Beautiful People 2002: Daniel Franzese

The three directors who Brooklyn-born Daniel Franzese has always wanted to work with are Larry Clark, John Waters and Todd Solondz, so when Clark was scouting for actors for his film Bully, based on a famous Florida teen-murder case, Franzese accosted Clark in a club and told him he was a fan of his work. The director was a bit put off, but let him audition for the part. "He came in for a reading, and he was spectacular," recalls Clark. "He blew everybody else away." Franzese gained 30 pounds in a few weeks for the role of the hulking, video-game playing killer Derek Dzvirko. While filming in Fort Lauderdale, where the actual crime took place, he almost came face-to-face with the real Derek, who had recently been released from jail and was hounding the set.

This year Franzese got his second dose of wish-fulfillment -- co-starring with John Waters in Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat, Herschell Gordon Lewis's sequel to the legendary 1963 gore classic. He plays a future altar boy who Waters, in the role of a priest, hits on at a wedding. Still, the actor hasn't found his ideal role yet. "Musical comedy is really my forte," admits Franzese. "I'm doing all this drama, because I'll never have to work against type. I think I would be the best in some sketch-comedy show." Paging Todd Solondz!

Danny wears a jacket, shirt and tie by Ecko, pants by South Pole, socks by Annica Adams and shoes by Puma.