Surprising honor for ex-Brat Pack star

Surprise! Andrew McCarthy Is an Award-Winning Writer

McCarthy at the "Shrek Forever After" premiere in April.

Jim Spellman/WireImage

Eighties heartthrob Andrew McCarthy has a second career as a travel writer, and he's a surprisingly successful one at that: The actor has been named the 2010 Travel Journalist of the Year in the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition.
McCarthy, the ex-Brat Packer and upper-class suitor of Molly Ringwald in "Pretty in Pink," was singled out for his articles in National Geographic, Bon Appetit, Islands, Afar and Travel + Leisure, Poynter Online reports. (You can read McCarthy's stories all in one place on his official blog.)
On top of that, his work has been commended not once but twice in the "Best American Travel Writing" series in the 2007 and 2008 editions (for the stories, "The Longest Way Home" and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.")
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In his 2,835-word piece "The Longest Way Home," the actor returned to his Irish roots on an expedition for National Geographic Traveler. His writing in the piece is no-nonsense yet evocative, describing foggy countryside and friendly natives in sparse, elegant detail. McCarthy wrote of his journey through Ireland:
"There's a certain moment in every memorable journey, often recognized only in hindsight, when the trip you are on presents itself, and the one you thought you were taking or had planned is jettisoned. It's then that you begin really traveling, not merely touring."
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His travel assignments have also taken him to Spain, Maui, Rome and in search of the black pearl in the South Pacific.
Who knew? (Not us!) The 47-year-old star is far more famous for lugging around a dead guy in "Weekend at Bernie's" and, more recently, for his roles in the TV shows "Lipstick Jungle," and the USA Network hit "Royal Pains." McCarthy's other movie highlights include "St. Elmo's Fire," "Less Than Zero," and "Mannequin."
When he's not acting, he writes and writes and writes. Sometimes his far-flung assignments bring him into bigtime danger zones. While on a job in Ethiopia for the travel magazine "Afar," McCarthy was held at gunpoint for entering an underground church without proper documentation. McCarthy was escorted out of the church by a guard, whose gun was pointed at his back.
"I thought [the guard's] reaction to my offense was extreme; I tried to say as much," McCarthy wrote of the incident. "He grunted something in Amharic and prodded me with the tip of his rifle."
Fortunately, the guard let him go after some locals rushed to McCarthy's defense.
The "Afar" article, published last February, was the result of an editorial stunt by the magazine to spin a globe, pick a random spot and send the reporter there. The scare in Ethiopia "was just the kind of thing that happens when you show up alone in a distant country without a plan," McCarthy wrote.
But, as is often the case with unpleasant experiences, it makes for a good story. And now he's got an awesome award for his globetrotting fearlessness.
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Refresh your memory of Andrew McCarthy's Brat-Pack era with a clip from "Pretty in Pink":