Talan Torriero from Laguna on "Life After Laguna"

"Girls, girls and more girls!" According to Talan Torriero, being the star of an insanely successful reality series like Laguna Beach has its benefits. The eighteen-year-old assumed Big Man on Campus status during the second season of MtV's most talked about hit. Now that he's done with school, Talan says that he's ready to use the show's popularity as a platform from which to conquer Hollywood. "There are so many opportunities for me right now," he says, sounding slightly amazed at his luck. "I've met all the right people since I moved to L.A, and the show has opened me up to this huge fan base. I could do a movie if I want to!"

In between auditions, palling around with famous friends like Lindsay Lohan and Ryan Cabrera, and meeting with talent agents, Talan is also working on his first album. "Music has always been in my life," the southern California surfer explains. Now he's landed in the studio with Dallas Austin and Damon Thomas, superfamous producers known for thier work with Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake. "I'm planning on going the route of Jimmy Eat World's first record or Green Day's latest," he says. "I want to do songs about politics, love and war." Aiming high doesn't intimidate him: "I'd love to come out with a real guy's anthem. Like the girls have Gwen Stefani's 'Hollaback Girl' and Ashlee Simpson's 'L.O.V.E.,' but there's nothing for boys so I want to do that.

Expressing himself creatively is new to Talan who reluctantly admits to being a popular jock in high school. But when he broke his leg playing football, he realized that there was more for him out there. "I was being myself, but I was doing everything everyone wanted me to," he recalls. "I was kididng myself." His break from sports allowed him to reconsider his image. "I just started dressing the way I wanted to dress. I started listening to rock. I changed and I didn't care what people thought."

Any further alterations in his look will be televised around the world on Laguna Beach. "People will see me evolve," Talan says. "This year I'm gonna get crazy."

Source: Blain Zuckerman for Teen Vogue, p. 134, November 2005 issue.