Q+a [rick Schroder]

After giving up his NYPD Blue badge last year, the 32-year-old actor goes from the streets of New York to the great outdoors as the host of ESPN's The New American Sportsman.

SI: Are you contractually obligated to bare your button Sportsman?

Schroder: Only if the ratings go really low.

SI: You were born on Staten Island. How big an outdoorsman are you?

Schroder: I've been involved with fishing and hunting since I was about nine. I love the outdoors.

SI: Is it true that William Holden first introduced you to hunting in 1980 while you were both filming The Earthling in Australia?

Schroder: True. We went rabbit hunting with .22 rifles, and he let me do the shooting. I think I missed everything.

SI: You made a nice transition from child star to adult actor. How disappointed are you that you haven't been the subject of an E! True Hollywood Story?

Schroder: It's not over yet. There's still time.

SI: Did Curt Gowdy, the host of the original American Sportsman show, give you any advice?