Rare is the actor who melds cerebral introspection with a man's-man physicality potent enough to qualify him as one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful.
So when "Rescue Me" star/co-creator Denis Leary and his creative partner Peter Tolan found such a man in Chicago's Daniel Sunjata, they understandably handed him some of the most incendiary storylines of any supporting character on the acclaimed firefighter drama.
As conflicted Lothario Franco Rivera, Sunjata spent last season bedding and alienating a female co-worker; botching a bid for a promotion; losing his daughter to a wealthy ex-fling (Oscar winner Susan Sarandon), who abducted her; and sparring with the Tourette's-afflicted brother of his current girlfriend.
Season Four of "Rescue Me" (airing Wednesdays this summer at 9 p.m. on FX) throws more gas on the fire, with the return of Sarandon's character complicating Franco's tenuous maturation.
"He has had his share of women and sees ultimately where that leads him, and he's beginning to appreciate the value of having somebody special," says Sunjata, 35.
"Certainly he's trying to step up to the plate in that regard; whether he'll be successful or not, I cannot divulge."
If the actor's devilish chuckle is any indication, Franco's road to redemption will be paved with smoldering coals. Sunjata, though, is feeling no pain.
He appeared in last summer's hit film "The Devil Wears Prada" and next month, he'll portray Reggie Jackson in ESPN's miniseries "The Bronx is Burning," which chronicles the Yankees' 1977 World Series run.
"My dad was always a huge baseball fan," says Sunjata, who was adopted shortly after birth in Evanston and who grew up in Beverly as a triple threat in football, wrestling and track.
"I never developed a real love for the game. He always wished that I would, so playing a professional baseball player was really pleasurable."
Not to mention a major departure from Sunjata's last time at bat -- in the Tony-nominated role of a gay (and occasionally nude) slugger in the Broadway hit "Take Me Out." That play marked his first major theater gig after earning a master's degree from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
But despite a diverse body of work, Sunjata may be attracting the most attention these days for his controversial views on 9/11, which he's shared without hesitation in interviews.
"The version that we've been given does not fit the evidence that exists in the public record," Sunjata says.
"I would say that there is a rogue faction within our government and military (that) must have had a hand in it. The lightest thing you can say is that there are people (who) knew it was coming and allowed it to happen to advance an agenda."
Understandably, such opinions have prompted mixed reaction from the cast members of "Rescue Me," which examines the impact of Sept. 11, 2001, on NYC firefighters.
"I've had a bit of feedback," he says.
"Some of it has been good; some of it has been ...," His voice trails off. "I probably should not speak about that. I can tell you that I've talked to firefighters who work on the show, and a lot of them have the same questions."
He's also fielded queries from family members, several of whom -- including his father and sister -- still live in the Chicago area.
"My family is kind of divided about my 9/11 outspokenness; some of them might think I'm losing my mind," he says, laughing. "But I try to reassure them that I'm not."
