Alex Karpovsky may be best known as the brutally honest/lovable jerk Ray on "Girls," but in real life he comes across as a pretty stand-up dude. This week he offered young women some sincere advice about relationships as part of Rookie Mag's "Ask A Grown Man" series, which has previously featured actors like Jon Hamm and Paul Rudd. (Swoon!)
Over the course of the video, Karpovsky reveals what he finds attractive in a woman. "Sincerity, confidence, sense of humor, humility, sense of style, dance ability," he tells the camera. (Take notes in case you ever encounter Karpovsky, "Girls" fans.)
He also sounds off on whether it's possible to be friends with an ex. "I personally am of the opinion that it's harder than most people probably feel it is," he says. "The only way two people can be friends in this situation ... is both of you are completely, fundamentally over each other and have moved on. But that's not usually the case."
Karpovsky goes on to advise a teen girl to pick a guy who makes her "feel nervous" over someone she's less attracted to and more comfortable with. He says:
Isn't that the best thing? To feel nervous; to feel threatened and vulnerable and alive and engaged in that sense when interacting with someone you're really attracted to? I think that's wonderful. That's usually the best part. In fact, it's almost always downhill from there.
After delivering nearly 10 minutes of heartfelt advice to Rookie Mag readers, Karpovsky closed the video by saying: "I probably should have begun by telling you that I really don't know anything about love or women or human emotion. You know, I'm in my 30s, I cry myself to sleep and I'm enveloped in a world of coldness, insecurity and pain."
Oh, Ray, maybe you and your deadpan sense of humor are somewhere inside Alex Karpovsky after all.
Karpovsky recently told The Hollywood Reporter that he enjoys playing a "jerk" on television:
There’s a lot more diversity you can lend to a jerk than you can lend to a straight man. I think a straight man, there are only two or three shades of gray there to lend to it. For the most part, I’m generalizing. Whereas a jerk, you can really go wild.
Watch the video above and let us know in the comments what you think of the advice he gives!