Lady Gaga's Jesus seems like a pretty nice guy.
E! News sat down with Rick Gonzalez, who plays the savior opposite the toxic titular character in the pop star's "Judas" video, and he told us all about going gaga when he got the casting call, kissing the biblical betrayer and working with the bootylicious Lady Gaga.
So, here are five things you need to know about one of the major players in what could be 2011's most controversial video:
1. He Doesn't Fear the Reaper: Gonzalez, 31, looks familiar for multiple reasons. The native New Yorker played Ben on the late and pretty great CW show Reaper and his copious TV credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Law & Order: SVU, ER, The Shield, CSI: Miami, Castle and Lie to Me. You also may have glimpsed him in The Rookie, Old School, War of the Worlds, Roll Bounce and Pulse and he costarred in Coach Carter with Samuel L. Jackson. But it was the cop drama Pride and Glory that caught "Judas" choreographer Laurieann Gibson's eye.
"She told Gaga, "This is our Jesus,'" Gonzalez tells E! News, "so Gaga said yes. She said I was beautiful...That is such a great compliment from her." And though he's been in the biz for years, the actor says he was stunned to get the call from Lady Gaga's people. "I got the call to be in video when I was playing videogames," he says, "and my manager called and said, 'Do you wanna be in a Lady Gaga video?' I said, 'Which Lady Gaga?' She said, 'The Lady Gaga!'"
2. Lady Gaga Knew He Was Her Savior: "The first time I met Gaga," he tells E!, "I was sitting on a flatbed on a motorcycle [for the] first shot of the video and she walks up to me. I'm looking at her body, which is amazing! I was all jittery, she says, "Hi, Jesus!' Immediately I felt really protective over her, like I don't want her to feel unsafe [on the motorcycle]. I kept asking her if she was OK." And FYI, "her body is incredible."
3. He Wasn't Exactly Born This Way: "It had biblical overtones," he says of the video treatment he read before accepting the gig, "and there was a kiss between Judas and Jesus and so I was nervous and scared. I said, 'Let me hear more about the kiss,' but then realized part of the story is the kiss. It's about the betrayal and it was a small, innocent kiss. And Laurieann told me how to play it, and when I got to set this guy comes up and says, 'Can I spray your braids gold? I was like, 'Oh, this is gonna be great.'"
Gonzalez says he doesn't see what the big deal is about the biblical imagery in "Judas." His mom, "a very religious Christian," totally "got the message and loved the video," he says. In fact, "the Gaga video has been my favorite thing I've done so far. It's such a great time."
4. He's a One-Woman Guy: Despite all the sexy time in "Judas," Gonzalez kept his eye on the ball. He says he didn't even get Lady Gaga's cell number after working with her. "My girlfriend would kill me!" he exclaimed. (Not that he didn't remain impressed by the singer's physique. "She wore this spandex thing," he recalled. "I took a peek, and her booty? Oh, my god, its so amazing.")
5. Gaga's Not the Only Diva in His Life: Gonzalez recently shot his scenes for My Mother's Curse, starring Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand as Seth's mom. "I play a guy who rents them a car, and to be able to improv with Barbara was amazing," he says.
Just like Lady Gaga's cute little booty.