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James Duval

Blank, boyish and brooding, James Duval has been put forward as a symbol of the sometimes amiable anomie of 'Generation X' in a series of ultra low-budget indie features by guerrilla auteur Gregg Araki. Dark, handsome and ethnically indeterminate (an intriguing blend of Vietnamese, French, Italian and Native American), the young actor bears more than a passing resemblance to Keanu Reeves whose laid-back So-Cal delivery style he also shares. Duval's characters have tended to be sympathetic and sensitive if none-too-bright. His collaboration with Araki has encompassed the would-be Godardian gay teen flick "Totally F***ed Up" (1994), the eccentric but relatively upscale (nearly $1 million) "lovers on the run" road movie "The Doom Generation" (1995) and the "anti-'Beverly Hills, 90210'" teen comedy-drama "Nowhere" (1997). Duval has even branched out to appear in the decidedly mainstream sci-fi blockbuster "Independence Day" (1996) but his heart seems to remain independent.