The OC's Adam Brody tells how he's dealing with screaming fans and starring alongside Brad Pitt. Not bad for a nerd...

With so many gorgeous men to choose from, it comes as a bit of a surprise that the real pin-up of The OC is geeky Seth Cohen . No-one is more shocked, however, than the one-time Blockbuster video assistand, Adam Brody, who plays the awkward nerd. In reality, Adam is far cooler than his OC counterpart. As well as some pretty impressive surfing skills, he plays drums in what he describes as a 'wannabe indie rock band' and he got the girl off-screen as well as on - he's dating co-star Rachel Bilson who plays Summer, although he prefers not to talk about it. Even Rachel has to admit that Adam's boyish arrogance has a way of getting you hooked on him. 'When I first met Adam I was thinking, "Ohhhkaaay, *******!" But when a guy can make fun of you, that's attractive. Who knew that teasing could have so much power over a woman?' B caught up with Adam to see if we could resist his cheeky charms...

So Adam, is it tough being part of a celebrity couple?
'To what couple are you referring? All right. Let's just put a stop to this. Keira Knightley and I are not dating.'

No, we're talking about Rachel Bilson!
[He shrugs] 'I work with some beautiful ladies!'

So you're luckier with the ladies than Seth is?
'I like to think i'm a little steadier on my feet with girls, but other than that i'm pretty similar to Seth. We're into the same things, ane we even dress the same. Sometimes the other cast members ask me if i'm dressed in costume when we're just rehearsing a scene.'

Does it feel weird having screaming girls writing your name across their chests?
'You know how in The Fugitive, when Harrison Ford hears sirens, he'll just subtly steer the other way? I do that when I see groups of girls. It's weird. Girls always want a hug, and i'm not a very huggy person. I'll be at a mall and there'll be an assembly line of girls who want an embrace, like i'm Santa.'

How are you dealing with the fame?
'It's fun, you know. Hollywood is a town where you can pretend you don't know who anyone is. So it works out because everyone just minds their own business for the most part. I wouldn't go to any malls outside of where I live, really. But it's not too bad, you sign a few autographshere and there. Actually, a few months ago I was in the supermarket buying toilet paper, when I saw Queen Latifah across the aisle, and she was like, "OOOOOOOOO CCCCCCCCC!" Now that was awesome.'

How does it feel playing the geek?
'We call him a geek because he's into comics and might wear a button-up, but truthfully is he that nerdy? Is he that socially inept? Not really. He's a little goofy but he has a great sense of humour.

Is that what attracted you to the role of Seth?
'I actually read for Ryan first, but I said i'd rather be Seth. Ben does a great job. But to tell the truth, I don't have that weight on my shoulders. Seth gets the best of both worlds, in the sense that he gets to be light on his feet and at the same time he gets his dramatic moments. You know, I feel if I was on a sitcom I would want to be serious. If I was on a drama I would want to tell a joke, so this character rides the line well.'

Were your parents laid-back like Seth's?
'My dad is a lawyer, my mom is a graphic artist. But they are both kind of liberal. My parents have done a lot of good things that I think Sandy and Kirsten would have done to Seth growing up.'

What kinds of things?
'My mom and dad never let me or my brother buy toy guns and shoot each other. At the time I was so pissed off. We would just go and make weapons out of anything we could fashion. But in hindsight, I think it was awesome what Mom did. I am so glad she did it.'

So you star alongside Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr. And Mrs. Smith?
'I got press for it, but it's kind of a lie. I make two scenes. The way people are talking about it you'd think it was an "Adam Brody - Brad Pitt buddy cop movie.'

Still, not bad for someone who started out working in Blockbusters?
'I was at a low point then. I'd look at these kids in the movie posters and think, wow, that really looks like a life. What sucks is, as your achievements go up, your goals go up too. When I first moved to LA, my biggest fear was that i'd be so busy I wouldn't make it to acting class...'

Adam spent his teen years like many other Californian teens. He lived the Californian dream - surfing, swimming, sunning and hanging out with his friends. Surfing was important to him while he was growing up and venturing into the world of professional surfing was one of his dreams.

Every actor has been influenced by some production or movie, something which gives them that ambition to become an actor. For Adam this movie was 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'. He told TV Guide Online "I always walked by [the VHS box] on the shelf and thought [of leads Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Philippe], 'Those kids have it made.' Not only that but he had a huge crush on the Jennifer Love Hewitt. His love for acting developed at a late stage and came as a huge surprise to his parents. His father's reaction to it was 'All right, have fun being a waiter.' But Adam was determined to make it.

In the January of 1999 he moved to Hollywood. On getting there he hired an acting coach and signed up to a manager. Adam wasn't your usual teen heartthrob with his geeky skateboarder looks but the jobs were coming in at a good rate. He landed small roles in commercials, pilots and soaps and this eventually led to him being cast as Barry Williams in the movie ‘Growing Up Brady’. This role came a year after he'd moved to Hollywood.

His determination was beginning to pay off. Soon he was casted as the lead in MTV's ‘Now What?’ and landed other roles in TV- shows: Once and Again, Gilmore Girls, Judging Amy, Family Law and Smallville. He is currently staring as the loveable and ever geeky Seth Cohen in The O.C along with Benjamin McKenzie, Peter Gallagher and Rachel Bilson.

His Curriculum Vite is ever growing. He's stared in the movies 'Growing Up Brady', 'The Ring', 'Missing Brendan', 'Grind' and 'American Pie 2'.

Taken from Melroze