From Minneapolis high-schooler to Hollywood 'Freak'

Chris Massoglia isn't a freak. He just plays one.

The 17-year-old Minneapolis actor stars in the film "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant," opening Friday. He shares the screen with Oscar nominees John C. Reilly, Willem Dafoe and Salma Hayek, playing a typical teen transformed into a neck-nibbling vamp heartthrob.

On a nationwide publicity tour, Massoglia touched down in his home base Tuesday for an autograph event at the Mall of America. His ego-inflating profession notwithstanding, he's every inch the polite, mellow Midwesterner.

"I've lived here my whole life," he said. "I play sports for Patrick Henry High School," following a notable Little League baseball career, and he's taking college courses online. Living in Minnesota while working in Hollywood and on location isn't as difficult as it might appear, he said. With e-mail and video conferencing, it's simple to maintain contacts. And there's a benefit to living in flyover land.

"There's a side effect if you get caught up in that culture, that lifestyle of doing the whole Hollywood scene," he said. The only vice he's willing to confess is driving fast in his '98 Toyota Corolla. "I'm not like Evel Knievel or anything," he said. "My average speed is like five miles over."

"Cirque" is his first big part, but he's been on the fringes of show business for seven years. At his mother's urging, he reluctantly entered the dance program of Minneapolis' Lundstrum Center for the Performing Arts. As a child, he appeared in local print ads and dabbled in TV and radio commercials.

When his agent informed Massoglia that he'd landed the title role in "The Vampire's Assistant," his excitement quickly gave way to buckle-down industriousness. Though he had some bizarre filming experiences, such as being belted onto Reilly's back for hours while they shot a wall-climbing scene, his top memories are of his costars' professionalism.

He's already made his own impression on the film community. Variety named Massoglia one of 10 young actors to watch this year, and he's up for the title role in a science fiction version of "Jack the Giant Killer." But the public's reaction to "Cirque" and his upcoming 3-D thriller "The Hole" will determine whether he continues acting full-time or goes on campus to study English and history, he said. "I'm still not sure if I want acting for my career, but it's really fun. But even if it's something really random like being a baseball coach at a high school, I'll have fun with whatever I do."

Colin Covert • 612-673-7186