COSMO Q & A.(actor Rob Lowe)(Brief Article)(Interview)

Rob Lowe on surviving idol status and making a killer comeback

At 19, Rob Lowe burst onto the scene in his first feature, The Outsiders, and quickly established himself as the reigning heartthrob of the '80s. With his sky blue eyes and chiseled good looks, Lowe's image occupied the bedroom walls--and sexual fantasies--of his female fans. Then came the notorious Hollywood Brat Pack, a group of hard-partying actors that Rob hung out with and appeared alongside in films like St. Elmo's Fire and About Last Night. But all that halted in 1989, when Lowe was caught on video having sex with a minor. He suffered setbacks from the incident, but Rob restarted his career by switching to comedy, starring in the blockbuster Wayne's World and the two Austin Powers flicks.

Now, he's back to his sex-symbol roots playing the hunky Sam Seaborn, the White House deputy communications director on NBC's megahit series The West Wing. We caught up with the 36-year-old happily married father of two (Matthew, 7, and John Owen, 5) in his trailer on the Los Angeles set of The West Wing. Unshaven and dressed in black jeans and a pullover, Rob reveals the one thing he would never wish on his worst enemy and why fame is even sweeter the second time around.

Q: What do you find sexy in a woman?

A: I'm a sucker for a pretty face.

Q: Yeah, but you're older and wiser now. Is it still only physical?

A: No, when you're younger, you want a highstimulus lifestyle and a woman who is simpatico with that. But now, I also need someone who can hold up her end of the conversation. And I have that with my wife, Sheryl.