BULLETT

This past Saturday, Chloë Sevigny transformed St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery into a 1960s protest party filled with stylish smut and infectious beats. Inspired by the silhouettes of the time, the indie actress/fashion darling’s fifth collection for Opening Ceremony features retro numbers like A-line coats and babydoll dresses, which were modeled by five picketing all-girl bands that included some famous faces.

Attendees like Vanessa Hudgens, Kate Lanphear, and Garance Dore looked on as rebel rockers like Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and Thinner’s Lissy Trullie (a friend of Sevigny’s and the original face of her OC collab) posed in pieces from cult skate label Vision Street Wear and Emilio Cavallani. Standout designs included a furry round purse, chunky white clogs with red soles, baby pink gingham tops, intarsia tights with Egyptian motifs, funky berets in an array of shades, and a mock turtleneck/vinyl skirt pairing modeled by Sevigny herself.

Steven R. McQueen is the grandson of the late Steve McQueen and shares the legendary actor’s effortlessly cool persona. The 23-year-old Los Angeles native plays a troubled medium named Jeremy Gilbert alongside fellow Bullett heartbreaker Michael Trevino on the knockout supernatural drama The Vampire Diaries. He also starred in the 2010 remake of Piranha, is a big fan of the Rolling Stones, has a dog named Max and has a crush on Morgan Freeman. One of these things is not true.

What can we expect from Jeremy next season?
Well, we’re kind of figuring that out as we go. We just got our first script. At the end of last season, Jeremy failed to protect his sister and she died, so now I think he’s trying to become stronger to right his wrongs.

What I like about your character is that he’s gradually transitioned from weak to badass.
And hopefully this season, a little more.

That’s a mischievous smile. Something big is going to happen, isn’t it?
It’s going to be a good season. I’m pretty excited about it.

Do you share any personality traits with Jeremy?
He’s been through a lot. You just have to dig deep and try to relate to certain parts. But I don’t know, Jeremy’s a little darker than most.

Do you have a dark side?
[Laughs] We all do. How about yourself?

Definitely. Speaking of the dark side, have you ever had your heart broken?
I have.

What did it feel like?
Not good.

You don’t want to go there, do you?
I don’t want to go there.

You’re in a happy place now?
[Laughs] Yes.

Have you ever broken a heart?
I have. That wasn’t good either.

Do you consider yourself a romantic?
Sure.

What’s your idea of a romantic day?
I would say that I enjoy having time away from everything. Putting down our phones and just kind of shutting off from the rest of the world. Having the day to us—whether it’s out of town or watching movies at home.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
When I’m back home in L.A., I hang out with friends. I just shot a short film with some of them. In Atlanta where The Vampire Diaries is filmed, there’s a kickboxing gym that I go to a bunch. Besides that, I hang out with my dog, Max.

Max! What breed?
He’s a mutt. He’s Golden, Shepard, and I don’t know what else.

How long have you had him?
I think three years now.

That’s love for you, isn’t it?
Yes!

Does a girl have to be an animal lover for you to date them?
Oh, man. If a girl doesn’t get along with my dog, then we’ve got a problem.

Have you ever had that situation? What if she’s allergic to dogs?
Actually, I did date someone who was allergic to dogs. Let’s just say that she had to take a lot of Claritin…

Because the dog was not going to go away, right?
The dog is never going away. There’s no way on earth. I dated this girl for about a year and a half, so she had to take Claritin consistently every day.

That’s a lot of Claritin. I think you can pick up allergies from the dog’s hair…
We looked it up. It’s like in the skin particles or something.

Who’s your celebrity crush?
Morgan Freeman.

Lies.
Probably Scarlett Johansson. I’m an Avengers fan.

You like a girl who can kick ass.
I’d say someone who can stand her ground is always attractive.

Do you listen to music?
I do. I listen to a lot of music, actually.

Have you heard anything cool recently?
What I’m listening to kind of changes with my mood. Sometimes I listen to classics, like the Rolling Stones or Jim Morrison. I like the new Maroon 5 album, too. I’m also a big Ray LaMontagne fan. I love music.

What’s the last song that you listened to?
Let me look on my iPod…

I’m sure it’s going to be something embarrassing.
It probably will. Okay, it’s a song called “Thin Line” by Honeyhoney. I went to see James Morrison in concert in New York and this band opened for them. They were great and I’d never heard them before.

What genre is that?
I’ll play it for you right now.

I like it. It has a folk, bluegrass feel. So, what would you say is the best love song of all time? Besides that Titanic song by Celine Dion—I know you want to say that.
[Laughs] Hmm. There are so many different kinds of love songs. I think it depends on the mood of what you’re going through at the time. How do you define a love song?

How about the first song that resonated with you when you were experiencing your first crush?
Oh, I don’t remember that.

Stevie Wonder always brings me back. Or even Lionel Richie. I’m a dork.
No, those are good. I feel like there are different emotions that come along with love, so, I can’t classify just one song.

What’s your favorite stage of love?
There’s the beginning—the infatuation stage—that’s always fun. Then there are the first fights. Then there’s knowing someone and being in that state of comfort. But that is a question that I think we all ask ourselves: What’s the best part of love? What is what we’re meant to have and what is what we’re looking for?

