Media > Articles > Ben McKenzie Who the Hell is This EOnline Benjamin McKenzie: From the NY to The O.C. He's being called the next Russell Crowe. And certainly, his breathtaking good looks will make a few teens swoon. But ask Benjamin McKenzie what helped him land a breakthrough role on Fox's new drama The O.C., and his answer my surprise you. "I had sort of an F-you vibe," says the babyfaced actor born Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan. "Everyone else had come to audition and kissed the asses of [producers] McG and Doug Liman--which they should in a sense, because they're so accomplished. But I just didn't. I went in and did my thing, and I don't know, I guess they liked it." A fair assumption, given that McKenzie beat out countless heartthrobs for the leading role in the ultra-hip Fox series some are calling the next Beverly Hills, 90210. He plays Ryan Atwood, a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who gets a new lease on life when he moves in with his public defender (Peter Gallagher) in the affluent seaside town of Newport Beach, California. McKenzie, a native Texan who worked New York's off-Broadway circuit before landing his first TV role in The O.C., insists his own high school experience was very different from the glam fest on the show. Which got us wondering... What was he like in high school? "I've always been kind of a loner. Continue to be. So, in that sense, Ryan and I are the same. I played football in Texas, but I didn't really hang out with the jocks. I did honors courses, but I didn't hang out with those kids, either. I sort of had my own group I hung with occasionally, but I've always been kind of by myself." Sounds like that came across in the audition. Why the "F-you vibe"? "I don't know. I was over the whole situation for some reason. I had been here for a year--almost exactly--and I was just getting my feet wet in television and film. I didn't know what I was doing. I still don't know what I am doing. So, I was just getting an agent, just trying to understand what this experience is about, the whole game." And now, in his first TV gig, he's carrying a high-profile show. Must be scary. "Yeah, sort of. I'm learning on the job, which is actually a fantastic way to learn. It's like acting camp. You just show up, and you get to do drama, comedy, romance. You get to play a wonderful, interesting character in many different ways. I don't think we're limiting him to just brooding, intense angst. We're allowing him to be funny and sharp and sensitive. All these wonderful things, so I love it--I love it." Who is most being compared to? "I don't know--James Dean...Russell Crowe. Listen, you're going to be compared to actors when you have no credits like I do. And so, to be compared to actors who are as accomplished as those guys--I mean, you can hardly argue with that. It's tremendously flattering." True. It's not like he's being compared to Carrot Top. "Exactly. Which I've never gotten before, dammit, because I'm just not good with the props." --Kristin Veitch 2003 Virtual Rain. This is an unofficial fansite with no relation to FOX, Warner Brothers, or any of their associates. This is just a fansite opened for the purpose of exposing the show "The O.C" to new fans across the internet. Original copyright of all photos remain to FOX/WB and are used purely for the purpose of enjoying the show and furthering its fanbase.