As Seth Cohen in the hit show The O.C., Adam Brody made being a dork sexy. He has been on numerous hot lists – from People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive to Teen People’s 25 Hottest Stars Under 25. He defined the fan-girl term ‘adorkable’ with his sarcastic charm, floppy brown hair and random geeky references.

Now, with The O.C. dead and buried, Brody is making the leap from small screen to silver screen. His first post-O.C. work, In The Land of Women, which opens today, is one of his first starring roles.

He has also made his mark on the big screen with cameos in such hits as Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Thank You for Smoking.

“Cameos are kind of amazing … you are there for two days or whatever it may be,” Brody said in a phone interview with colleges around the country. “And then you are a part of this movie that other people have worked on, off and on, for a year.”

In his leading role for In The Land of Women, however, he had to be on set for a little more than two days. Brody plays Carter Webb, a screenwriter who leaves Los Angeles after breaking up with his actress girlfriend for suburban Detroit where his sick grandmother lives. There, he meets his new next-door neighbors, the Hardwicke women, including Sarah (Meg Ryan) and her two daughters, Lucy (Kristen Stewart) and Paige (Makenzie Vega), who all form a special relationship with him.

“I think he (Carter) is looking for some answers in himself,” Brody said, “And I think we can relate to the situation. I mean, he gets broken up with – I think everyone can relate to that. And I think everyone can relate to the struggle of trying to figure who they are.”

Brody has learned that being the lead in a feature film has its drawbacks as well as its perks.

“You are awake a lot,” he said. “You are working harder. It’s more fulfilling as well.”

For now, Brody is keeping his options open for the future. “I’m pretty excited about film right now … that said, it’s not totally up to me,” he said. “I’m sure sooner or later I’ll be back in TV in some capacity. Right now, I wouldn’t mind doing some movies.”

The “adorkable” actor has two more movies slated to come out this year: The Ten, which opens Aug. 3, is a movie that has 10 different stories. Each story is based on one of the Ten Commandments and stars Jessica Alba and Winona Ryder alongside Brody. There is also Smiley Face, which will open to a limited release on July 27. The movie is about a day in the life of an actress who accidentally eats her roommate’s pot brownies.