Jay Ryan is big in Australia. Prior to landing in Hollywood, the 30-year-old New Zealand-born actor (who’s also one of our Primetime studs) dominated televisions down under by starring in a variety of hit shows, including the popular Australian soap opera Neighbours. For his first foray into stateside stardom, Ryan plays a troubled doctor with a terrifying alter ego in Beauty and the Beast—The CW’s reboot of the popular 1980s series of the same name. He stars alongside actress Kristin Kreuk (of Smallville fame) and openly admits to us that he’s jealous of her supreme martial arts skills. He also admits that he used to be a professional clown. True story.

I’m a big fan of the original version of the series that starred Linda Hamilton.
Yeah, I used to watch it with my grandmother every time I came home from school. I’ve pretty much seen every episode.

The main difference that I notice between the old series and the new version is that the beast’s makeup isn’t as intense.
In our version, the beast is part of a military experiment that’s gone awry. This one is very different because in the original, Vincent Keller is that lioness kind of man and in this one it’s more of a chemical build-up within that accelerates with his anger. I think the beast’s look is even more menacing than the original. He’s a killer, so that’s his demon that he’s trying to work against.

His anger gets the best of him.
He’s this normal guy but when things go wrong and he’s on the fence, he turns into this awful killer. At any moment he could get back into his beast form and hurt Catherine Chandler that’s why he never wants to get too close to her. He never knows how he’s going to react. But he saved her from being killed when her mother was killed, so there’s that connection. There’s that unsaid apology that is going on between them because he didn’t save her mother in time because it was too late. He’s got a lot going on inside him and, at the same time, he’s trying to find the cure to become human again, to regain humanity.

Do you share any personality traits with Vincent Keller?
Although I’m normally a very chilled-out person, I do have temper on me. It’s one of those tempers that, as I’ve gotten older, it rarely comes out but when it does its quite fierce and lethal. So, in that respect it’s similar to Vincent because he is quite a calm kind of guy, but has to deal with this chemical build-up inside of him. When he snaps, he really snaps. But it’s nowhere near as strong as Vincent’s kind of rage—thank goodness! Otherwise I don’t think Kristin would want to work with me very much.

Kristin’s gorgeous. Do you like working with her?
She’s really hard to look at. [Laughs] She’s great. Actually, I was really impressed by her work ethic on set—she’s extremely professional. She’s a great leader of the cast. Her character is a very strong female character, both emotionally and physically. Kristin’s got a purple belt in karate or something. I remember the stunt coordinator was just singing her praises and I was like “Damn, now I have to really prove myself!” [Laughs] The beast’s fight sequences are rough movements, while hers are very choreographed and very sharp because of her martial arts background. He’s got this strength that he can’t control but as the series progresses I think you’ll see more of his demonic state. As both the audience and Catherine discover more about him, we’ll see if that pulls her closer or pushes her away.

Do you find strength in a woman sexy?
Absolutely—it’s very sexy. I like a girl who could kick ass. I think it’s great that we’re seeing more strong, female characters in media and entertainment. The female has always been secondhand but now it’s all about the female protagonist. It’s about time! I like a woman who is strong, knows what she wants, and is creative.

And what don’t you like?
Someone who is always fussy. I’m not talking about high maintenance, if it’s for a good cause, but I just can’t stand fussiness and complaining for no reason. You know, “first world problems.” That really gets me.

Do you have a girlfriend?
I do. We’ve been dating for a couple of years now. She’s a writer, so it’s great because she can take her work anywhere with her, which means that can travel with me when I have a movie in Toronto, Australia, or wherever.

You’re from New Zealand but live in Australia. Do you think men are more romantic down under or in America?
I’d probably say American men are more romantic, but that’s just a generalization. I just think that in America the whole culture of Valentine’s Day and special celebrations are a bit more focused on than back home.

Australians are subtler about it.
I think so, but that’s also a generalization. I’m sure there are some very romantic Australian men out there, too.

Like who?
Like me! [Laughs]

Is it true that you used to be a professional clown?
I wouldn’t say professional…

Well, were you ever a clown for pay?
[Laughs] Yes, I was. When I was 16, I had no work so there was this ad in the newspaper for becoming a clown. That’s a really odd job to see in the paper and I didn’t know if it was legit or not so I just called out of curiosity, and it was! I met this random guy who was both a magician and clown. I had done a lot of theatre at the time, so I found his work kind of interesting. The art of clowning goes a long way back, you know. The guy took me in and showed me all kinds of magic tricks and revealed how they worked. I used to always ask magicians how they did tricks and they never gave it up, so it was cool to be on the other side. I did it for about six months until I realized that I hated Sunday mornings with little kids. Kids can be very challenging; some of them appreciate the tricks, but some ask too many questions or are never satisfied. I found that a little stressful, so I went back to being a teenager and sleeping in. [Laughs]

Have you ever used your magic tricks to impress a girl?
I have! But I don’t know if it really impressed her—it probably drove her away. But I learned how to make animal balloons. I got really good and knew how to make a poodle, bouquets of flowers, motorcycles, swans…it became quite a creation.

Could you bust out your balloon tricks at any given moment?
Yeah! It’s a good party trick.

Do you dance?
I’m a bit of a dancer. I actually trained in contemporary dance when I was doing my theatre and performing training. I can bust a move. I also trained in physical theatre, which is sort of like this fierce, free, crazy movement type of theatre.

So you’re an all-around entertainer?
Yeah, I trained in a lot of different performance types. It’s great; it makes you more versatile. I also like to create. My girlfriend and I create film and theatre together as well. I think that’s a big part of our relationship as well—being collaborative. I make it and she writes it. Collaborating can be sexy because we have all these ideas and we’re bouncing them off of one another. Creativity can also lead to the bedroom.

