Rick Springfield talks Meryl Streep, summer tour and new album

Springfield chatted recently from his home in California about his unlikely collaboration with one of film's greatest living actresses in "Ricki and the Flash," the Jonathan Demme-directed, Diablo Cody-penned movie opening Friday ( check out photos from the movie's premiere earlier this week ).

While Springfield’s acting career has zigzagged from “General Hospital” to “Hot in Cleveland” to “Californication,” “Ricki” marks his first major movie role since starring in 1984’s “Hard to Hold,” in which he played a narcissistic pop star.

In the film — which is more about family drama than rock ‘n’ roll revelry — Springfield plays Greg, the tender-hearted guitarist and boyfriend to Streep’s Ricki.

On the movie’s set, Streep used her musical connections wisely. Even though she had a guitar teacher to help her learn the blistering licks of the Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen songs she and the Flash play in the movie, Streep frequently turned to Springfield for insight.

“She would ask really intelligent questions, like how does this look when playing and singing? People work at that for years, and she had two months to figure it out,” Springfield said. “I learned from her how not to be afraid of things.”

While Springfield’s legion of intensely loyal female fans will thrill at the sight of his age-defying biceps and bare torso in a couple of scenes, they will also have to get used to seeing their heartthrob, who turns 66 this month, with a more grizzled look.

“They didn’t want ‘Rick Springfield’ (for the movie) and neither did I. So they wanted me to grow a beard and let some of the gray come out in my hair. This guy (Greg) is a working musician. I’m totally up for all of that stuff,” Springfield said.

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Even with the pepper-shaded beard and uncoiffed hair, Springfield’s signature smile and twinkle in his eye are prevalent throughout his performance.

The multi-hyphenate performer is seemingly all about not looking like himself these days. “True Detective” viewers may or may not have recognized him as the intensely creepy psychiatrist Dr. Irving Pitlor on the HBO show, a role that Springfield couldn’t discuss due to signing a nondisclosure agreement about his participation in the super-secretive series.

But in his other life, that of author of two books (his memoir “Late, Late at Night” and the fictional “Magnificent Vibration”), underrated guitarist and crafter of 16 Top 40 hits including “Human Touch,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “Affair of the Heart” and the Teflon-plated “Jessie’s Girl,” Springfield is still very much the casually cool rock star.

Last summer was spent touring with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, and this year, Springfield has enlisted the Romantics (“What I Like About You”) and Loverboy (“Working for the Weekend” and about a dozen other radio faves) to join him on the road.

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

The threesome will visit Chastain Park Amphitheatre on Aug. 29.

“It’s a good show because there are a lot of hits, and I think that’s what people come to those shows to see,” Springfield said.

Indeed, Springfield knows his audience. But he’s also received plenty of support for his sturdy recent releases, 2012’s “Songs for the End of the World” and a “Stripped Down” album earlier this year that includes, along with intimate acoustic versions of his hits, the quirky ditty “If Wishes Were Fishes.”

In October, Springfield will release “Mayhem,” which he said contains some country elements, including songs written with his buddy Jay DeMarcus from Rascal Flatts.

“Rock and pop have gone to Nashville, and a lot of these players grew up listening to me and people like me,” Springfield said. “I love great songs and I think the best songs are coming out of Nashville now. It’s the healthy future of music.”