By Bill Forry
Managing Editor

Growing up around St. Peter's in post-busing era Dorchester, Kevin Chapman had plenty of opportunities to "go bad." And, truth be told, Chappy, as his friends call him, will cop to his share of brawling in his early days.

The real Kevin Chapman straightened things out, hustled a bit, and ended up being Tom Menino's point person in Dorchester in the mid-1990s. In the last decade, he's parlayed his blue-collar bona fides into a serious acting career.

Now, in his latest turn on the small screen, Chapman is a lead cast member of Showtime's new marquee Sunday night series, "The Brotherhood." Chapman is cast as neighborhood crime boss Freddy Cork, who pushes an Escalade and runs a beer-and-a-beatin' joint down by the interstate. Cork's had the run of "the Hill" since the Whitey-esque Michael Caffee hit the rails seven years ago. Caffee's brother, Tommy, also happens to be the mostly-legit state Rep. Now, the town is abuzz with word that Mikey is back in town and ready to take back his taste of the underworld action.

The central thrust of the show is widely seen as a big tip-of-the-scally-cap to Southie's very own Bulger brothers. But Chapman insists that the Boston connection is a minor one.

"It's being labeled as a Bulger story in Providence, but there are other stories. Does it have resemblances? Yes it does, but it's not based on the Bulgers, as far as I know."

Chapman, who now lives full-time out on the Left Coast with his wife and kids, got the gig after an encounter with series creator Blake Masters at a Red Sox game out in Anaheim. The pair were introduced by fellow Boston actor Mike O'Malley, who recommended Chapman for the role. Masters followed up with a script and an offer several weeks later. Chapman, who played the menacing mob lackey Kevin Savage in Clint Eastwood's masterful Mystic River, was a little reluctant to dive back into the thug life.

"Because of the role I played in Mystic River, it's the only piece of work that people really remember me from. People always say, 'Do I know you. Yeah, you were Sean Penn's henchman in Mystic River.' So, I tried to stay away from the villain roles."

But Chapman saw something between the lines in Masters' script.

"The thing I liked about Freddy is that he has a sense of duality. It gave him depth. He's a criminal of course and loves nothing more than robbing and stealing, but he looks at himself as an honest to goodness family man."

In the pilot episode, Chapman notes, Freddy Cork wraps up a shake-down of Rep. Caffee by saying he's got to "take my kids out for pizza."

"In his eyes, he's not much different than (state Rep.) Tommy Caffee. He grew up less than and was not able to get things in life. This world gives him a chance to provide for his family."

"That's what really drew me to the Freddie character. He's not just a thug. We usually see thugs with fast cars and girlfriends. He doesn't have that, he has his little bar and that's about it. It's a mundane kind of life."

Still, after watching the pilot, it's clear that Freddy's racketeering monopoly is about to be tested by the return of Mikey Caffee (played brilliantly by Jason Isaacs, known best for his role as the sadistic Redcoat in Mel Gibson's The Patriot).

Whatever happens with "Brotherhood," count on seeing more of Kevin Chapman soon on the big screen. This fall, he'll play a Marine commander in Clint Eastwood's adaptation of the Iwo Jima battle epic Flags of Our Fathers. ("I get to say, 'You get me on that beach!" Chapman jokes).

Next up, he's teaming up again with comedian buddy Jay Mohr to co-produce an independent film that will begin shooting soon in California and Arizona.

Chapman's mum on whether or not he survives the first season of the "Brotherhood," but judging from the prominent role he has to date, count on him being around for the long haul. If, that is, it gets picked up for a second season.

"The reviews have been great so far. Now we need to find an audience. There are a lot of great shows that people just never discover," says Chapman.

"Contractually, they have to let me know by Sept. 1. But, with the reviews so far, I can't see them not renewing it."