Are you creative there?
Yes. Very, very creative.

What’s your favorite body part?
Well, in terms of first glance, it’s the eyes. In terms of touching, I’m really into legs.

Who has the best legs in Hollywood?
Jessica Alba has nice legs.

What about scent? You smell really good.
It’s actually deodorant! Everyone always thinks I’m wearing cologne, but it’s actually just a spray-on deodorant from Australia called Nivea. It’s a big brand, but for some reason they only have the spray-on deodorant in Australia and New Zealand, so I brought over a case to the state. I’ve used it for years.

Is there a women’s fragrance that you really like?
Yes, but I don’t know the name of it. I really like the Comme des Garçons—their scents are great. There’s just something about them that smells amazing on a woman. I tried to use one of their unisex fragrances once but it just made me feel ill.

What’s your idea of the perfect date?
We don’t get to go on actual dates much because we’re so busy, so we like to cook and stuff like that. But when I do plan a date, I like it to be grand and expensive. I love hiring really unique properties for the weekend. There is a site called Airbnb.com; whenever we’re traveling, we always find a great place to stay on there, like a little treehouse or something. The last one we got was in my homeland of New Zealand; it was for Christmas. It was this place called Piha, which is a beautiful black sand and volcanic beach. We got this beach shack right on the beach, on the sand and the water. See, I like to make a date an event, not an awkward dinner or movie night. You can do that anytime.

Photography by Nicolas Moore

Dylan O’Brien is that guy that you wanted to be friends with in high school. He’s handsome enough to be part of the popular crowd, but he squirms when you talk about love and sweats when you talk about female body parts (especially Jennifer Aniston’s.)The 20-year-old former YouTube star made his name as Stiles on the hit MTV series Teen Wolf,  and currently stars alongside Britt Robertson and Craig Roberts in the new Jon Kasdan-directed teen comedy, The First Time. Here he is on his first high school love, heartbreak, and his taste in women.

Describe your character Dave in The First Time in three words.
Wow, just three words? That makes it so much harder. He’s sweet, vulnerable and a guy. [Laughs] I love how I led off with sweet, but really, he’s such a dude. Just one of those sweet, sappy dudes.

Dave’s pretty complex.
Yeah, I would need an essay to describe him. Like, three pages.

The First Time is about a budding romance between two high school students and their first weekend together. Do you remember your first love?
I was in high school, I think. It’s the first time that you start thinking of one of your girl friends as more than just a friend and you just think about her all the time and are obsessed with her and think she’s really pretty and just want to hang out with her always. And then you start trying to process those feelings. That’s literally what the film is all about: trying to understand all those emotions you first have when you have no idea where they’re coming from.

Did you use your first experience as inspiration for the film?
Definitely—that’s how I interpreted the script the first time I read it. It features everything I saw and went through. It got so real.

There are tons of awkward moments throughout the film. Did you experience any awkwardness with your first crush? Did you do anything weird to impress her?
Yeah! One time I stood outside of a girl’s house with a rose in my mouth, like between my teeth. It was obviously a joke and was supposed to look stupid, and it really did. I definitely looked stupid. She just rolled her eyes and laughed.

This film also features the quintessential dream girl. Who was the popular girl in high school?
It was that same girl that I had my first crush on. She was a friend who I was really into, but she never thought of me that way.

You had top-shelf taste in women back then, huh?
Yeah, I guess you can say that she was pretty sought after.

Has she contacted you since high school?
Yeah, totally. We’re still friends.

Do you date?
I date, yeah. I’m currently dating one person, consistently. I would say that the peak of my dating streak was junior year in high school, where I took relationships on a four-month level. I always have some kind of thing…

You always have a girl somewhere?
Yeah, I always have some kind of chick in the closet. [Laughs] No, no. What I meant was that I am always in some kind of relationship. I’m one of those guys. Whenever I like a girl, I somehow fall into a relationship with her.

Do you fall in love easily?
I crush easily.

Have you broken a girl’s heart?
I have no idea! Maybe, but I don’t know because in retrospect they could look back and think, “Okay, it wasn’t that big of a deal.” At a certain point, you realize that those things weren’t as important as you thought they were at the time. It was a silly high school breakup. You shouldn’t take relationships that seriously. Okay, this is getting deep.

Have you had your heart broken?
I don’t know. I’m sure at the time I would have screamed, “My heart is breaking!” But you move on, you grow and you realize that you were only 16.

You used to be a YouTube star. Did you ever explore online dating?
Oh, God no! [Laughs] No way. I’ve peeked around, but never on dating sites.

Have you heard of that webcam chat site, Chatroulette?
Yeah, it’s so weird. It gives me anxiety.

People always think that they’re going to see someone famous.
You never see anybody huge, just huge dicks.

What’s your favorite body part?
Legs.

Which celebrity has the best legs?
Oh man, Jennifer Aniston has always had nice legs.

The woman doesn’t age.
She still looks the same as when she was on Friends. She’s aged very gracefully. Magnificently gracefully.

Is fitness important to you?
It was at a time. I think I’ve gotten lazy. No, I know I’ve gotten lazy. I think it’s because I have a super fast metabolism anyway, so I won’t get fat if I don’t work out. I used to work out. I get away with just being extraordinarily skinny. Like, I have to work hard not to be skinny. I have to try to put on fat by eating, like, three ice creams a day.

