Young Number Two

Actor Rob Lowe is going to surprise you in his latest role. He co-stars in the new Austin Powers movie The Spy Who Shagged Me, playing the younger Robert Wagner character, Number Two. He joined CBS This Morning to talk about his new role and his friend, Mike Myers.

Rob Lowe began acting at age 8 in community theater and grew up to take roles in movies including Class, Oxford Blues, St. Elmo's Fire and About Last Night.

Rob plays Number Two, the younger version of the Robert Wagner character who is second in command to Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers sequel. The movie takes place in 1969, as Powers travels back in time in search of his sexual libido (his "mojo"), which has been stolen by Dr. Evil.

Myers and Lowe met in 1990 on Saturday Night Live, when Lowe hosted the show for the first time. "You meet all the writers in the cubbyholes, and I went up to Mike, and he asked if I wanted to do a Wayne's World skit or a Sprockets skit, and we just hit it off," he says.

Lowe has made a big splash with his impersonation of Robert Wagner, and he says he was surprised at the response. "This impersonation has always made my friends laugh, but I wasn't sure it would be received well," he says.

Wagner is among the fans of his Wagner impersonation. "He called me at 8:30 in the morning. He said, 'Kid, I saw the screening. I love you'," Lowe says, mimicking Wagner's voice. "It's impossible for me not to do the voice when I talk about him," Lowe adds.

Lowe actually has a cameo in the original Austin Powers movie in a bachelor party scene that is only seen on the DVD version.

"I've learned so much from Mike, and one thing I learned is that when you're halfway through the movie your jokes need to lead the story along, and that scene didn't move the story along," he says.

Lowe values his relationship with Meyers and with Lorne Michaels, creator of SNL. "I'm in their 'players group'," Lowe says. "It's great. Mike and Lorne have let me express my comic self that no one knew I had. Talent scouting is their talent."

Rob recently starred in the Atomic Train mini series. He just completed a pilot for a one-hour drama series The West Wing, and also wrote a movie Union Pacific, which he hopes to direct next summer.

Lowe has been married for eight years to makeup artist Sheryl Berkoff and is the father of two sons, ages 5 and 3. The older boy has seen Austin Powers, and his father isn't worried about the movie's double entrendres. "All the double takes are so far over hi head," he says. "He relates to the stuff that is geared to him."

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