"My whole family has a network background. It was not strange then, that I knew I wanted to have a career there as well" says GTST-hunk Ferri Somogyi. Yet when he was a kid he wanted to be a pilot, a stuntman and eventually a private detective. At the age of 15 he wanted to 'do something with computers.' But it was when he pushed aside his shyness that he enrolled in an acting course and the 'Good Times' really started to roll.

"After my high school graduation my parents gave me a whole year of college in America as a graduation gift" Ferri comments. "And my major course was Computer Science. I rose in the ranks at incredible speed, I got to skip classes, programming went extremely well, but at one point I didn't enjoy it anymore. Then I thought I had to spend my time usefully and I took acting lessons."

- From one extreme to the next.

Ferri: "Yeah. More of an emergency exit. There I was, all alone, in this totally different culture. That was hard. On top of that I was kind of reclusive, very shy. So I thought: how do I get rid of these inhibitions? Acting seemed the perfect solution."

- You make it sound so easy.

"Now I do. I was a wreck at that time. I had to conquer something in myself to take that step. ... I nearly vomited with anxiety. But I put my shoulder to the wheel. And victory was mine. I could have backed off, but I didn't. I took my chance, an won, and that was such a rush. I became more outgoing. And started to like that acting thing a lot better."

- Did you already want to be an actor then?

No. It just happened. I came back from the U.S. in October and had no idea what to do next. All the courses I liked had already started. And then the next catastrophe: I was drafted. So I was in the army for nine months. And it sucked! You have had this freedom for a year, and suddenly you have to follow orders. That's not easy. And I considered it a total waste of time. I didn't learn a thing. Shooting, diving in shrubbery and driving some vehicle, and that's about it. I felt pretty useless. Then I thought: Dammit! I'm not going to waste a year of my life! So I had to do something else, and I went and enrolled in preliminary acting class in Maastricht on my free Saturdays."

- So then you knew: I'm going to be an actor.

"Not really, no. Maybe very far in the back of my mind. I'm not someone to focus very hard on one subject. Because I want to shield myself from disappointment. Where that originates from? Good question, I have no idea. The same goes with girls. I won't be rejected easily, because I won't be in a position to be rejected. I let them come to me. That's who I am. I hate disappointment. And disappointment is easy to avoid: don't count on anything. Yes, that's me, I guess, I'll just see what happens."

- Is that why you have no girlfriend?

"Haha...maybe. But I'm very picky as well. It's not normal. I am so intensely critical of women. And if you believe everything you read, I couldn't get a girl if my life depended on it, haha. I'll just wait and see what happens. I am not the searching kind. And I must say, I enjoy myself very much. Absolutely. But a steady relationship..., later."

- How did you eventually end up in GTST?

"After I had finished my preliminary acting course in Maastricht, I approached the five biggest casting agencies in the Netherlands. A week after that I received a phone call from Harry Klooster. For a general screen test. And I guess I made it, because after that I was more or less promised a part in one of the soaps. During that conversation we came to talk about my unemployment, and Harry said: 'Why don't you come and work for me in the meantime?' So I worked at his casting agency for a year. I enjoyed that very much. Through that job I came in contact with the in-crowd and that prepared me a little for the GTST phenomenon. But nothing could have prepared me for the actual impact."

- From anonymous draftee to celebrity...

"Exactly. I remember when I was on television for the very first time, we were watching at home with 20 people. That was tremendously exciting. The next day, yes I admit it's childish, I went into this bar just to see if I would be recognized. I wouldn't dream of doing something like that now. Well, I believe just one person recognized me. Bummer! Because you want it so much. Well, after one week it happened. Totally. And it has increased since then. I just have to stop at a traffic light to be recognized."

- What are the pros and cons of being a celebrity?

"As far as I'm concerned it has a lot of advantages and just a few disadvantages: you don't have a private life anymore. You meet a lot of people who just want to get to know you to use you to gain access to this small world. To be someone. That's absolute bullshit. And if someone like that gets to know you, they are gonna find out that you're just a simple soul like the next person. It's nothing special. That's the only disadvantage. Other than that it's all advantages as far as I can see."

- Is GTST the best thing that ever happened to you?

"Jeez, tough question. Well, I think America has been very important to me. That's where it all started. If I hadn't gone there, all this wouldn't have happened. That's where I left my inhibitions. And it paid off! And GTST at the moment? I'm having the time of my life, yeah."

- What would you be doing now, if you hadn't ended up in GTST?

"I probably would be doing something behind the camera. Floor manager, producer. That sort of thing. A test once showed that. Producer or starting my own business, that were the two things that fitted my profile best. So I would have ended up somewhere around here. I'm sure of that!"