After years of being known only as Wesley Crusher, Wil Wheaton has successfully thrown off the shackles of the boy genius and gained a new legion of fans attracted to one thing: him.

"The fans are incredibly loyal - and they don't hate Wesley anymore," Wheaton told People Magazine. His improvisational routine has become a hit on the convention circuit. "It's neat. People want to come and see me now."

Ten years ago, Wheaton found himself at a crossroads and decided to do something about his life. "I was 19 and lying in bed thinking, 'Oh my God, what has my career come to?'" he recalled. "I had left Star Trek: The Next Generation to do more things, and I was actually worse off, doing this awful movie ['The Liars' Club']. I remember thinking to myself, 'When I'm done, it's time to go on a soul-searching journey.'"

Fleeing Los Angeles and showbusiness, Wheaton set up shop in Kansas where he helped design a digital film editing system. "Being out there, I learned a lot about myself," he said. "I'd been very obnoxious and selfish. I made concerted efforts to change."

Now married with two step-children, Wheaton has thrown himself into his new life, running WilWheaton.net and participating in the Los Angeles ACME Comedy Theatre. "Performing for a live audience, there's nothing like it," he said. "That's where you separate the real actors from the people who are just pretty."

The full People Magazine article, in which Wheaton also talked about the film 'Stand By Me,' can be found here.

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