As the honorary Cohen on FOX's soapy hit "The O.C.," actor Ben McKenzie became an overnight sensation poised for tabloid notoriety. Surprisingly, he's since kept a low profile (with the exception of 2005's indie charmer Junebug). He's now back and ready to trade in his 15 minutes for 88 Minutes, a new crime thriller starring Al Pacino. Say hello to our not-so-little friend.

In a faraway land, not so long ago, there lived a royal family who threw lavish balls, wore costumes made from the richest of fabrics, and ate their weight in bagels. The princess, a recovering alcoholic, was killed off in season three. Her younger sister was a raging bitch. The court jester, for whom summer was more than a season, doodled his days away with comic books. But what of Prince Ryan, he who held court over the bottle-blonde denizens of Newport Beach on FOX's primetime phenomenon "The O.C."? For starters, 29-year-old Ben McKenzie ditched the Chino schtick to tackle Amy Adams, figuratively, in 2005's widely-praised indie Junebug. He then flew below the radar, both on and off camera, managing to escape the trappings that so often swallow young Hollywood whole. This week, the articulate actor blasts onto the silver screen with 88 Minutes, a popcorn-throwing nailbiter starring Al Pacino, Leelee Sobieski, and Alicia Witt. Up next, he'll anchor Johnny Got His Gun, a heady mix of Samuel Beckett's Happy Days, Lars Von Trier's Dogville, and Pat Barker's Regeneration. Below, McKenzie comes clean about his near-death experience with Pacino, his aversion to underwear, and his brush with becoming this generation's Luke Perry.