Benjamin McKenzie, a “revelation”

Posted by Stef on August 06, 2003 | Filed under The O.C., TV News & Reviews | Browse the News Archives

The critics are raving about The O.C. The Miami Herald calls it “totally absorbing television.” The Kansas City Star says it’s “sexy and soapy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. [It] has something rarely seen on a “90210″ offspring — namely, people we actually care about.” The Calgary Sun calls it “possibly addictive” and “a great guilty pleasure.” The New York Post says “If this one doesn’t last, then I give up. It’s as good as TV soap gets.”

What’s more, the Chicago Sun-Times calls Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan Atwood) a “revelation” and hails his “star quality.” According to the Newark Star ledger, “McKenzie has the kind of charisma and screen presence to move up to the heavyweight ranks in short order.” But McKenzie downplays that praise. “We’re not doing Checkov or Ibsen, this is a drama on Fox,” McKenzie told the Associated Press. While he’s interested in “the conflict between (his character’s) past life and his future life,” he really took the job because “…I believed it would pay my rent, which I hadn’t been able to do.”

McKenzie isn’t the only one singled out for praise. The San Francisco Chronicle admires “how well the Cohens’ son is drawn. Here’s a teen character who’s not easily pigeonholed, which speaks well of the script and [Adam] Brody’s charm as an actor.”

Source: foxorangecounty.com