Gilles Marini Dances Onto 'Brothers & Sisters'

Let's face it: Kitty's cancer on 'Brothers & Sisters' has been a downer, but the mood's about to get a lot lighter. Gilles Marini, of 'Dancing With the Stars' and 'Sex and the City' movie fame, starts a five-episode arc Sun., Oct. 18 as French artist Luc Laurent, a love interest for Rachel Griffiths' Sarah.

"Luc's a painter, who lives in a barn," Marini recently told AOL TV. "It's really love at first sight [with Sarah]. There will be cooking, dancing, drama and excitement. Luc's a Renaissance Man. You're going to see a real romance."Let's face it: Kitty's cancer on 'Brothers & Sisters' has been a downer, but the mood's about to get a lot lighter. Gilles Marini, of 'Dancing With the Stars' and 'Sex and the City' movie fame, starts a five-episode arc Sun., Oct. 18 as French artist Luc Laurent, a love interest for Rachel Griffiths' Sarah.

"Luc's a painter, who lives in a barn," Marini recently told AOL TV. "It's really love at first sight [with Sarah]. There will be cooking, dancing, drama and excitement. Luc's a Renaissance Man. You're going to see a real romance."

Griffiths said she encouraged the writers to give Marini more to do than just flash a smile, flex his pecs and speak with a foreign accent. "The first few episodes are a bit objectified," admitted the actress. "[But] I kept going to the writers saying, 'Don't underestimate what this guy can do.'"

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Marini revealed that Griffiths drops her Australian accent even in rehearsals; he didn't even hear her true voice until they were at a publicity event. "I ask her, 'Who are you?'" the French-born celebrity joked.

'Brothers & Sisters' is known for hanging onto recurring players and there's buzz that Marini's run may be extended. "Maybe much more," he said with a smile. That would suit Griffiths just fine. "I look forward to seeing where that goes," she added.

What viewers won't see in the future is Griffiths signing up for 'Dancing With the Stars.' "I don't like to hurt," she said. "I don't like waking up sore. The way [the stars] get bossed around by these dancers? [Laughs] I'd be like, 'Shut the [expletive] up!'" -- By Mike Maloney