Last month, [Richard Grieco] appeared at an anti-drug rally in Boston, then made his first visit to Washington. Sporting a mesh baseball cap (with a CBS Sports patch) that he said Lyle Alzado gave him, Grieco opened his hotel room window to siphon off his cigarette smoke and talked about his role, his poetry, his causes (American Indians, the homeless), growing up in Watertown, N.Y., and both success and lean years in New York City.

"We get along great," said Grieco. "The cast is so close-knit. When we do shows that are controversial, we have to remain close. I don't know how [Johnny Depp] feels {about Grieco's arrival}. I wasn't brought on to replace him. I was just brought on to add another dimension to the show. I think that what they want to do is make more shows with Johnny and I, more ensemble and B and C {secondary} storylines."

Grieco, at least, will probably never have to stay in church shelters again: His role as [Dennis Booker], first a guest spot, has earned him a contract for two more years. Booker has also brought Grieco teen-hunk status. Ten thousand people showed up at Boston Town Hall in April to see him and [Steven Williams] at an anti-drug rally. "This was the first time I've done that. This was like, wow, there is something out there. I'd been up in Vancouver shooting all the time. I'd try to speak: `And I'd like to thank' ... and they'd all scream ... `Boston' ... and they'd scream again ... I kept getting embarrassed."