Why we're addicted to the O.C.: there's nothing more tempting to women than a though-acting hottie with a tender side. And therein lies the reason we can't tear our eyes away from Benjamin McKenzie's irresistible alter ego, Ryan Atwood.(Cosmo interview)(Interview)

* If you're like the rest of us, from 9 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, you let the answering machine pick up calls from anyone who has the nerve to ring during such a sacred hour. That time slot is dedicated solely to the Fox phenomenon The O.C. A big reason: Benjamin McKenzie, who plays Ryan Atwood, a hunk from the seedy side of the tracks. And if loving the bad boy is wrong, we don't want to be right. But we have good news. Although he plays a rebel on TV, in real life this 25-year-old hottie is sweet and humble. That probably has something to do with the fact that the Austin, Texas, native landed in Hollywood almost two years ago after performing in plays at the University of Virginia, where he majored in economics and foreign affairs. He moved to New York on a whim following graduation, waited tables, and did some theater. Then, when it buddy in L.A. suggested he come out, Benjamin packed up two suitcases and headed West, where he remained on his friend's floor for a year before landing his life-changing role. And this is only the beginning.

[Cosmo] What's been the most surreal moment of this quick rise to fame?

[Ben] Going back to New York on a chartered plane to do press for the show. We had chauffeurs, were put up in a ...