he publicity machine helping actor Clive Owen promote his new film "Derailed" did him no favor by dispatching him to a dowdy hotel suite in midtown Manhattan, where he will sit for an interview. So much of this promo business is about image, glamour and a faux intimacy extruded from a one-hour encounter. Decorated in dull shades of gold and green, it must surely be the dreariest room in all the "luxury" hotels in all of Manhattan.

The 41-year-old British actor wears a black Giorgio Armani suit that was selected, he says, without any aid. Owen is tall - over 6 feet - dark-haired and handsome. He is not a pretty boy in that glossy (but creepy) Hollywood way. He is a handsome man with a firm handshake who'd like some tea before he begins talking about his day job.

What is Clive Owen like? This question is raised upfront because he is one of those actors who are the subject of Internet message boards headlined: "Is Clive a nice guy?" From what can be discerned over the course of one conversation, he seems to be a pleasant man with a professional attitude about his press duties.

In the film, the first from Miramax founders Harvey and Bob Weinstein since their split from Disney, Owen plays married advertising executive Charles Schine. His marriage has gone stagnant, in part because he and his wife have focused all their emotional energy on their young daughter, who is chronically ill.

Jennifer Aniston plays Lucinda Harris, a fellow Chicago commuter, also married, whom Schine meets on the train. She is the mysterious woman in the power clothes - her hair brushed into a French twist and her long legs in black nylons and stilettos calling out to every sucker in gray-flannel Brooks Brothers. A good Samaritan gesture on her part - she pays Schine's fare when he forgets to bring cash - leads to a conversation, to drinks, a kiss and finally a cheap hotel room. A robber interrupts before the consummation of their affair and in that moment, the movie transforms from a tale of infidelity into a thriller dominated by thugs, blackmail and embezzlement.

Owen plays the family man who makes a deadly mistake. He is the dupe for whom bad judgment is like a nervous tic - the guy who causes the audience to yell, "Don't open the door!"

"It's a reactive part. He's reacting to the things happening to him and one of the considerations and concerns is you don't condemn him for that," he says.

While his most widely acclaimed film role has been in "Closer," Owen has also had roles in "Gosford Park," "The Bourne Identity," "Croupier" and "Sin City." He was a much-discussed possible heir to the James Bond dynasty, a role that went to Daniel Craig. Owen was also the mysterious driver in a series of elaborate BMW commercials.

But his first encounter with fanzine fame was sparked by his role in the British TV show "Chancer." It was the sort of blockbuster TV phenomenon that made him a household name, remunerated him generously and … transformed him into paparazzi bait. When another offer of a TV show threatened to heighten - and prolong - his small screen fame, Owen opted out. He focused on a series of intimate theatrical productions.

"I didn't want to turn into prime-time TV fodder, for everyone to get used to what I do. I want my career to be a long-term thing. I never want to be in a position as an actor with something to protect. And when you get to a certain level, you've got something to protect. Some things become too dangerous."

Owen, who is married to Sarah-Jane Fenton, an actress, and has two young children, lives in London and is proud of the fact that his life now is fairly normal.

Owen is almost finished with this press encounter. He's leaning back in his chair with one arm resting casually behind his head. He reiterates his early fascination with this guy who is "trying to do the right thing but everything is going from bad to worse."

He's looking forward to relaxing before the film's premiere later that day. But the publicity machine informs him of another interview - a short one, just 15 minutes or so. His shoulders slump a little. His eyes are not twinkling. There is no glint in them. He is not all Hollywood noblesse oblige. But he regains his posture. And prepares to be professional.

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