New Faces Of 1996

Schaech, 26, grew up outside Baltimore and ditched college after nearly three years of Econ. He did time on TV, appearing on Aaron Spelling's cut-and-blow-dried soap "Models, Inc." But last year, Schaech beat the beefcake rap by playing a murderous drifter in Gregg Araki's droll and degenerate road movie "Doom Generation." Better still, he's now filming the lead in Tom Hanks's directorial debut, "That Thing You Do," due out later this year. Schaech plays the singer in a one-hit-wonder band from 1964. He and his fellow castmates have been drinking up the '60s--"We sit in the trailer trashing the Dave Clark Five" -- and basking in the aura of Tom. So did Hanks like the kinky "Doom Generation"? Schaech laughs. "He wasn't allowed to see it." Did Schaech's parents like it? "They weren't allowed to see it either. Hopefully, I won't be a one-hit wonder and there'll be plenty of movies for them to watch."

Not to worry. This Schaech will be riding high on the charts.

DAN ZANES

Redemption of a Scruffy Rock and Roller