David Giuntoli: 5 Things You Don't Know About Grimm's Star

USMagazine, Monday, August 13, 2012, 6:00am (PDT)

Get ready, Grimm fans!

NBC's hit drama inspired by the classic Grimm Brothers' Fairy Tales returns for its second season August 13, and before the new episodes air, Us Weekly gets to know Grimm's leading man, David Giuntoli, who appears as Portland Homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt.

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1. Haven't yet gotten hooked on Grimm? If Giuntoli still looks familiar, you may have seen him before. Discovered by MTV while in a bar, the Indiana University grad toured the South Pacific for three months as part of the network's 2003 Road Rules installment, and won the Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Gauntlet.

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2. Just because he's an MTV reality show alum doesn't mean Giuntoli's down with the Jersey Shore gang or makes Teen Mom must-see TV. "I wouldn't say that I was ever a fan of MTV. I was a guy on MTV," he reasons. Instead, he prefers Downton Abbey. "I'm in different ways of love with every person on that cast, from the cook to the sisters to everybody," Giuntoli tells Glamour.

3. Originally studying finance in college, Giuntoli changed his career path after working with MTV and moved to L.A. in 2007 to pursue acting. Studying under Christopher Fields and working with the Echo Theater Company, Giuntoli landed roles in shows including Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and Privileged before appearing on Grimm.

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4. He's not a fan of fairy tales. "To be honest, I never really read them. I wasn't well-acquainted with them beyond the sanitized Disney versions that we've come to know," the actor admits to the Huffington Post. "But I've always been a fan of getting scared, and I think Grimm is a show where you have a bit of humor, some crime-solving and an added element of fear. You'll definitely go to bed scared."

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5. He has a habit of having unique Hollywood moments. "I went to trivia night with David Cross, and I idolize him," the actor told Glamour. "It was just the two of us on a team."

Watch David Giuntoli in Grimm Mondays at 10 p.m. (EST) on NBC.

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: David Giuntoli: 5 Things You Don't Know About Grimm's Star