I’m jealous. What’s next for you?
Right now, I’m about to go play a small role in a Fox comedy called The Internship. It’s directed by Shawn Levy and stars Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson and Rose Byrne. I’m excited to go work on that set—it’s going to be such a good learning experience. And then hopefully I’ll be on Season 3 of Teen Wolf.

Teen Wolf fangirls are insane.
They’re so sweet.

Have you been trampled on yet?
[Laughs] Not yet! There are some places where it’s that way and things go a little crazy, but it’s usually not like that. Teen Wolf fans are just really sweet, unassuming and kind of shy. I find that really endearing.

Taylor Kinney—one of Primetime’s newest heartbreakers—might be a self-proclaimed “T-shirt and jeans guy,” but his taste in women is far less conventional. The 31-year-old actor is perhaps best known as the on-again-off-again (and currently on-again) boyfriend of one Lady Gaga (who featured him in her video for “You and I”), and for his stint as werewolf Mason Lockwood on The CW’s immortal drama The Vampire Diaries. But that’s about to change with the debut of  Kinney’s new NBC drama Chicago Fire, in which he plays Lieutenant Kelly Severide, a “ball-buster” firefighter doing battle with flames and personal demons.

You arrived here before me. Are you always this punctual?
A reputable director once told me, “If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re late, you’re fired.” It was something that stuck with me. People should just be on time for shit, you know?

Everyone’s late in Los Angeles because they feel like they can just jump into their cars and be wherever they need to be in 20 minutes.
I don’t think I’ve had a car in 10 years. I’m usually on a bike or a motorcycle. I can’t stand sitting in traffic with smoke coming out of my ears. You can’t live here and bitch about traffic.

Motorcycles can be dangerous.
I grew up on them. Dirt bikes, too. You have accidents, but…

I read somewhere that you surf, too, which is also risky because you have this greater force that you’re riding on. Do you like the challenge?
Anything to keep me occupied. I need constant stimulation. I don’t like sitting still very much. I guess you learn to be more patient as you get older, but I’ve never really been a big fan of it.

Which is more challenging: playing a werewolf on The Vampire Diaries or a firefighter on Chicago Fire?
As an actor, playing a werewolf was so much fun and liberating because you can’t really fuck it up. There’s no handbook on how to play a werewolf. It’s a lesson in creativity and letting your mind explore a character. There’s no template or anyone to tell you what isn’t proper protocol. But if you’re portraying a firefighter, there are definitely ways not to do things.

You want to do the firefighters justice.
Yeah. But since it’s entertainment for TV, you have creative license in some respect to tell a story, so not everything will be perfect. There might be a medical procedure that gets overlooked or something that is enhanced for effect, or there might be a stunt, like a building jump, and a fireman might say, “We wouldn’t do it like that.” It’s a give and take.

Did you get to train with any actual CFD firefighters?
Yeah, it was great. We went there a few months ago to film the pilot in March and we shadowed firemen within the city. We went to three or four different firehouses. The local community and firefighters were giving us a hand and showing us the ropes of the city and the districts, where they worked, and the differences between the rescue squad, the truck guys, engine guys, and paramedics. I really saw the camaraderie between these people. It’s in their blood to be able to go and do these things on a daily basis, to put themselves in harm’s way, and then to let go when they leave work. They’re a special breed of people.

Do you feel honored to be playing a firefighter?
It’s a privilege. I like blue-collar workers; I grew up in a blue-collar family. I like working with my hands and I like to sweat while I work. I like to see results from what I do, so to be able to have an effect and impact on people in that medium is an honor.

Kelly is kind of a ball-buster and very competitive. He knows what he wants. Do you share any of those traits?
Yes and no. I’ve played characters before where I was always the one asking questions, so it feels liberating to not be the one asking questions all of the time. My character is confident in what he does and the way he does it. If he fucks up, he’ll hear it from his boss but other than that, he delegates responsibility and jobs for the guys that work with him and under him. That type of strong character is someone that anyone would want to play. It’s a dream job. I can’t think of any other job that I’d want to have on TV right now. We use the firehouse as a catalyst to bring these characters together and to tell stories within that. It’s not necessarily a “fire of the week” type of show; it’s a character-driven series with an ensemble cast.

Your feature appears in BULLETT’s Romance Issue. Do you have a sensitive side?
I think everybody does.

Are you romantic?
Yeah, I am. I like romance. I like doing special things for my girl or for loved ones, of course.

What’s the nicest thing that you’ve done for a girl recently?
You can never go wrong with flowers.

It’s old school, but we like it.
Yeah. I spray painted a billboard for a girl once, too.

You’ve never done that!
I have! It was maybe six years ago and it was in Hollywood.

What did you spray paint?
“I love you.” It was one of those things, like, a guy fighting for a girl’s affection and attention. It was a desperate attempt. I think the billboard was on Fairfax and Melrose. I had an accomplice; we dressed in black and had a few beers—it was maybe 4am—and we used our cell phones on speaker as walkie-talkies. He hoisted me on his shoulders to a ladder. It was a big bank billboard, so it was in all white.

That’s crazy!
It was huge. The girl worked on Fairfax, about a half mile away. I texted her that morning and said, “Drive up Fairfax and look up.” I don’t know how romantic it was but she dug it and I got her, so it worked.

Would you approach a girl first?
I have, but it’s not like a singular thing that I always do.

