Among the rewards already reaped by the Miami Dolphins defensive end thanks to his "Dancing" success was a lunch date two weeks ago with Denzel Washington. They met at a sushi restaurant in Hollywood and spent 21/2 hours discussing football, acting and the similarities between the two.

"What an outstanding guy," Taylor, 33, says. "I lost track of time sitting there talking to him and ended up being an hour and a half late for dance rehearsal. My partner wasn't too happy."

Washington was on his way to a meeting with Al Pacino, and Taylor reluctantly declined an invitation to join them. Maybe next time. All signs suggest Taylor's showbiz career is only beginning.

It won't end with this season's final episode of "Dancing With the Stars" on Tuesday. Taylor, one of the show's three finalists, will catch a redeye flight from Los Angeles that night for an appearance Wednesday on "Good Morning America" and then "Live With Regis and Kelly."

Taylor says he'll put Hollywood on hold to play football this year, but it's unclear whether the Dolphins want to keep him, in part because his focus is increasingly drawn toward a movie career.

"This has afforded us a lot of opportunities people would be surprised at," Taylor said in a phone interview. "It has obviously opened a lot of doors."

Hollywood likes what it sees. He turned on the charm for "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Larry King Live," and by the time Taylor returns to Miami, he will have met with executives for 20th Century Fox, Universal and Warner Bros."

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