 or more motorcycles during my life and a lot of close calls."
     Despite repeated brushes with the Grim Reaper, the cycle remains Newton's chief form of transportation on the L.A. freeway system, where every hour is rush hour. Race cars continue to inspire awe, and though we've all heard horror stories about hitchhiking, Newton doesn't think twice about extending his impeccably-manicured thumb to land a ride home. And with his looks, getting picked up (any way he wants) ain't a problem - though there was that one time: "Right before I got MELROSE, I rode with friends to New Mexico and ended up hitchhiking back to California," Newton recalls. "These four guys pulled up in this old, beat-up truck and I couldn't see who they were until they pulled over. They had liquor bottles in the car and looked as though they hadn't seen running water in a month. I'm not exaggerating. It was basically Deliverance - 'You've got a pretty mouth, now git in the truck!' I was quick on my feet. I said, 'Oh, I'm waiting to hitch a ride with my friends, but I totally appreciate you stopping, man.' It was hard for me to say, 'No.' I didn't want to insult them, but if I'd gotten in there, I don't know what might have happened."
     You have to question just how accidental Newton's endless series of close calls are, in light of a very intentional near-death experience he had a few years back in the South American jungle. "A shaman [holy man] led me on a journey called Ayahuasca - the dead-man's vine," he explains. "You go into the jungle, fast and then drink the herb that takes you into your own death to experience what it's like on the other side. It actually stops the heart. Breathing stops sometimes. It removes all the veils and lets you see what it's like to die, and it's nothing like you think it is. It's done with your eyes closed, but you see everything. You see your body. You see who you really are."
     Newton credits this "journey of a lifetime" with altering his perception of the world. "it's changed everything for me," proclaims the actor, who meditates two hours every day. "I don't take anything for granted. Every breath is a gift from the spirit. If I were to die tomorrow, I would be completely fulfilled, because I did everything I wanted to do. Now, it's just gravy!"
     And with that, Newton grabs his gloves, sprints out onto the Santa Monica street, straddles his cycle and speeds off to chat with rock 'n' roll-lovin' Donny and country-music-craving Marie. Though his flawless smile is about all he shares in common with the musical Mormons, Newton can relate to their dichotomous dilemna: He's a little bit holistic, he's a little bit Hollywood.