I remember seeing a picture as a hormonal teen of a slim, toned, slightly Arabic looking young man in nothing but a towel giving the most piercing backwards glance to camera and thinking it was just about the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. It was created by gay fantasists Pierre et Gilles and the model was French actor Salim Kéchiouche.

31-year-old Kéchiouche is adored by directors and artists as the very definition of ‘brooding’. He’s played plenty gay on film and stage, notably portraying the lover/killer of controversial Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini. He got his first acting break at 16 in gay movie Full Speed after being spotted by director Gael Morel. He’s gone on to work with the openly gay director three more times.

As well as a heavily punched gay score card Kéchiouche has a habit of playing boxers in his movies, which is handy because he was the kick boxing champion of France in ’98. He’s also got a reputation for getting his bits out in his movies – just do a Google search; you won’t have to look far.

His latest movie is called The String (Le Fil). It’s a sexy, uplifting drama about forbidden love in which he plays a gay handyman who falls for the son of his wealthy employer and the two young men are then engulfed in a torrid affair that crosses religion, class and family ties. Engrossing stuff, and Salim gets naked (again).

The String, directed by first-timer Mehdi Ben Attia, recently won the Audience Award for Best Picture at San Francisco’s Frameline gay and lesbian film festival. DVD hits stores in October.