For some people, a childhood dream remains just that, a dream. But for those who are not afraid to chase their dream, it has great potential to become reality. As a child, Ron Melendez became captivated by the art of acting.

"It was always with me," he admits. "My parents and I would go to two or three movies a week when I was a kid. Just the whole experience was always a magical thing for me. Everytime I'd come out of a movie, I'd be one of the characters in the film. I'd become so involved with it. It just seemed to be the thing that I always wanted to do." First inspired by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones, Melendez confesses that his dream role is to play Montgomery Cliff's character in From Here to Eternity. At the age of 15, he got his first professional break in a Pepsi commercial starring Madonna. After furthering his education at UCLA as an English major while continuing his acting endeavors in theater, film and television, Melendez appeared in such productions as "Maps for Drowners," a play in which he starred opposite Lisa Kudrow of "Friends." He even worked on such horror flicks as Children of the Corn III and The Unborn II, of which he reveals, "They're fun at the time, but I don't know if I have any left in me."

Earlier this year Melendez starred s the adopted, rebellious teenager, Jeremy Bradford, on UPN's post-Civil War drama "Legacy." Landing the role of Jeremy was not only a testimony to Melendez's acting talent, but also to the lengths he would go to in order to fulfill his dream.

"When I auditioned, the casting director kept asking me if I knew how to ride a horse, and I kept telling her yes. I think I'm a good actor, but I know I'm a terrible liar." Regardless, of his lying ability, his acting was so impressive that it prompted producers to cast him for a more challenging role than the one he originally auditioned for. Although Melendez was good at portraying a rebellious teenager, it wasn't because he was one himself. "It's fun to act out what I didn't do when I was growing up. It's fun to do things that you wouldn't normally do in real life, like cheat, hustle, pickpocket and steal. It's exciting and a lot more interesting."

Filimg "Legacy" in Richmond, Virginia proved to be a rewarding experience for the actor. "It was great to be able to explore the same character week after week and see how he developed. I loved being able to shoot in a location I'd never been to, and live life in another part of the country that I perhaps wouldn't have seen otherwise."

Currently, the actor is starring in "Merlyn," a one-hour pilot for NBC. He stars as John Merlyn, an aspiring reporter who learns that he is the direct descendant of the fabled magician Merlyn, and begrudgingly accepts the sword of Excalibur to battle the evil Morgan Lefay, who plots to take over the world.

Because he holds acting with such high regard, is there any role he wouldn't do? "I don't know. There are things that I think cross the line in film and TV, but for the most part I'm a believer in the fact that film should be able to represent life no matter how ugly or offensive it may be. But then I think that there are lights in which things shouldn't be portrayed, so it would depend on the effect that I think it would have on people." As for the future? "I love doing television, but film is really where I want to be. So ultimately, I want to go out, do some acting, do some movies, win an Academy Award or two, settle down, and have a nice family. If we're talking ultimate goals, let's go all the way."

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