Do you have a favorite love song?
Any song by Al Green.

I like “Let’s Stay Together.”
Yeah, that song is beautiful. I love his stuff. I also love old-school country, like Johnny Paycheck, Kris Kristofferson, Highway Men, and I’m a huge Waylon Jennings fan. Some of those love songs—those honky-tonk, love-gone-wrong type of songs—I love it. They don’t necessarily set the mood for a romantic evening, but they’re good love songs and speak the truth.

Have you ever had a really bad date?
I don’t even know what constitutes an actual date. I don’t think I’ve ever been on one, in terms of a set-up like, “We are going to go on a date.”

Are you more like, “Let’s hang out?”
Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever hung out with someone where it went horrible wrong.

You’re lucky.
I don’t have any horror stories with that. I’m pretty laidback.

What are some red flags that you look out for?
One of the worst things that someone can do on a first date is give off a negative vibe or talk about an ex. You don’t want to hear about that kind of stuff when you’re first getting to know someone. When you first meet, be in the moment and have a good conversation and a good time. If someone can reciprocate that ease and confidence, that’s a good date. A bad date would involve drama or a bunch of baggage.

Have you ever had a really bad breakup?
Sure, I think everyone has. They suck.

How do you get over it?
Sometimes I go surfing. Everybody has a breakup story. It’s all relative to the individual how they take it and how it affects them. I think the biggest thing is what you take from it and what you learn from a breakup and how it can help you approach your next relationship. It’s also important to acknowledge if something wasn’t right and to not go back. I think a lot of people do that, too—go back.

It can be hard not to.
Let’s say you have a friend—and I know you do—who fell for a guy and she keeps going back to him, and you keep saying, “That guy is horrible.”

And then she goes back, and then calls me crying. Every time.
See? It’s one of those “love is blind” situations. It’s easy to forgive someone when you love him or her. It’s hard to realize that they aren’t serving you well as a person.

Sometimes you forget all of the shit they’ve put you through.
It’s hard. After a breakup, you need to give yourself time and space. You need to have a clear vision of why you’re in that spot.

Have you broken any hearts or had your heart broken?
Fourth and fifth grade was pretty rough. I was killin’ it back then.

You were already dating?
No, I was just breaking hearts. [Laughs.]

Were you girl-crazy?
I was! You know, I just had a conversation with someone about how awful the high school experience is…

It’s so awkward.
The way kids act and interact in those circles. Honestly, I think kids should, maybe after middle school, go into the workforce and get some hard labor under their belts. Then, when they’re around 18 or 20, they can feel prepared to experience high school or pursue higher education. I couldn’t concentrate when I was in high school—I wanted to make out with my 70-year-old English teacher! I didn’t give a shit. I could find beauty in any woman.

Who was your first crush when you were younger, besides your 70-year-old teacher?
They’re not all senior citizens! Maybe Niki Taylor from my mom’s magazines or something. I also always wanted to hook up with Peggy Bundy from Married With Children. My father watched that show all the time. I didn’t understand why Al never wanted to sleep with her. I thought she was beautiful.

Stephen Amell—one of Primetime’s newest heartbreakers—is destined to become TV’s next great action star. In The CW’s new series Arrow, the 31-year-old former spin instructor stars as Oliver Queen, a billionaire playboy with an archery-savvy alter ego. It’s an updated version of the classic DC Comics superhero, The Green Arrow, and Amell spent weeks familiarizing himself with his characters namesake weapon. Here, the Canadian actor opens up about heartbreak, dating his students, and his not-so secret crush on a certain former costar.

What drew you to Arrow?
It came up during the grind of pilot season. It was still January when I was cast and normally pilot season doesn’t get going until February. It was just an opportunity to play a superhero. I didn’t know much about the mythology of Green Arrow; I didn’t even know that Green Arrow had existed on Smallville because I had never seen the show. I mean, I was a comic book fan growing up, but I just wanted to go have a good audition. Once I saw that there was interest, I met with a lot of the creative team behind it and I started researching people—the director of the pilot, David Nutter, and the producing team—and became so excited that I couldn’t contain myself over the next four or five days.

Did you have to take any archery lessons?
I took a ton of archery lessons—about three weeks worth. I really liked it. Once I got over smacking my forearm with the string, I started to really like archery. Archery is really interesting.

It’s a dying art form.
Arrow has both comic book enthusiasts and archery enthusiasts. They’re protective of their sport because it’s a dying breed. So any time archery gets some mainstream attention, they want to make sure that the person doing it is a good ambassador, which basically means your form has to be really good, otherwise people lose their minds.

I read somewhere that you used to be a spin instructor.
That’s one hundred percent true. When I first broke into the acting industry, I taught spinning classes to support myself. The first acting job that I ever got, I had been acting for about three or four months. Remember that show Queer as Folk?

Absolutely.
There was a part for a spin instructor because in one of the last seasons they were training for this long bike ride. I just assumed that because I was a spin instructor that I would get the job. Me being a spin instructor meant nothing to them! It had been like three or four months and I hadn’t even gotten a sniff yet. I remember saying to my agent, “Listen, if I don’t get this part, I’m quitting.” So, I got the part.

Have you gone to SoulCycle?
No, I just do it by myself.

Spinning is a thing now.
It was a thing when I did it, too. It’s funny; I have a Facebook page and I have a Twitter account and I’m starting to get messages like, “We took your spin class way back when!” or “We miss you as a spin instructor.”

