Nico Tortorella

Nico Tortorella, who doesn’t like the taste of fake blood, stars opposite Emma Roberts in Scream 4, next month’s reboot of the meta ’90s slasher franchise. At six-foot-one, the 22-year-old former hockeyplayer from the John Hughes–esque suburb of Wilmette, Illinois—Tortorella went to the churchfrom Home Alone (1990) and the high school from The Breakfast Club (1985)—was almost too tall toplay Scream’s asshole jock with a heart of gold. “Emma had five-inch heels on and then two inches oflift,” he says. “She was miserable in those shoes the whole time!” All to accommodate a good-natured,intermittently vegan heartthrob who actually screamed when he got the call about Scream; Tortorellahadn’t booked a project since the maligned pop culture artifact The Beautiful Life, a CW show aboutmodels, starring Mischa Barton, was unceremoniously pulled from the network’s lineup in late 2009.Which isn’t to say his budding career has not been charmed. After moving to Los Angeles in 2008, hetested at Ford Models on a whim—with dreadlocks down to his waist—and was awarded a four-yearcontract that day. He caught the eye of Bruce Weber at a Teen Vogue shoot, to which he was merelyaccompanying his girlfriend Sara Paxton, and ended up in the story. Joel Schumacher cast Tortorellain Twelve, as well as his upcoming hostage thriller Trespass with Nicholas Cage and Nicole Kidman.“I’ve been very lucky,” Tortorella says. “I just want to do great work, constantly.”

Photo: Nico Tortorella in Los Angeles, January 2011. Jacket: Western. Shirt: Salvatore Ferragamo. Jeans: Emporio Armani. Necklace: Nico’s Own. Ring: Eddie Borgo. Grooming Products: Kerastase, Including Elixir Ultime. Styling: Keegan Singh/streeters. Grooming: Tony Vin for Kerastase/www.themagnetagency.com.