IN HIS OWN WORLD THE SON ALSO RISES RODRIGUEZ EMERGING FROM SHADOW OF COMEDIAN FATHER.

Byline: ROMAN VEYTSMAN Special to the Daily News

``Would the world look different if you looked through the eyes of Paul Rodriguez?'' the X Games 12 commercial asks.

When you're a 21-year-old millionaire who has become not only the face of his sport, street skateboarding, but also the face of the X Games, the world does look different.

Since winning back-to-back gold medals at the X Games in 2004 and 2005, life hasn't been the same for P-Rod, as he is affectionately called.

``It's changed a lot,'' said Rodriguez, the son of comedian Paul Rodriguez. ``It's weird hearing about famous people who I look up to knowing who I am or just walking in the mall and going. `Hey aren't you Paul Rodriguez? It's like, `Yeah, yes I am.' ''

Rodriguez grew up around the entertainment industry, but has now begun to dabble in acting, working on a movie about skating entitled ``Street Dreams.'' He also has his own signature shoe, introduced by Nike in 2005 called the Zoom Air Paul Rodriguez, making him the only Hispanic to receive a pro model shoe with Nike.

``I see kids skating in them, it's pretty crazy,'' Rodriguez said. ``The skate shops are liking them and they seem to be moving. Hopefully I can keep that steadily going.''

Amid a growing sponsorship base and skating in a sport that has risen at a pace Rodriguez never expected, his laid-back, humble nature doesn't allow him to take credit for moving the sport into an extra gear.

``I can't take any credit for that,'' he said. ``I got brought up in this generation where it's grown. I can't say that I did the legwork to get it here.

``It's growing at a tremendous rate right now. When I started skating, the X Games were, whatever, and nobody really noticed. Now, you have rappers talking about the skate industry and the whole skate culture.

``People are starting to take on our style, wear our clothes and pay us more attention. We get more respect, we're actually taken seriously. It's actually a sport.''

Rodriguez, who once refused to play golf because he said the only Hispanics on the golf course were driving lawnmowers, said he has seen an increase in skateboarding among Latinos.

``I definitely have noticed a big increase in the Latino culture these past few years,'' he said. ``I can't say it was from me, but I definitely noticed it. It's cool, because it's always been like the white kids' sport, but it's really for everyone and it's a really accessible sport.''

Although he refused to mention exact figures, Rodriguez said he has enough money to be called a millionaire. He recently bought a home in Simi Valley.

``I've learned the hustle (from my dad),'' Rodriguez said. ``I've learned that the entertainment industry it's a fun industry, it's a great industry, but it ain't easy. You always have to be focused on what you're doing and you can't get caught slipping. He taught me to take care of my money and don't be spending it all.''

ESPN has taken Rodriguez and marketed to a ``mainstream'' audience, which includes its regular sports fans. The athletic Rodriguez appeals to that audience because ``he's one of those athletes you could compare to athletes in other sports,'' ESPN marketing manager Kevin Kirksey said.

``He seems to approach his sport with relative ease, he seems so comfortable on the road and he seems to enjoy himself so much and do everything so naturally, it's almost an extension of his soul when he's out there. He's a likeable guy.''

Rodriguez's star power has also spawned a Nike clothing line and the second version of his signature shoe, which comes out in March.

``Never in my life did I think I'd be involved with Nike,'' Rodriguez said.

On top of everything, Rodriguez also began the filming of his reality TV show ``P-Rod'' on Tuesday.

An approachable kid with bushy black hair, Rodriguez has the looks, personality, and creativity to push skateboarding street to the front of the X-Games.

``I think that he's one of the most genuinely nice kids that I've ever met he worked hard for what he got and he appreciates it,'' said professional skateboarder Lyn-Z Adams, who won silver in the 2003 X Games but won't participate this year due to an injury.

Rodriguez's image is all over the X Games advertising campaign and includes a large mural on the Hotel Figueroa as well as print ads and his commercial.

``With Paul, it was always about creativity and his eye, and we used him as an example who looks out into his landscape and defines his performance based on elements he sees in the landscape, elements that other people don't see, opportunities that other people don't see,'' Kirksey said.

Rodriguez has taken the opportunity not only by finding rails but by showcasing skating through acting in his film about a young skateboarder's rise to stardom, in which Rodriguez plays the lead role.

``We're sick and tired of corny movies that people are putting out that have nothing to do with the reality of skateboarding so we're doing it ourselves,'' he said of the movie, which also stars fellow skateboarders Ryan Dunn, Ryan Sheckler and Terry Kennedy.

Despite enjoying acting, ``nothing beats skating,'' Rodriguez said.

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CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Skateboarder Paul Rodriguez has his own mural on the side of the Hotel Figueroa in downtown Los Angeles.

Courtesy of ESPN

(2 -- color) Paul Rodriguez is the centerpiece of ESPN's promotion of this year's X Games.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Box:

X GAMES: LOS ANGELES