Eric Winter — The Bare Magazine

When it comes to Eric Winter, a hundred different descriptions could be used to identify who he is. You could highlight his role as Collin the handsome doctor from The Ugly Truth, or Tim the stern cop with a soft spot for Lucy in The Rookie. You also have his podcast with his wife, his viral TikTok presence, and now his new Rum line called Palm Republic which launches June 15th. Eric’s talent is truly limitless, and it was wonderful hearing how he manages to juggle it all and still be a loving father and husband. They say the sky’s the limit, but I think Eric can challenge that notion.

The Bare Magazine: There’s so much to highlight with your career. You have the new season of The Rookie, the launch of your rum business, the podcast with your wife, where you give more sincere love advice than Gerald Butler in the Ugly Truth, and you probably navigate TikTok better than most Gen-Zers. How do you manage to intertwine everything and on top of that be a pretty family oriented guy?

Eric Winter: It starts with family. As long as I can work around my family and our schedules, everything starts to line up. I get to do the podcast obviously with my wife, which is great. And the rum has been a giant undertaking which is totally new for me to jump out and start a business but I have great partners, investors and people involved which takes some of the stress off but it’s still a lot because I’m diving into a world I have never really dived into before.

Bare: What led you to get into the rum-business and launch Palm Republic?

EW: I’ve been passionate about Rum for quite a long time. My wife is Puerto Rican and I remember the first time I was going to meet her in-laws my first week in Puerto Rico and we sat and talked for a while drinking Rum and I realized, “Wow, okay, rum is a big deal here in Puerto Rico,” without realizing that it’s the spirit of the Caribbean and South America and just Latin America in general. So I started to dive in more, explore rums after I got into it with the family there.

I went into premium rums and premium rums are just few and far between as far as access to a bunch of them in the US. At some point I went to my wife and said I think we should find a way to get into the rum business. It’s a space that’s growing, the premiumization of rum. I loved the idea of Palm Republic that I worked on with my partner Brad and I just loved the idea of Palm Republic being a blend of rums from different cultures because it reminded me of my wife and I.

Launching June 15th available for pre order now: Palm Republic

Bare: I’ve noticed a lot of celebrities tapping into the spirits industry from, Kylie Jenner to Dylan Sprouse. Why do you think that’s the case?

EW: It started with George Clooney as one of the first celebrities to jump into the spirits world and people saw that he did incredibly well with Casa Migos. We haven’t fully launched yet but as I go out and talk about it I really want to speak to the consumer and say look I am someone in the entertainment world but I happen to have a rum. I don’t want this to be portrayed as just another celebrity spirit. I even have a fun social campaign I put together saying that the rum is the star. The real celebrity here is the rum.

Celebrities have been trying to brand build for quite some time in a lot of different sectors and it makes sense. People want to feel involved with their favorite celebrity and what they're out there promoting. Spirits saw such a strong growth because of that, but especially in the tequila sector, which is out of control. So for me, rum really was about a passion that I wanted to pursue and bring to market as a way of bringing people together and reminding you of your favorite escape or your favorite vacation, your time at the beach, which is a lot of times when people are drinking rum. I think we’re going to continue seeing celebrities tap into the space but it’s all about the story.

Bare: Is your family is very grounding force in your life? Would you consider spending time with them a form of self care?

EW: I could be hustling and grinding and work all day long, but if I'm not at home, or making my family happy at home, then I don't really enjoy what I'm out there doing on the work front as much. That's why it's always been such a priority to me. It’s weird. I'm not happy unless my family is happy - it makes me happier. It makes me want to push harder and work harder - for the kids.

Bare: Were your kids part of the reason you got into the TikTok world? Do you feel in general that being on TikTok gives you a different interaction with your audience and fans?

EW: TikTok is its own beast and I never wanted to do it and was completely against it. My wife was doing it, my kids aren't allowed to have TikTok but knew a lot about it from friends and school. My wife started doing research on TikTok and told me, “Eric, you have no idea how big The Rookie is on TikTok.” I started meeting people when I was out who would stop me to tell me they found my show because of TikTok.

My wife kept telling me I have to get on TikTok and I kept telling her I’m not doing it as I thought it was only really dancing and never realized what the platform really offered. But I got on it and did a few things related to The Rookie that went viral but it’s like I have this alter-ego.

I have my Instagram page which shows my life and work, but then I go on TikTok and I’m following these viral trends and people are responding to that. It caught people off guard especially those who watch me on the Rookie because my character is so serious, and they now see me acting like a goofball and they related to it all of the sudden.

Bare: You’ve played very different characters in each show/film you’ve starred in, who would you say, if any, would you feel is most similar to you?

EW: That’s a tough one but probably my character in The Ugly Truth. I wanted to be a doctor when I was younger and was a pre-med student going down that path before I got into acting. My character was a doctor, and he was a nice guy. Unfortunately, in that movie he didn’t get the girl and in my life, I got the girl. But I think there are things I can relate to with Bradford in The Rookie: his loyalty to his family, the people he cares about and his job. But he is very far from who I am as a person. Which is why I think this role is very special to me because I was sort of an underdog.

Most people when I was going through the process to get this role told me I would never get it. They just thought I was too nice. I had worked with a lot of people that were involved in this project and even from other projects who told me I was wasting my time. I was able to prove people wrong, which was amazing for me. The creator saw that in me on my very first audition with him and he always says he knew from the beginning that I was the guy.

Bare: No matter what character you step into your skin always looks great! Are there any skincare products that have come into your life from your acting career?

EW: I was not the best at skincare for years. My wife got me into it. I have to be careful working on different projects because I have very sensitive skin. So, I tried everything for years and in my 20s. I’ve become very mindful of the products I use and making sure the first ingredient is water. My wife started telling me to get into facials and treatments too and that helped with collagen production. So, I started doing some good stuff with taking care of my skin more regularly.

Bare: Have you developed any new self-care practices since becoming a father and a husband?

EW: Massive when it comes to diet and nutrition. We are very much aware of not eating the high fructose corn syrups and making sure everything's not just organic, but with the right ingredients and making sure animals are hormone-free, soy-free and things like that.