Actress Moon Bloodgood expresses her free spirit in the Viking epic Pathfinder.

Shana Ting Lipton; Credit: Patrick Hoelck Long before she played a Native American tribeswoman in this summer 11th-century action-drama Pathfinder, Moon Bloodgood was an active member of another tribe: hip-hop. "My heart was always in hip-hop," says the 20-something actress. "I used to go out clubbing and go-go dance." Born to a Korean mother and Irish-Dutch father, and raised in Orange County, Bloodgood gravitated toward L.A. nightlife. Still, she remains loyal to the O.C.: "There is a culture in Orange County that's not just white Republicans," she insists, before joking that she wants to produce a Mischa Bartonfree show called The Other Side of the O.C.

When Bloodgood wasnt dancing in b-boy battles or professionally in music videos (including one for Michael Jackson), the 5 head-turner was writing her own music, fusing soulful hip-hop with folk. "I always thought I'd be a singer," she says. But the acting bug bit hard, and by 2004, Bloodgood decided to devote herself exclusively to Hollywood. Admittedly, though, the actress is no J-Lo: a multitasker, but "I get stressed easily," says Bloodgood.

It appears music and failed marriages can wait. Bloodgood prefers the freedom to assess her options. "I'm such a freestyle person. I like freestyle dance, freestyle music, and freestyle living," she says. Her independent spirit undoubtedly wooed fiance and fellow actor Eric Balfour, whom she met two years ago in Hawaii. Bloodgood first caught Balfour eye with some saucy dance moves while sporting an unlikely fashion combo dress and a baseball cap. "It was a total sexual movie moment," she says.

There may be no sexy dance routines in the period piece Pathfinder, but her character's name, StarFire, does reflect a too-hot-to-handle persona "It sounds like a stripper," quips Bloodgood). Despite her innate sex appeal, the actress favors a subtle yet spirited approach to love. "Deep down inside, a man wants a woman who is vulnerable and headstrong," says Bloodgood, before adding with an impish smile: "spicy."

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