ALEX SHARP

Darren Criss is a legend.

Coming out of Juilliard, I honestly was expecting and willing to be breaking my neck, hustling, and being unemployed for a decade, two decades. I was gritting my teeth, but I was so down to do that.

I was really interested in observing people. From a young age, I wouldn't listen to what an adult was saying - I was obsessed with other people's body language.

I played a very complex, multidimensional character - Piglet in 'Winnie-the-Pooh' - at age 7 in England.

At school, I had to work really hard to get a D in maths. And I wasn't slacking off; I actually did work quite hard.

I've grown as an actor. I am more confident within my art form. I have also grown as a person. I am more compassionate, generous, and less judgmental.

I spent the first seven years of my life in a caravan traveling around Europe and the United States because my parents were just obsessed with traveling.

I haven't felt anchored my entire life. But I kind of like it.

My education was seeing and touching the world. I would read about the history of a castle with my mother - who was a teacher, so she home-schooled me - and then she would take me to the castle, and we would climb on it, and then I'd write creatively about it that night.

I just feel it's a shame to let fear get in your way and stop you achieving things.

I'm pretty careful about making sure that when I choose to do something, it's for the right reasons and that I really connect with it and care about it. So if the right musical came along, yes, I would totally do it!

Broadway doesn't pay that much.

It was nice to have a break from acting - there's a lot more to life than acting. And that's important - to be a good actor, you have to know that and to live that.

As an actor, I've been taught to just stay with your scene partner, and whatever they do, let it affect you, be spontaneous.

I don't like doing things that are easy!

I'm very good at reading people - and very bad at math.

I might not have been academically gifted - I was bad at maths, and science was a struggle - but I was good at English literature and became hooked on theatre.

You can do a good job when you play it safe, but you can't do a spectacular job. You have to risk it and be in danger of looking like an absolute fool.

I'm not good at picking people up, I'd rather just get to know someone. I'm not an 'opening line' kind of guy; it's not really my scene. But at school, I was good at talking to girls. I wasn't good at making moves, though.

It was always my dream to live in New York.

That's what I'm drawn to: playing characters that are completely different.

Be less afraid to be different.

Elle Fanning is my official stylist. If I'm buying a pair of sneakers or a suit, I just do what she tells me to do. She's my red carpet expert.

When you start a conversation about something that is under-discussed and you use art to convey it, I think that is incredibly powerful but is always going to create waves.

'To the Bone' is autobiographical. It's written and directed by a woman; it's starring all women, apart from me and Keanu, who are in lesser parts, and it's produced by women.