Monroe Mann, a New York native and resident, attended Furman University for roughly four semesters in 1995-96. The actor, who has appeared in several independent films and TV productions, said he originally was cast as an extra for Swimfan, but his role changed and grew.

"I went on set and one thing led to another," Mann said. "The next thing I know the producer called me up and said he wanted me to meet with the director (John Polson)."
Mann, 24, wound up playing Jake Donnelly, a former boyfriend of Madison Bell, played by leading lady Erika Christensen. As Donnelly, Mann was first asked to portray a comatose hospital patient. But the role grew to include some additional scenes in which Mann's character is conscious. Mann said that although he has no lines in Swimfan, his total time in the film is around three minutes, "which is pretty substantial for a 90-minute film," he said.

"That's not too bad for your first credit."

Before he began his acting career, Mann spent some time in Greenville. In the mid '90s, he visited Furman and wound up attending for three semesters.

"I just fell in love with the place," Mann said. "They've got a lake there, and it just seemed very similar to where I came from. Seeing the lake out of my window every morning, I felt like I was at home."

After graduating from college in Europe, Mann returned to the United States and embarked on his career, which thus far has been a good one. Swimfan raced to first place at the box office during its Sept. 6 opening weekend.

While the fledgling actor might be short on major movies to his credit, he has plenty of ambition.

"To be honest, my goal is to have an Oscar in three years," he said.