They say charm will get you far in life, but in Hollywood it can get you to the top. Considering that, Adam Rodriguez, who has it in abundance, is headed straight for the top. Although he's mostly recognized as the guy in Jennifer Lopez's video "If You Had My love," Rodriguez is hoping that his role on UPN's "All Souls" may finally put him in the spotlight.

A native New Yorker, Rodriguez started off as a baseball player before a sports injury forced him off the diamond and into acting. A few lines on "NYPD Blue" led to a series regular role on the NBC's short-lived "Brooklyn South" followed by a recurring role on "Felicity."

On "All Souls" Rodriguez plays a wheelchair-bound computer expert, Patrick Fortado, the best friend of the show's lead, Dr. Mitchell Grace (Grayson McCouch).

Rodriguez skipped four auditions for the series, but luckily they kept calling back. After finally going in for two separate roles -- both Patrick and Bradley Sterling (a role that went to "Beverly Hills, 90210" alum Daniel Cosgrove) -- he realized that he wanted to be part of the show.

That's when the real auditioning began.

"My payback for blowing it off so many times was that I had to read five times," he says. "On my last experience I only had to read twice. I'm like, 'Man, how many times do I have to go in? This is getting crazy already.'"

The multiple reads were especially excruciating since Rodriguez says that auditions are his least favorite part about being an actor. Still he managed to soldier on.

"I wanted the job, so I had to go in for Aaron Spelling, that was the most surreal part of everything, 'cause I was a TV addict as a kid. 'Charlie's Angels,' 'TJ Hooker,' 'Love Boat,' 'Fantasy Island' -- that was like a staple for me. So, I go in and meet him and he's cool as can be. Just a really nice guy. He had a great sense of humor and makes you feel very comfortable."

Ironically, the reason Rodriguez initially blew off "All Souls" was because he was up for a part on Spelling's prodigee Darren Star's short-lived series "The $treet," which eventually went to Sean Maher.

Once he did get the part of Patrick though, Rodriguez settled in to helping show the "real" Dr. Grace.

"My character's function is, basically, Grayson's lighter side. I keep him grounded," he says. "I'm away from all of the hoopla and the mayhem that's going on inside of the hospital, so, I'm the real him. When he leaves the hospital and comes to my house, that's the real Dr. Grace."

His character's wheelchair isn't just an attempt at having a more diverse cast either, rather it is an important element of the backstory. When young and foolish, Mitchell and Patirck would race their motorcycles. One night, they made a bet resulting in the accident that paralyzes Patrick.

The fully mobile actor finds sitting in a wheelchair all day an asset rather than a handicap.

"I love it because you do so much standing around, I always have a seat," laughs Rodriguez. " I get to do my wheelies and roll around. I've run over a couple feet, but I've apologized and no one's been seriously injured."

"In all seriousness, it opened my eyes to being more aware of people in wheelchairs. A lot of people don't acknowledge handicapped people, I find. Now, when I see somebody in a wheelchair, I make sure to make eye contact and say hello."

Just because he's confined to the chair, don't rule out Patrick having a romantic story or two. After all, it is a Spelling series.

"From what I've been told, my paralysis starts below the vitals down. So, I have lift off. There's a little thing they're alluding to with Reiko [who plays Dr. Philomena Cullen]. I don't know how far they're going to take it because there may be something brewing between her and Grayson as well, but certainly there's an attraction between Reiko and myself."

Until his big romantic scene airs, Rodriguez also plays a recurring character on "Resurrection Blvd," and will appear in two upcoming independent films: "Sacred Is the Flesh" with rapper Nas and Elise Neal, and "Rikki, the Pig" with Jon Seda and Mario Lopez.