It's a scorching 110 degrees in New York City and Benjamin Bratt dangles a tempting offer to conduct this interview in his air-conditioned bedroom. Imagine that. Just me and Ben in his bedroom. OK, so I can dream, right? Millions who tuned in to see Bratt as Rey Curtis on NBC's Law & Order each week probably dreamt of spending time with him, too. Although he departed from the show last season, adoring fans shouldn't fret. With two new films in the can, and another being shot, Bratt is hitting the big screen this winter. Always the gentleman, we can see why actress Julia Roberts has fallen for the 35-year-old Peruano.

Latina: Do you get teased by your family for your papi chulo status?
Bratt: They, like me, think it's funny. Being known as a heartthrob is so different from the way I really see myself.

L: How do you see yourself?
B: My personality is so all over the place. To my very closest friends, I can be extremely silly and irreverent. But the next minute I can be solemn and serious.

L: You are the middle child, correct? Did you suffer from the Jan Brady syndrome, always craving attention?
B: [Laughs] That rule must hold true because I am in what amounts to be one of the most highly visible jobs that you can have. We're five: The eldest is a girl, then there's my brother, then myself, then the two youngest sisters. I always fancied that I was the diplomat of the family, bridging the gap between the younger and the older. But that's my own fantasy. The reality was that the two boys—being the sons of a Latina—were spoiled, and my two younger sisters resented it.

L: What is your first childhood memory?
B: One of my earliest memories is when I was about three years old, and my parents were still married. [They divorced when Bratt was four.] My father was holding me in his arms, dancing around the living room. At the time, there was a newborn puppy stuck underneath the couch, and everyone was making a fuss. But my father just kept dancing with me.

L: Are you just starting to renew a relationship with your father?
B: No, that's not true. [Pauses] It's a relationship I'm hoping to bridge one day. I miss and love my father. But for whatever his reasons are, and as time goes by they become more and more vague, he chooses not to have any contact with his kids.

L: Who would you say is the strongest person you ever had to deal with?
B: By far and away my mother. Strongest woman I know. The kind of fortitude it takes for her to raise five children by herself is unmatched in my mind. And this isn't a biased opinion; many who've met her understand that her essence is different.

L: Speaking of strong women, tell me about the movie you just completed with Madonna.
B: As soon as I wrapped Law & Order in May, I started a movie directed by John Schlesinger, a legendary filmmaker. He directed Marathon Man and Midnight Cowboy, among others. The film is called The Next Best Thing (Paramount Pictures), and it stars Madonna and Rupert Everett. [Tentative release date is next year.]

L: Is your role in it different than the one you played in Law & Order?
B: It's completely different. I play someone who is not so buttoned-down. It's not as lucid a role as I might want in contrast to Rey Curtis, because I play an investment banker who's a little bit square—no offense to you investment bankers out there.

L: And the film after that?
B: The other film I did was an independent one called The Last Producer [no release date yet] with Burt Reynolds directing and starring as a veteran Hollywood producer convinced that a certain screen-play will become a major hit for himself.

L: Is that what you want to do, walk that line of independent and studio films?
B: Well, the rule of thumb I try to follow as an actor is to stay employed. If that means I can jump from an independent feature back to a studio film, then so be it. But I'll mix it up. I also have no problem crossing the line and doing a television movie and even returning to Law & Order.

L: They left the door open for you to come back?
B: Very open. It's interesting when you look at the cast of Law & Order over the last nine years; it's somewhat like a theater repertory company. Because of reruns, all the characters remain in the public consciousness. So for me to come back on the show wouldn't be such a shock.

L: When you're not filming, how do you relax?
B: I feel most comfortable in the water—whether it's a river or a tub. In high school I used to cut school to go down to Fort Constant, a beach in San Francisco, to go body surfing. [Cell phone rings.] Is that me?

It's a phone call from Julia Roberts. Bratt teases her that she just opened a huge can of worms by calling since I've been so kind as to not ask about their relationship. He reassures her that the interview is almost over and tells her he loves her.

B: She wanted me to tell you that I was actually talking to my cousin Eunice.

L: Yeah, right. Any wedding bells in the near future?
B: Yeah. I'll be hearing wedding bells quite soon [huge smile].

L: For yourself?
B: I'll be in a wedding soon.

L: Yes, but is it your wedding?
B: [Long pause, a look of mischief creeping across his face] No, it's my youngest sister's. I'm giving away a bride, not taking one.

L: Do you see yourself ever walking down the aisle?
B: Not without a shotgun to my head [laughs].

L: That's horrible! I thought I would never be the type to get married but you never know....
B: I just know right now I'm not ready. For those like you and my younger sister who have taken that step, I have admiration and see the beauty in it. So I'm not counting it out, I'm just saying for right now it's not foremost on my mind. But maybe you should call my cousin Eunice and ask her about it.