It's Geek to Me

Russell Crowe lookalike Ryan Atwood may be the lead hunk on Fox's surprise teen hit ''The O.C.'' But his curly-haired, dry-witted best bud, Seth -- played by 23-year-old Adam Brody -- is grabbing more than his share of moments in the California sun. Brody (who has been compared to a young Tom Hanks) tells EW.com about his character's future, his previous gig on ''The Gilmore Girls,'' and life as a ''non-famous'' actor.

What attracted you to ''The O.C.''?
The truth is, us non-famous kids have to go out and audition. Pilot season for someone who auditions is about going out for as many things as you can and seeing what sticks. Thankfully, I got stuck to something good, 'cause there's plenty of bad ones.

Besides its success, what are you enjoying about the show?
They let you have a lot of creative input. Every episode I find four things in it that I've said in real life to Josh [Schwartz], the creator. One of my favorite bands is Death Cab For Cutie, and in the next script I'm listening to a song by them and talking about them. I grew up surfing, and I told them I'd have a lot more fun doing surfing scenes rather than sailing scenes. The next day there were all these surfboards in my room. He's done that for everyone.

Josh said you were less geeky than what he imagined for the part. Do you know what he's talking about?
He's talking about me being incredibly f---ing handsome, and having to cast me because I'm also incredibly talented. Don't print that. [laughs] Believe me, there's plenty of geek going on. I do think they imagined Josh being even more awkward. But as the show progresses, I've gotten to wear cooler clothes and stuff. The spin I put on it is that he's an outsider, but it's as much Seth's choice as it is the group not letting him.

Does the diminishing geek factor up the chances we'll see Seth get together with Summer?
The way it's progressed, it does seem totally possible. It's sort of a love/hate relationship. I think I get a little confident, we have it out, and by the time she decides to like me, I don't know if Seth might have moved on by then or not.

You're 23, and playing a teenager. How worried are you about falling into the ''90210'' trap, where you're 30 and still acting as a 19-year-old?
That was my biggest concern about doing the show. Those people on ''90210'' didn't look old -- for their age. But you start looking too old to be carrying a backpack, and your hair starts receding a little bit -- which it does at 25, but isn't supposed to at 16. But we're all in our 20s, except for Mischa [Barton], so I'm not the old one. Josh was actually going to make us seniors in high school if Fox okayed it, and I was jumping for joy. But we're juniors, Goddamn it. [laughs] Josh did say that he won't keep us in the same grade two years in a row. He has the same concerns.

How do you feel about Ryan Atwood being sold as the next Luke Perry or Russell Crowe?
I heard he's the reincarnation of Forest Whitaker. I don't know where you got your information.

How would you compare ''The O.C.'' to ''The Gilmore Girls''?
I'll say this very simply, so I don't get into any trouble: I have a hundred times more creative input on this show than I did on ''Gilmore Girls'' -- than anyone does on ''Gilmore Girls.'' Other than that, the style is different, so the style of acting changes. ''Gilmore Girls'' is really fast-paced, and on ''The O.C.,'' you get more beats in there. Sometimes I'll be going really fast, doing ''Gilmore Girls,'' and they'll be like, ''Slow down.'' Sorry, wrong show.

You Might Also Like

• TV Review The O.C. | Gillian Flynn
• Review The O.C. | Gillian Flynn
• TV Review The O.C. | Gillian Flynn
• TV Review The O.C. | Carina Chocano
• EW 1000: TV TV: 25 New Classic Holiday Episodes
• 5 Reasons to Live Catching up with ''The O.C.'' | Ken Tucker