IF TRACY MORGAN IS THE ALPHA MALE OF COMEDY, Christopher Mintz-Plasse is the beta: living proof that you don’t have to muscle your way into stealing the spotlight. After he and his fake ID stole the show in last year’s Superbad, the 19-year-old L.A. native has parlayed his reedy charisma into a gang of projects for the coming year. This month, check for CMP to play a sword-wielding introvert in Role Models—and then in 2009 to stop typecasters in their tracks by playing the bad-guy role in an adaptation of Mark Millar’s dark graphic novel Kick-Ass. Bottom line: If you’re one of the circle-jerking frat boys still calling him McLovin, quit while you’re ahead. You can beta your life on it.

So, you’ve got the chance to vote for the first time. Who’s your choice?

Christopher Mintz-Plasse: I’m going to stick with Obama. McCain is a crazy old dude. I don’t think he’ll do much better than what Bush has done. I want to give the Democrats a chance and see what they can do.

Because you were a minor when you filmed Superbad, your mom had to be on the set. How weird was that for you?

Christopher Mintz-Plasse: It was only weird when she was there watching me have sex, and that was extremely weird. But I think it was for the best, because when we watched the movie and the sex scene came up, it wasn’t awkward at all, since she'd been right around the corner when it was going down.

She must have been so proud of you!

Christopher Mintz-Plasse: She was like, “My boy knows how to fuck!” So, yeah, I’m really, really happy.

Did she ever walk in on you with a girl?

Christopher Mintz-Plasse: No, I don’t bring girls back to my house for that reason. I never did in high school—the car was always the best place for high schoolers because we didn’t have our own house. Sometimes the girl’s house would work out.

Was that scene the farthest you’d gotten in high school?

Christopher Mintz-Plasse: Ummm…no. [Laughs.] It wasn’t my first time. I wasn’t actually like McLovin in high school.

Now that you’re a breakout star, how have the groupies been?

Christopher Mintz-Plasse: Everyone kind of knows my face now; it’s cool when it’s cute girls, but when it’s douchebag guys that like to grab my arms and throw my face into the camera and be like, “Take a picture with me!”—that kind of gets hectic. I’ve had girls grab my shirt and just get in my face and tell me, “I want to suck your dick!” Flat out, without any introduction or anything.

Ever follow through?

Christopher Mintz-Plasse: Nah. [Laughs.] I’m not that type of guy. I want to actually meet the girl and talk to her for an hour or two. Not just have a random girl pleasuring me without me knowing her name. That’s not this guy’s way.

Has the "McLovin" nickname become a pain in the balls yet?

Christopher Mintz-Plasse: I try not to go out as much. If I do go out, it can get annoying. I went to Chipotle one time, and there was a bunch of teenagers whispering to each other and looking at me. It was really fucking awkward, and then as I was going to leave, this stupid kid ran up to the car door and put his hands in his pants and was like, “I got a boner, I got a boner”—like the McLovin line—and he was running next to the car with his finger in his pants. I just kind of laughed at him. If there wasn’t a car door there, man, I would’ve gave him a kick to the nutsack. Home // CELEBRITIES // COVER STORY // Tracy Morgan & Christopher Mintz-Plasse // Christopher Mintz-Plasse