Jesse Bradford: a former star of fluffy teen movies rolls up his sleeves and gets down and dirty in the indie film world

In the new movie Happy Endings, Jesse Bradford plays Nicky, a wannabe grifter who lives in a sleazy motel, sports a greasy goatee, and carries an unregistered handgun. The film, a dark ensemble comedy from The Opposite of Sex (1998) director Don Roos co-starring Tom Arnold, Lisa Kudrow, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Laura Dern, is quite a departure for the 26-year-old actor, who is mostly known for the sort of fluffy teen fare best suited for junior-high sleepovers, including the cheerleader comedy Bring It On (2000) and the stalker-thriller Swimfan (2002). "Not to disparage those movies, but you have got to move on in life," says Bradford, who also stars as a struggling stage actor opposite Glenn Close, Elizabeth Banks, and James Marsden in writer-director Chris Terrio's recently released Heights. "I'm proud of both these movies," Bradford says. "I read the script for Happy Endings and thought, I really understand this character, and I hope someone gives me the chance to prove it."

Growing up in Norwalk, Connecticut, as the child of two actors, Bradford got his first big-screen break at the age of 4, playing Robert DeNiro's son in Falling in Love (1984). Now having settled in Los Angeles after graduating from Columbia University with a degree in film studies, Bradford is content to sit back and look for future roles that challenge his skills as well as his audience's expectations. "I had people come up to me after seeing Happy Endings and tell me how surprised they were," he says. "And that's a really good feeling."

Carolyn Murnick wrote about author Adrienne Miller in Interview's May issue.

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