"Sex and the City" actor hits "naked" jackpot (Reuters)

SYDNEY (Reuters) - French model-actor Gilles Marini hasbuilt his career by dressing up, so he is stunned that hismajor break has come from stripping down and appearing naked,completely naked, in the hit movie "Sex and the City."

Marini bares all, ever so fleetingly for a full frontalshot, as a Casanova living next door to actress Kim Cattrall'sSamantha in the big screen version of the HBO TV series aboutthe careers, love lives, and wardrobes of four New York women.

Marini, 32, who relocated to the United States about adecade ago from France to pursue modeling and acting, said hehas been inundated with emails and job offers since the movieopened in May and he was branded Hollywood's newest eye candy.

"This is the part that has put me on the map. For me, thisis like winning the jackpot," Marini told Reuters in a phoneinterview from New York where he was receiving Bravo cable TV's"Best Rear Award."

"I just was not expecting this at all. I have never done somuch press in my life or received so many emails. It's justgone wild and I am very happy about it."

Marini's good looks and toned physique caught the eye ofmillions of women who flocked to see the romantic comedy thatdefied mixed reviews and beat box office expectations withnearly $200 million in global ticket sales.

Since the world premiere in London four weeks ago, Marinisaid he had received over 17,000 hits on his page andjob offers have been rolling in but he is taking his timebefore deciding on his next move.

To handle the attention, Marini has taken on a publicistwho is getting word out on the relatively unknown star.

FROM MODEL TO "NAKED MAN"

Marini, who has a Greek mother and Italian father, hasworked as a model for years, most notably as a runway model forGeorgio Armani in Milan.

He said he took some acting classes and appeared in smallroles in a couple of TV shows, but nothing major had come upuntil he attended a casting call for "Sex and the City," got acallback, and was offered the part.

Marini, who has been married for 10 years and has a9-year-old son George and one-year-old daughter Juliana, saidhe had no hesitation in stripping for the movie.

"The people around me were very professional so why shouldI be nervous?" he said, adding that Europeans were much morerelaxed about nudity in films than Americans.

Marini said he takes care to keep in shape, eating fewfoods high in carbohydrates and working out at least 40 minutesa day.

"I don't eat bad stuff too much but I have my glass of wineas I am French and it would be insulting not to," he said.

Being dubbed eye candy does not concern Marini -- nor, hesays, will it go to his head.

"Maybe people will see me as the naked guy for a bit but assoon as someone gives me a chance to do something else I canprove I can do that," he said.

"I am not 18 years-old with this smacking me in the face sothat I lose control of what I am. It is a blessing. I am veryhumbled and touched by all the attention. It is wonderful formy life, for my family and for my future."

Reuters/Nielsen