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Way Cool

Shawn Ashmore heats up the superhero scene as X2's junior heartthrob Iceman

Back as a junior mutant with deep-freeze powers in X2: X-Men United, Shawn Ashmore is used to cold calls.

"I'll be on the street and someone will shout, 'Hey, Iceman,'" says Ashmore, 23. "It's pretty cool. No pun intended."

Ashmore -- who honed his superhero chops starring on Nickelodeon's 1998-99 series Animorphs -- got his break at 10 doing toy commercials with his identical twin, Aaron, in their native Alberta. The twins, who live together in Toronto, often go after the same parts -- and once, in high school, the same girl. "I teased him that I had kissed her first," says Shawn. "That was our one big brawl."

During X2's shoot, Ashmore charmed his elders. "Shawn even got me to go to a roller disco," says costar Alan Cumming. "He's not a great skater, but he's a sport about having a good time." This includes returning for a planned third X-Men flick. But while being supercool is fun for now, he says, "I don't see an Ice Dad or Ice Grampa in my future."

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"Shawn's a good fake boyfriend," says X2 love interest Anna Paquin.

"I'm a shy person," says Ashmore (chillin' in LA). "But on the set, you can be that cocky guy you've always wanted to be."

© People / Transcript by Pam