It also introduced Brody to a whole new animal: the fickle public.

"I'd lie if I said I didn't care about reviews and what people think," Brody says. "That stuff matters to me. Hopefully, I have not been trounced yet. Everybody has their day in court (of public opinion), and even the best actor in the world is not loved by everybody."

Brody sounds a lot like his insecure TV character.

Seth is "The O.C.'s" resident geek, a guy who was daring enough to form a comic-book club at his high school. There are only three members, and one of them doesn't even read comics.

Seth is also the guy who rarely gets the girl and doesn't always get along with his parents. He's an outsider among the pack of rich and beautiful insiders that populate "The O.C."

"I don't really consider Seth that much of a nerd," he says. "On the show, in this cool world of 'The O.C.,' he is considered The Nerd, but he's more like a proud nerd. He's not shy to say what he likes, even if it's something like comic books."

Geekiness and Internet rumblings aside, Brody doesn't dismiss the impact of the series. He says it has changed his life for the better. It's given him financial security and introduced him to a wide audience.

No amount of criticism can change that.

"No matter what happens to me for the rest of my life, nothing will have more of an impact on me than this past year," he says. "Even if I win an Oscar, it will not have the same impact."