Questions And Answers: Steve Burns

He might be America's most unlikely sexy guy. But at 26, Steve Burns is undeniably hot. He's the star of "Blue's Clues," the Nickelodeon TV series for pre-schoolers. The show, in which a perpetually enthusiastic Steve sings, dances and talks to an animated blue dog, is watched by nearly 15 million people per week. And not all of them are tots: This month, People Magazine included Burns in its list of America's most-eligible bachelors. Newsweek's Deidre Depke talked to Burns about what it's like to be Steve.

Newsweek: Two weeks ago, we featured Al Gore in this spot. Last week, we had a drug lobbyist talking about prescription-coverage. This week, we have you...
Wow. What happened?

Well, you're a pretty hot celebrity.
I'm a micro-celebrity. I'm officially near-famous. If you've got four year old kids and you've got cable, then you've got no choice but to know who I am. But if you're one of my peers--a 26-year old guy who lives in Manhattan--you have no idea who I am. I'm only famous if you're four.

Do people seem confused when you describe what you do?
They say, 'Oh yeah, I've seen that blue dog. What do you do?' And I say, 'Well, I'm on the show.' And they say, 'Oh. Are you a cartoon? At which point, I have to say, 'Yeah, I am like a cartoon.'

How did you become Steve?
I just auditioned. I thought it was for a voice over. I had no idea what I was getting into. I had a lot of ideas at the audition that they reacted very strongly to. They tested a bunch of us, and I was literally the only one that the kids talked to. They made me a creative consultant right away. I got very involved in the show at the beginning. Now I'm a producer-a pseudo producer.

What did you do before "Blue's Clues?"
I was doing the New York acting thing. I did a gig on "Homicide," a guest spot on "Law and Order," a bunch of commercials. And then I moved into this show...and that's the end of my acting career.