Telenovelas Go Prime Time (June/July 2006) More in Entertainment

"Julito Maraña," the hit reggaetón song about a heartless thug, has inspired a film due out this year. Freddy Rodríguez will be executive producer and play the title role.

Rodríguez, 34, says the 2005 Julio Voltio song attracted him because instead of glorifying violence, it ends with the refrain, "Murió Julito/por bravucón" (Julito died/for being a thug). That message—that the protagonist pays for his crimes—resonated with Rodríguez.

"Beforehand, a lot of the [reggaetón] songs revolved around partying, money, girls, and all that," says the film and TV actor who plays Giovanni "Gio" Rossi, a sandwich-cart vendor, on ABC's Ugly Betty. He previously played Federico "Rico" Diaz, the mortician, on HBO's Six Feet Under.

Married to his high-school sweetheart and the father of two, the son of Puerto Rican parents says he puts family values before Hollywood frivolity. "I go to work and go home," he says. "That's the exciting part of my life."