It never rains in L.A. Yeah, right. Tell that to the sheets of water sending sprays across the balcony of this seaside motel, where inside actor Chris Egan lays shivering between blankets during a break from shooting photos. “Can I do the interview in bed?” he asks, his arms hugging his body, shivering. It’s cold and miserable and there’s no sign of letting up, but somehow Egan manages a mischievous smile and a peppy nod. So, the interview is done in bed.

It seems Egan’s disarming charm is landing him bigger and better roles exponentially. In his latest film, Letters to Juliet, due out in May, Egan finds himself as the reluctant Charlie, who has been roped into leading his grandmother, played by Vanessa Redgrave, around the Italian landscape, searching for a man she wrongfully jilted half a century ago. “That’s the great thing about this job is the fantastic locations,” Egan says, shifting about like an insomniac. “Our main shooting location was the Capulet House, so we learned a lot about the history, and it wasn’t a crazy schedule so we go to have a lot of spare time and check out the city. There’s not really much to complain about.” Not much to complain about indeed.

Egan got his start in Australian soaps before moving to America and, with his tow-headed surfer boy good looks and Shakespearean-trained thespian chops, landing supporting roles in action films such as Eragon and Resident Evil: Extinction. This lead to a starring turn as Captain David Shephard in NBC’s short-lived Kings, a modern day take on the Biblical tale David and Goliath. And now Juliet, in which he co-stars with budding starlet Amanda Seyfried–whom he describes as “hilarious”–and the Academy Award winner Redgrave. “This feels like the first real lead role for me,” Egan admits. “I feel like I’ve played a lot of supporting characters. I just had such a blast with this character. It’s always fun playing the antagonist, the negative prig. I like that gear changes in the movie for my character. He got to blossom in the end.” Blossom—that’s exactly what we’re watching Egan’s career do.