Did you ever date a student?
Yes, I did.

Did she hit on you or did you hit on her?
I probably hit on her because I was the instructor. You can walk by the bike and you can pay special attention to a student. You know, I was young. I was in my early twenties. One of my ex-girlfriends I definitely met in a spin class, and a girlfriend that I had was an instructor of mine before I started teaching.

What does a girl have to do these days to get your attention?
I just like someone that can have regular conversation. It’s fun to meet people that have no idea what you do. This is actually a litmus test for me—sometimes I’ll meet an actress in the industry and she and I will talk for a minute, and then I always make a point, if we haven’t introduced ourselves, to ask her what she does and see how she reacts to that. If she gets her back up, then the conversation is over.

You can read someone’s energy.
I think so. I also like girls without a ton of makeup. A girl just relaxed in jeans.

A simple T-shirt and jeans does it for you?
Yeah, because I like to know what a woman looks like when she’s just dressing for herself and she’s comfortable. Very few women are in their natural element when they’re dressed for the red carpet or a gala. Their element is how they look on a Sunday afternoon or a Saturday morning, and just out doing their thing.

You want to know what a girl looks like when she wakes up in the morning.
That’s what I was going to say! I judge a woman purely on how she looks first thing in the morning. That’s the critical point, right? You have to like what a person looks like first thing in the morning if you’re going to be in any sort of long-term relationship with them, because that’s how you’re going to see them most of the time. If it’s an awful experience, then it’s just not going to work.

When did you start dating? Were you a late bloomer?
No, the current incarnation of me dating is actually pretty new. I was in long-term relationships for a while and they bear no resemblance whatsoever to the person that was in those relationships. I’m a very different person now.

What changed you?
Being in long-term relationships. I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for in a woman at this point, but I know a bunch of things that I don’t like. And it’s tough to put a point on them because they’re just these little idiosyncrasies that bubble up in relationships.

Like what?
I only know them when I see them. Being snobby is a big one.

You must see a lot of that in Hollywood.
You know, I haven’t found that there’s a lot of snobbery out in Los Angeles. I come from Toronto, Canada and I found that there’s a lot of it there, which is weird because it should be the opposite. Everybody in L.A. at one point or another has been put down, so everybody has gone through that moment where they thought they were going to be with somebody and that person was like “Nuh-uh. I’m good.” There’s a lot of rejection there. That’s the best way to get comfortable in your own skin—to have someone leave you.

Have you ever had your heartbroken?
Yeah, for sure.

What happened?
I was with a girl for a really long time, like five or six years. We both became complacent in the relationship, but you never actually think that the person is going to leave. And then she just left. And that was it. We broke up like eighth graders break up; it was over so fast, which is odd because at the time, you’re looking at a quarter of your life that you’ve spent with this person, and then it was just done. But it was the best thing that ever happened to me because I got to look around and say, “Okay, I’m starting anew here.” The tough stuff, the sort of extrapolating of a relationship was over really quickly because it happened really fast. And you just get to look around and go “Okay, what do I want from a relationship, what do I want from day-to-day life, where do I want to live, what do I want my apartment to look like…” I was beholden to nothing, so I got a fresh start, which is what led me to Los Angeles and to put more stock into acting. Everything fell into place from there.

Do you have a celebrity crush?
Hmm. I’ve always kind of had a thing for Amanda Seyfried. I don’t know why, because I’ve never even met her. I do kind of have a crush on Kat Graham from Vampire Diaries, as well. But she knows this. I think I told her.

You told her?
Yeah, well we’ve met like three or four times. I was on Vampire Diaries and I had a crush on her and I told her. You’re allowed to have crushes on people!

That’s brave.
I think she laughed, but not at me. It was a giggle. Maybe it was a nervous giggle.

Where would you take Amanda or Kat on date?
I like dinner, but not anywhere fancy. There’s a spot in Silver Lake called Local that has natural, homegrown food and wine. I like that.

Photography by Nicolas Moore

Michael Trevino is the definition of a heartthrob. The 27-year-old Mexican-American has appeared on shows like 90210, Charmed and Cold Case, but it’s his role as the football playing hybrid on the CW’s hit series The Vampire Diaries, that has elevated Trevino to true sex symbol status. (We named him one of Fall TV’s Heartbreakers for a reason.) Here, Trevino talks werewolves or vampires, blondes or brunettes, and the one hairstyle on a girl that drives him wild.

You’re from Los Angeles, but shoot in Atlanta. What do you do when you’re back home?
When I’m back in L.A., I try to fit in as much press as I can and also have some family time. But once everyone knows that I’m back in town, it’s like “Come here! Go there!” I’m not really a homebody person, so I like going out and I like seeing everybody and going to shows or just going to have a drink.

What’s up with Tyler next season?
Well, we left off where Tyler becomes possessed by Klaus’ being, so we kind of see how that comes into play. One would think because we have this love triangle between Klaus and Tyler and Caroline, that Klaus would take full advantage of being inside Tyler’s body in relation to Caroline. So, we’ll see how far that goes. I would like to be able to play Klaus for a while, but I think we’re going to bring back Joseph Morgan a lot sooner than you think.

What do you hope for your character?
I’m hoping that it’s a great season and that Tyler can stay alive, because with any supernatural show, people are dying left and right. But I think what you can see is me kind of figuring out a different layer to Tyler. He’s graduating high school. These kids are teenagers and they’re starting to become adults. All of these characters are breaking away from the supernatural side and showing more of their human sides, so I’m looking forward to that.

