Shirtless Stars

• June 23, 2008
• Vol. 69
• No. 24

Sex and the City's Naked Neighbor

By Alyssa Shelasky

Gilles Marini Bares All in the Hit Movie, Driving Fans—and Samantha Jones—Wild

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From PEOPLE Magazine

You might not recognize Gilles Marini ... dressed, that is. In Sex and the City, he plays Dante, the strapping, sex-crazed, frequently nude neighbor of Samantha (Kim Cattrall). But for the actor, the role was just another day at the office. "We are from France, so sex is very well-accepted," says Marini, 32, whose wife of 10 years, Carole, didn't bat an eye at the part (they have two kids, George, 9, and Juliana, 1). "She knows it's a job." However, like most of Sex's audience, she was surprised by her husband's now infamous, leaves-nothing-to-the-imagination shower scene. "My wife was like, 'Baby, that was shocking, I wasn't ready for that!'"

Now, "I'm mostly recognized as 'the Naked Guy,'" says Marini. "I'm not complaining! I've been on a cloud for days." Plus, he just won "best rear" at Bravo's A-List Awards. "I don't want to be cocky," he says, "but the best part about me is my personality, not my butt."