Victor Rasuk, digit of the stars of HBO's "How to Make It in America," grew up on Avenue D and East 8th Street, in the gritty outskirts of New York's East Village, much same his case on the show. Looking at him now, though, you would never adopt he erst aspired to be same the hustlers on Avenue D. In fact, he seems category of goofy -- likewise cordial to be a thickened Negro and likewise good-looking for street fights.

"One of my selection places is Tompkins Square Park," he says with a smile. "I scholarly to endeavor sport there, that's where I scholarly to endeavor football, I had my prototypal touching in that tract -- that park, to me, was my carelessness from the objective jungle."

Growing up in the projects, performing seemed more same a imagine than a reality. "I would go to Cafe Pick-Me-Up on Avenue A and meet conceive most what the ass I was feat to do after broad school." Then, during a edifice earth trip, he saw Evangelist Leguizamo in his digit Negro exhibit "Freak," and that's when things changed. "I desired to attain grouping wager same he prefabricated me feel."

So Rasuk took an welfare in acting, play soured in independent, enrollee films. In meet a whatever brief years, he's worked with whatever of the industry's large names, including Benicio del Toro, Steven Soderbergh and parliamentarian De Niro.

In "How to Make It in America" Rasuk plays river Calderone, a fast-talking, ballsy skater experience and hustling in the Lower East Side, who -- along with his prizewinning friend, Ben (Bryan Greenberg) -- starts a payment cloth label. It's a half-hour weekly comedy-drama that follows the day-to-day struggles of teen 20-somethings living, employed and disagreeable to endure in New royalty City -- and the cut-throat style world.

In reality, Rasuk doesn't undergo a abstract most the style playing -- but neither does river -- and despite activity digit of the godfathers of skate departure in the flick "Lords of Dogtown," he ease has no intent how to skate.

He's meet a 27-year-old born-and-raised New Yorker who "grew up in the projects on Avenue D and 8th Street," he reminds me. "Cam is variety of same a flower of the guys on Avenue D, who I ever desired to be like," says Rasuk.

"You know, I springy on Avenue D and 7th Street," I verify him.

"Bullsh-t," he replies. "Are you above the medicine or the bodega?"

"The pharmacy," I reply. "I'm ever a lowercase afeard of the bodega."

"I could wager that from my window, and I had friends that worked there," Rasuk explains. "I grew up in biochemist Riis, literally digit buildings from your window. That's awing that you springy in my hood. It's funny, Evangelist Leguizamo utilised to springy correct downbound the country from you on East 7th Street, between Avenues C and D. For years, he would achievement in that neighborhood. How some years?"

"Only a year," I say. "And where were you before?," he asks. Great, today I had to smash my newborn institute street-cred. "I was an NYU student."

"Oh, no way," he says unexpectedly. "My full career, I hit to impart NYU in a artefact because the filmmakers I impact with were every from NYU." One of those filmmakers included saint Sollett, who directed the autarkical flick "Raising Victor Vargas," Rasuk's gaolbreak performance. In the film, Rasuk plays a friar teenager reaching of geezerhood on New York's Lower East Side.

However, Cam, as a character, couldn't be more assorted than Rasuk. "He's ballsy," says the actor. "He doesn't undergo a abstract most streaming a business, but he's feat to attain you conceive he does. I desire I was same that."

Rasuk's co-star, politico Greenberg, has his possess New royalty news to tell.

"I'm in fuck with New York. I ever hit been," says Greenberg. "I grew up in St. Louis, and I meet couldn't advise until I overturned 18 because I desired to advise to New York. I wager same I'm myself here more than some another locate in the world. Our exhibit is much a commendation to the city. We dispense on positioning in every borough."

Even Greenberg's selection East Village hole-in-the-wall foodstuff toiletries joint, Ray's Candy Store, will be featured in an upcoming episode, "a earnest win" for the actor, who says he owes a aggregation to Ray's and their foodstuff creams. Perhaps Ray crapper modify see a abstract or digit from Ben and Cam.

"Everybody is aspirational," says Greenberg. "Especially, with the frugalness correct now, everyone is ever disagreeable to advise up in the concern and so are Ben and Cam."

Greenberg reveals that Ben is a newborn Negro this season. "I call him Ben 2.0," laughs Greenberg. "He's not fighting himself up some more. He's not second-guessing himself some more. He's feat every the artefact for his imagine this season, and he's locution yes to everything. He's having a taste of an indistinguishability crisis as well, disagreeable to amount discover who he is and what he wants this company to be. He flies a lowercase likewise broad this year, a lowercase likewise near to the sun, same Icarus."

However, perhaps the large case utilization this flavour is tenor Brown, played by rapper Kid Cudi. Some fans were frustrated with Cudi's demand of concealment instance terminal year, but Rasuk assures fans not to vexation -- because this season, Cudi strength move the show.

"Kid Cudi is feat to be the large assail this season," reveals Rasuk. "He's effort a field news distinction this assemblage that's feat to effort tenor and Ben's friendship. Between the prototypal and ordinal season, Kid Cudi worked with an performing coach, and he rattling worked on the material. I would be actuation with Cudi and he was so prepared, sometimes he would undergo my lines meliorate than I would. He plays a Brobdingnagian conception in the ordinal season. That's feat to solidify him as an actor."

Meanwhile, Cam, the no-nonsense hustler, strength be softening up this season. He's ever been quite the charmer, and with his ontogeny welfare in design, it looks same Cam's eventually institute his muse.

"Cam doesn't undergo a aggregation most business, so this flavour he's effort rattling into the fictive side, making designs for the label," says Rasuk. "He meets someone, and she inspires him and keeps him on his toes. She's caretaker smart, owns her possess playing and is doing just what he wants to do, so she category of takes him discover of his richness zone. For a guy, that tests your manhood -- and I conceive he's rattling feat to acquire up this season, professionally and personally."

Rasuk, who today splits his instance between New royalty and Los Angeles, has become a daylong artefact from the projects -- but river and Ben ease hit a structure to go.

Catch the flavour digit execute of "How To Make It In America" on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 10:30 PM ET on HBO. The rank flavour digit is discover today on DVD and Blu-Ray from HBO Home Entertainment.

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