Is there any rivalry between you and Steven R. McQueen [who plays Jeremy Gilbert on The Vampire Diaries] in real life? Your characters had some rivalry on the show.
No way—Steven’s like my little brother. We call him “Little Brother” or “Little McQueen,” even though he towers over me in height. [Laughs] We have all been on the show since day one when we shot the pilot in Vancouver. There’s no real rivalry; we go at each other like brothers.

Okay, important question: Werewolves or vampires?
Werewolves!

Why?
Because for me, I feel like there’s just this inner rage within a werewolf that’s more appealing to me instead of this kind of flamboyant vampire attitude.

What you’re saying is that werewolves are more badass.
I am. That appeals to me more than…pretty vampires.

A certain pretty vampire that might have a franchise, perhaps?
[Laughs] Well, I’m not calling any specific vampires out, but I can say that at least on our show, in our realm of the supernatural, our vampires don’t sparkle.

Blondes or brunettes?
[Laughs] I’m going to say brunettes. I’ve always had a thing for brunettes. And I like bangs. If you’re a brunette and you have bangs, that’s a big turn-on for me. I like blondes too, but brunettes sort of do it for me.

Do you have a crush on anyone in Hollywood?
You know, there’s just something about Kate Beckinsale that I like—she’s super talented and just gorgeous. But I’m Hispanic so I really love Salma Hayek, too. She’s great. I just saw the movie Savages.

You must have loved her hair in that movie.
Yes! The long, dark hair and the straight-cut bangs. She’s gorgeous.

Do you speak Spanish?
It was my first language, but when my mother went back to work and I had a babysitter, she didn’t keep me fluent in it. It’s weird because I can’t have a full-on conversation in Spanish, but I can put words together and I can understand what’s being said to me in Spanish. I can’t have a full conversation with my grandmother because she doesn’t know English and I have a bunch of cousins that only speak Spanish. I’m just the odd man out, really.

What’s your type when it comes to women?
I don’t have a specific type. I love women in general—I really do. I have such a love for them and appreciation for their being. I’ve recently been lucky enough with this show to travel to countries that I’ve never been to, and it’s just such an eye-opener. I’ve seen different cultures, styles, music, food and, of course, women. They’re all around and I’m loving it!

Do you remember your first love?
I have a very strong affection towards Asian women—I get it from my father. We have this crazy infatuation with Asian women. My first crush was when I was in third grade. Her name was Melody Chow and she was this Korean girl. I just thought she was beautiful. I had this huge, huge crush on her and nobody else did in the class, which was just kind of odd to me. She wasn’t my first love, but my first strong crush, for sure. Melody Chow.

Did you ever ask her out?
I didn’t.

Do you regret that?
No, no. I mean, we kept in touch in high school, but I haven’t talked to her in years. I remember in school we were in this play and she played the queen and I ended up playing the king. That kind of worked out in my favor because I was able to dance with her. That was enough for me, to just be able to dance with her as part of the play. That’s as far as it went. I really never had the balls to ask her out.

Have you ever had a really horrible date?
I haven’t had any really, really bad dates, but there have been times that I’ll go on a date and the chemistry just isn’t there. I feel like some guys just kind of give up, but what you have to do is just totally flip it. Just be open and honest with her and say, “Hey, this isn’t really working out on a romantic level.” If you can both just come to an agreement on that, then you can flip the whole date around and be like “Alright, well we’re just hanging out! Let’s just be friends then. It’s all good.” If you try to push something and it’s not there, then it just becomes awkward.

Have you ever broken a girl’s heart?
I don’t know, I can’t honestly say if I’ve ever broken a girl’s heart. Without a doubt, my intention is to never break any girl’s heart.

What’s the most romantic thing that you’ve done for a girl?
Oh man. You know, I do have some examples, but it’s just a full-on story and it really goes there. I can’t really say…

Come on!
I’m trying to think of a PG-13 version of it but it still ends up including something that I can’t share!

Phoebe English‘s spring/summer 2013 show at London Fashion Week was an eclectic exploration of creation. Featuring sensational garments and sensual mouthpieces, the 26-year-old Central Saint Martins graduate allows the wearer to develop an intimate relationship with each of her designs. And her words are just as convincing: From “silhouettes with wings that gently wrap and encase the body” to “shivering organic accumulations of glass on geometric grid structures,” English’s collection notes read more like a love note to craftsmanship instead of a factory rundown of looks. Here, the designer gives us more on her very unique vision.

What was the theme behind your collection this season?
There were many differing themes, but overall I mainly wanted to explore volume and drape whilst simultaneously covering and exposing the female body in quite a gentle way.

Was there an image, movie or thought that triggered the aesthetic?
I think memories of epic childhood gardens played a large role at the beginning of the design process, but then as always the collection takes its own path as it develops.

What inspired the jewelry in the show? Those mouthpieces were insanely cool.
They reference medieval green man iconography—that notion of the “exhalation of spring” but with a harder edge. I wanted to use them as a visual link between the models and the rich opulent space we showed in, the vestibule of Freemasons’ Hall. They were a collaboration with jewelry designer Reid Peppard who lives and works close to the studio.

What was the haunting song playing during your show? What music did you listen to while making this collection?
Radio 6 plays all day here, but we listened to CRIM3S alot who kindly did our show music; it is a remix they did for us of two of their songs: “Breed” and “Salt.” And Public Enemy “Harder Than You Think” was pretty much on repeat!

