Eric Balfour Works the Night Shift

Contrary to the admiration he inspires for roles in Six Feet Under and 24, as well as films The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Lie With Me, Eric Balfour, 31, is not quite a star yet, at least in his own mind. “I guess I haven’t really achieved a comfort level, where I feel like I’ll always have work. I’m always like, Oh my god! I got a job! That’s amazing!” says the hunk who played a mysterious biker in last summer’s Quentin Tarantino romp Hell Ride, and who clocks major screen time in this fall’s thriller The Horseman, directed by Jonas Åkerlund, not to mention Frank Miller’s supernatural cop film The Spirit, due in December. Equally shocking to the actor is his cachet as a model with a resume that includes the cover of L’Uomo Vogue and campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino’s male fragrance, Valentino V.

“I am completely self-conscious of my own face, and completely vain at the same time,” Balfour says. “I have the worst habit: If there’s a mirror, I can’t help but look at it. A lot of it comes from insecurity. Growing up, I wanted to look like one of those cute little WASP-y kids with the pug nose.” Worldwide affirmation of his swarthy good looks still hasn’t given Balfour permission to indulge in a full-on Hollywood lifestyle. “I’m such a bad celebrity,” he says. “When I go to premieres, I drive myself.” Here, Balfour stars as a watchman on graveyard patrol who rocks slick henchman and future punk looks--and blows his fuse--as the hours creep by. —Interview by Ariel Vered, photography by Miranda Penn Turin, styling by Bryan Levandowski

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