HE'S GOT KILLER CHARM
By LARRY WORTH

CENTRAL Park may be a mecca for native New Yorkers and tourists. But Sean Patrick Flanery describes it as "totals--t."

"Look around," he suggests, perched on a rail overlooking the melting Wollman Skating Rink. "It's a bunch of scraggly trees, dead grass and a place where you smell smog instead of chlorophyll.

"Don't get me wrong. I love Manhattan, but I love it for the Village, the museums, Downtown, the Statue of Liberty, all that stuff. But when I hear people going on about the beauties of Central Park ... C'mon, give me a break."

During nearly two hours of traversing a park that will never be dear to his heart (though convenient to his temporary Essex House lodgings), it's clear that Flanery habitually speaks his mind. That applies to his own body of film work, to those who perceive him as "a nerd and a loner" and to his current shot at stardom.

As for the latter, three major magazines this month pegged him as the next big thing and a sure-fire heartthrob, covers that coinciding with Friday's release of his most commercial film - "Suicide Kings" - and the pending release of six indies by year's end.

That's in addition to having played the hero of TV's "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" for five years and a much-lauded turn as the albino-like protagonist of Disney's "Powder."

It's a potentially exciting time for the 32-year-old L.A. resident. But he's taking it in laid-back stride.

"The only real difference is, I'm suddenly doing more interviews," he says. "But I've been working fairly consistently for a long time. They haven't all been big hits, but, to me, it feels pretty much the same.

"I'm still close to my mom; I still have three best friends and I'm still thankful for every job I get. So, as far as I'm concerned, my life isn't even changing."

Media hype to the contrary, one can't help believing him. Flanery's conversation - augmented by savvy reactions to passersby, New York's nonstop traffic or just the sun's warmth on his face - reveal a literate, funny individual who's got his head on straight.

"I'd love to say I'm a tormented actor," he says. "But I don't have this angst thing, and I can't relate to those who do. The closest I come is in not watching any of my films.

"Even then, it's not some "I can't look at myself on screen' crap. When I shoot something, I usually have a good feeling about it. But it can be edited together in a thousand different ways. I like leaving the experience in my head the way I remember it."

That means Flanery isn't even proclaiming "Suicide Kings" as a must-see movie. "All I know is that, in my memory, I'm very content with it," he smiles.

Part of that comes from the chance to work opposite "Suicide" co-star Christopher Walken, whom Flanery describes as "the nicest guy imaginable." But on the subject of star worship, the actor says meeting Jack Lemmon, who made 1996's "The Grass Harp," was his favorite professional experience. Though Flanery had scenes with Walter Matthau, Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie and Nell Carter, he'd go to the set on days off just to observe Lemmon in action.

Flanery speaks almost as highly of producer George Lucas, who selected him from 300 others to play the young Indiana Jones in the syndicated TV show back in '92. It meant traveling to 33 countries and getting to show his athletic prowess.

"George Lucas opened every door that's open to me today," he says. "I adore him. He could call me to do a Fruit Loops commercial, and I'd be on the next plane."

Actually, Flanery did his share of commercials after growing up in Texas, graduating from Houston's University of St. Thomas in '88 and driving straight to L.A. Having written a play, Flanery took a waiter's job and hoped for a chance to either act or get his script performed on stage.

Gradually, a couple of Disney movies-of-the-week and indies came his way, ultimately leading to "Powder," an attention-grabbing film about a small-town pariah with strange powers. The role required Flanery to shave his head, eyebrows and body, and be coated for five hours a day in white, waterproof paint.

"I liked the role and didn't even mind the no-hair thing," he says, "but I felt hermetically sealed in that paint. I'd go to the gym each night, sit in the steam room, and wait till my sweat finally changed from white to clear. People sure looked at me funny."

Out of makeup, Flanery's also been looked at askew. But he's not afraid of other's opinions, caring only about those of his immediate family and close friends (two pals in L.A., one back in Houston).

"People have called me a weirdo for lots of things, even for loving solitude," he says. "I'm probably alone more than I'm not, but that isn't a problem for me. And a lot of people can't accept or understand it.

"I definitely have my own way of thinking, like when someone tells me that meeting George Lucas was my big break. To me, my first big break was getting hired at a restaurant, which allowed me to pay my bills while pursuing acting.

"Truly, everything is just as important to me as the thing before it. Sure, it would be monumental if Spielberg or Scorsese called me tomorrow. But it would still be no bigger to me than getting my first commercial. And that's how I see whatever's in my future."