If you could costume any movie, which one would it be?
Anything otherworldly—preferably with mermaids, unicorns or dragons.

What’s next for Phoebe English?
We are off to Paris for sales, then planning the spring/summer 2013 fashion film. We’re also making textiles for production and I’m already working on the next collection.

Harry Shum Jr. has appeared in just about every quintessential dance flick, including You Got Served, Step Up 2: The Streets and Stomp the Yard, but the 30-year-old actor, dancer, and choreographer is best known for his role as the former football player Mike Chang on Fox’s hit musical comedy, Glee. We caught up with Shum, who was one of our Fall 2012 Primetime Heartbreakers (yes, that’s a thing) to talk about his longest relationship, toughest breakup, and just dancing it off

What is Mike’s goal this season?
Growth. Mike went to Joffrey Ballet School, but he’s not a ballet dancer, so that’s going to be interesting. I hope the writers play into that because Mike always manages to adapt. He couldn’t sing before he joined glee club but found a way to learn how. It’s going to be an entirely different ballpark outside of that high school, too. Not going to six periods, choir or glee club is going to be a new experience for all the characters.

Mike and Tina Cohen-Chang [played by Jenna Noelle Ushkowitz] had one of the longest relationships on the show. What has been your longest relationship?
Probably five years—and it’s still going. What’s great about Mike and Tina’s storyline is that the show itself has so much drama, so it’s nice for viewers to see a functional couple that have issues but are able to clear them up. It’s a life lesson. Some people like the relationship drama, but there are also some people who beg for stability in relationships. I think it’s good for America and the world to see that a healthy relationship is possible.

How do you make your relationship last?
Keeping your opinion is good, but playing devil’s advocate makes you think about what the other person is feeling and why. I think it’s all about balance and keeping everything 50/50. There’s nothing wrong with agreeing to disagree, too—it’s healthy. A little drama can be fun. Sometimes when you’re arguing, you get an adrenaline rush, which can be a turn-on.

Have you ever broken a heart?
I think I’ve gotten my heart broken more than broken any hearts. But maybe I haven’t realized that I’ve broken a heart…

Do you remember a significant breakup?
I do. I remember liking this one girl so much and we dated for a month and a half. All of a sudden one day she was like, “This doesn’t feel right,” and I’m like, “What the hell doesn’t feel right?” I thought it was the best thing ever—it was all I ever wanted. I remember that feeling was just—this is going to sound so cliché—but it just felt like I got stabbed in the throat. It was a terrible feeling and I don’t wish that upon anyone.

So sad! How did you get over it?
Friends and time.

And heavy drinking.
[Laughs] Yes, drugs and heavy drinking. But no, all you can really do is just let time past.

But you’re Harry Shum, Jr. Didn’t you just dance it off?
[Laughs] Sure, I just danced it off. I just looked into the mirror and said, “I’m going to dance!”

You speak three languages (Chinese, Spanish, English), you dance and you’re on a hit show. What can’t you do?
There’s a lot I don’t know how to do! I’m learning to play guitar. I bought this game called Rocksmith, which teaches you how to play the electric guitar by playing songs and games. It’s so much fun. I’m pretty bad at it though, so if you hear me playing in the other room it sounds awful. I’m giving myself a month to learn how to play an actual song.

Do you cook?
I do. I’m actually pretty decent at cooking, but I’m not an expert. I get starstruck when I see celebrity chefs. I remember being on tour with [fellow Glee cast member] Darren Criss and we were eating at the London hotel when Gordon Ramsay comes up to us and was like, “Hey, my kids and I love your show. Thanks for coming to the restaurant.” We were just dead silent—we were speechless! Now I understand why people get excited when they meet someone they look up to. I just love that whole field. 

What’s your signature dish?
I make a mean miso-glazed salmon. It’s by Gordon Ramsay, actually. He pan-fries both sides of the salmon to cook it perfectly. I add a side of garlic sautéed spinach and chicken flavored rice. It looks elaborate, but it’s actually very simple. I like simple dishes because I love making stuff quickly. I think it’s the same thing with dance; I like simple dances over complicated ones.

What’s your favorite love song?
I think Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” from The Bodyguard soundtrack is the greatest love song of all time. I remember after Whitney passed away, dudes would talk about that film. For some reason, guys really love it. It’s a chick flick but I think it’s the fact that Kevin Costner is such a badass in it and is like, “I’m going to protect this girl because I love her, but I can’t show my feelings.” It was relatable in the sense that it had the whole action feel but also a good love story.

That’s a good one. What’s your idea of the perfect day?
My perfect day would honestly be to go on land, water, snow and mountain—do everything nature-related.

So, a triathlon.
[Laughs] Yes, a triathlon! But a casual one that won’t leave me dead tired in the end. I love the outdoors—that’s why I love California, because you can go to the ocean and surf, then go on a boat and go parasailing, then drive a couple of hours and go snowboarding, then drive a couple more hours and go to the desert and hike a mountain. I’d bring my dog with me, too.

What’s your dog’s name?
His name is Charlie. Lea Michele found him on the Glee set when we were in Long Beach; he just came up to the set all dirty and with no collar. He had a cast on because there was a nail in his paw. I walked onto the set the next day asking whose dog it was and nobody claimed him, so I took him. He’s such a good dog. I carry him like a baby. He’s my dudebro.

Photography by Nicolas Moore