Now I'm So Very Happy Being Exactly Who I Am

No kidding. It's great to be young.
And handsome. And star on a top TV show.
And have a girlfriend named Julia Roberts.
In other words, it's great to be Benjamin Bratt.

rowing up, Benjamin Bratt was asked the same question everywhere he went: "Well, are you?" No, he says, he's not a brat. But yes, he is one of TV's sexiest stars, now in his fourth season playing detective Rey Curtis on NBC's acclaimed police drama Law & Order. And yes, at 35, he's "very passionate." And oh, yes, he's awfully happy as Julia Roberts' beau.

With a name like Bratt, were you teased as a kid?

You've got to know it went hard for me as a kid with a name like that. ... [In singsong voice] "Bratt, Bratt, you little brat ..."

Did you think of changing it when you went into acting?

Why would I? It's a great name.

Newspapers these days are full of details about all the meals you've had in restaurants with Julia.

They're getting it all wrong, too. I try not to read things. I'll just get upset.

You say you're passionate, but do you think you're romantic?

Romance comes from having an open heart. That's a gift my mother gave me - to be open to everything and everyone. That open heart allows me to be myself. I'm passionate about my life, the people I love, my faith, my friends.

And Julia? Describe her for us.

She's just the best. Nothing else can be said.

But your relationship has become the biggest romance in the history of the world. We need to know more.

You know what I'd say? I'd say ... [pause]. Give me 15 seconds. [18 seconds of silence on this reporter's tape recorder] OK, I'll say ... [six more silent seconds]. I'd say she inspires me.

Yes? Yes?

[Pause] She inspires me to do good and to be good, not just in my profession or in my relationship with friends, but in all of my life.

Of all the pairs of Law & Order detectives, who are your favorites?

You've got to know my favorite pair is Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt. [That pair] gives me job security here.

You and Orbach are together all day for filming. Are you two having fun?

Jerry is full of stories. When he's regaling you, he starts off by saying, "Stop me if I've told you this one." I've had to stop him. But sometimes, I'll let him go on because he's such a great storyteller and joke-teller. It's his delivery. He'll say: "Horse walks into a bar. Bartender says, 'Why the long face?' " Then he'll say, "Skeleton says to a bartender, 'Give me a beer ... and a mop.' " He can tell jokes like that for hours and have people on the floor.

You and Jerry often film scenes at New York hot-dog stands. Do you like the food?

One morning, I had this sick feeling in my stomach. It must have been chicken I ate the night before. Then we did 17 takes at a pretzel stand. Pretzels and mustard at 7:30 a.m. - I was dying! But there's an actor's trick. You stick it in this little pocket in your mouth, hold on to it and spit it out. It's actor's bulimia.

As a kid, did you ever want to be a cop?

No. But a fireman, yes. I had a fascination with fire. And I wanted to be a race-car driver. I wanted to be Speed Racer. Then I wanted to be Bruce Lee. Now I'm so very happy being exactly who I am.

Is there a cop show you liked when you were young?

As a kid I used to watch The Rookies. And of course I had a crush on Angie Dickinson in Police Woman.

Your mom, a Peruvian Indian, is an activist for Native American causes. Did you really spend part of your childhood on Alcatraz?

The Indian movement sort of consumed her life. Alcatraz was a federal penitentiary until 1963. Then in 1969, [Indian activists] unearthed a treaty saying unoccupied federal land could be taken over by indigenous people. As a political gesture, they staked claim. For over a year, we'd go there two or three days a week. I slept everywhere. I even slept in a jail cell. For a 5-year-old kid, it was the most incredible playground.

Have you ever visited Peru?

Yes, I just went to Cuzco over Christmas with my brother, sister and cousin. It's an amazing, historically rich city. We took the Inca trail and camped out at the ruins. We got a firsthand idea of our heritage, and the beauty of Indian culture. I was there once as a kid. But revisiting it as a 35-year-old man gave me such a feeling of pride and contentment.

Did your visit make you appreciate your mother's activism?

Yes. There's tremendous racism in Peru. In Lima, brown people, the descendants of indigenous people, try to live as white as possible. That's because of the influence of the media and government. If you embrace your "Indian-ness," you're shunned. You're less than a third-class person. It's an insult to call someone an Indian. It's the equivalent of calling someone stupid.

You grew up in San Francisco. Did you watch The Streets of San Francisco?

Of course. And when I was 10 or 11, they filmed in my neighborhood. Afterward, I saw Karl Malden walk to his car. I was very excited. I said, "Sir, could I please have your autograph?" He smiled and said, "Yeah, yeah, sure, kid." Then he slammed the door, and just drove off. I didn't cry, but it hurt my feelings.

If you ever bump into him, will you tell him this story?

[Laughs] He'd probably say the same thing - "Yeah, sure, kid" - and drive off. But that certainly taught me a lesson. I try to be gracious and kind to anyone who asks for an autograph.

Maybe that's why you've been described in these words: "He's very good-looking, and his handsomeness pales in comparison to his kindness."

Who said that?

Julia Roberts in In Style magazine.

She's good. She's good. I don't know if that quote applies or not, but I try to be kind. In general, as a society, we've taken a very selfish view of things. We've all become get-over artists. I think the world can do with a little more kindness.

In his last cover story for USA WEEKEND, Contributing Editor Jeffrey Zaslow profiled Minnesota's new governor, Jesse Ventura.