Ben McKenzie, the O.C. heart-throb, gets candid in an interview in a noisy cafe on the Sunset Boulevard. Probably better known as Ryan Atwood from the O.C., Ben talks about war and his role as a man trapped in his body in his new venture ‘Johnny Got His Gun.’

McKenzie will play the role of 20-year-old Joe Bonham, who on the final day of World War I loses his limbs and the ability to see, hear and speak.

On ‘Johnny Got His Gun’:

“It’s a very small, little passion project for a few people; I just hope it adds to the conversation a little bit. Some of the proceeds will go to the Fallen Patriot Fund, which helps out [Operation Iraqi Freedom] veterans. But I don’t have any grand illusions that this will spark some kind of national conversation over the Iraq war; we’ve been having that conversation for some time and this is not going to tip the balance. It’s just another little bit for people to think about.”

His take on the character:

“It’s not my natural state; I’m a much more guarded person. But this character has no choice; left alone for days on end for time eternal, essentially, who else is he going to talk to but himself? He tries to remind himself of the good things but can’t help being pulled into the bad things.”

The star, who campaigned for Barrack Obama in the recently concluded Presidential elections, is quite optimistic about the movie, although it’s not quite a breakthrough project.

On the prospects of the movie:

“I hope the filmmakers get their money back; I’m optimistic that they will, it’s gotten very nice reviews. But the nice thing is everybody’s there for love. We’re all there in the trenches together, no pun intended.”

“It is [metaphorically] about Iraq, but it’s broader than that. How are we going to look at future wars? I think Obama, as gracefully as he can, will pull us out of Iraq, but there are always going to be future wars. We have to look at the people who are going to be suffering for us.”

We’ll be keeping an eye on young McKenzie’s fortunes. Let’s hope the movie has a nice impact.