October 1998

Meet Michael Rosenbaum, rising Hollywood (and hockey) star

When Michael Rosenbaum was in the theater department at Western Kentucky University, he dreamed of a big Hollywood career. Now, with a costarring role opposite Jared Leto and Joshua Jackson in this month's thriller Urban Legend, he's one step closer to his fantasy of fame.

Is being paid to do what you do like winning the lottery?

I do pinch myself a lot. When I call my grandmother and tell her how well everything's going, I can hear her knocking. I'll ask her what she's doing, and she'll say, "I'm knocking wood for you." She does it every time.

Have you ever wanted to do anything else?

I wanted to be a professional hockey player. Now I'm living the best of both worlds because I have a friend, Chris Pronger, on the St. Louis Blues. So I live vicariously through him.

Do you still play?

I play in a league every Sunday in Los Angeles, where I live, that was started by the producer of Armageddon. Scott Wolf is in it; so is Cuba Gooding Jr. We go out after we play, and that's fun.

Do you have a girlfriend?

No. I'm just having fun playing around right now. If I meet the right person, great, but I'm not looking for it.

What do you think of Joshua Jackson?

He's the greatest guy. We really hit it off. He's also a hockey fanatic, so we went to a few games together. He's younger than I am but acts more mature than I do.