We've come quite far with the idea of equality between sexes, but there's still a lot of conversations that need to be had about men in power.Collection: Equality
Getting away from where you live and going to London is like the romantic ideal of ambition.
The thing with Sondheim is that people sometimes say he's the only thing that matters, and then you end up embalming him, when the fact is he just writes the best and most accessible music.
People say, 'You've got to challenge yourself,' and I don't think there's anything better than going, 'I don't understand how this thing is possible.' Fear of the unknown is always the thing in life.
Men's style has evolved significantly, but for the better. And mine's ever evolving too.
A cleanse, tone and moisturize always sets me up for the day.
A blow-dry with no product leaves me looking like a Mongolian cushion.
No, I'm alright for adventure. I will up the Thames in one of those Jacuzzi dingys.
I'm terrible at keeping secrets.
It's good that people have been surprised at the direction Broadchurch' has taken. That's what you want, to keep people guessing.
There's a real pace to New York life which in reality London doesn't match.
When I left school I did far more theatre than anything else and it was exciting.
I think it shouldn't matter at all what character people play, but of course there is a narrative that's very clear, that openly gay men aren't playing straight in leading roles.
And also, there's a reason why gay characters are so interesting. Because much like the women in Bridgerton,' there are a lot of hurdles and there's a lot of self-growth, and there's a real strength to gay men.
One of my sisters was doing dance, and I'd watch from the back of the classroom in my trainers. Slowly, I started integrating myself into the fraught south Oxford ballet culture.
Music is the always first step and key for a vibey start to the day.
I grew up in a big Italian family.
And I love a bath. I've had weeks where I've had a minimum of two a day.
My toothbrush is analogue all the way. There's a supersonic Oral-B in the cabinet but I like an old-fashioned DIY to get a full clean. Firm bristles.
Theatres are like sacred places - you hear the stories of previous performances and people who have strived to find that sweet spot on stage and succeeded, and failed, in the same space before you.
The structure of theatre is always: turn up, do the job, be present and be kind, and work hard.
So the fact that a lot of straight men have gone on to play iconic gay roles and to be lauded for that is fantastic, that that story is being told. But wouldn't it be brilliant to see gay men play their own experience?
We used to go to church and, musically, I remember that being a massive influence. It had a band so it was very upbeat and semi-happy-clappy. It made me who I am.
We should be proud in Britain that there's a massive crossover between theatre and TV.
When you have a great intimacy coordinator on set - which Bridgerton' does - you eliminate all of the stress.
The day of my last A-levels, I took over from Andrew Garfield' in Beautiful Thing, and the thing that followed that was Side by Side' with Josie Walker.
It's funny, because even though Bridgerton' is obviously a period drama, Anthony's story is quite modern in the sense that he's reached a point where he genuinely believes that love will never happen for him.
It seemed really important that at least one character in Bridgerton' got burnt by love - you know, Anthony mishandled his relationship with Siena and became quite toxic.
You can't sign on for a romance novel adaptation and then get prudish.
I think the idea of signing on to a sort of very commercial show and a show that is as expansive as this, that potentially could run and run, was something that I'd been wary of before, but reading Bridgerton,' it was a no brainer.
As a man you just think, oh no, can I grow a beard, can I do this, and a mutton chop is a really niche aspiration, but yeah, I got there.
I've weirdly always got to show my bottom. For some reason my bum always comes out and it's not always written in the script.
Let's unbutton the corsets and see what's really going on, I say.
Something about the genre of period drama feels so quintessentially British.
I already knew, of course, about the juggernaut that is Shonda Rhimes and the cultural significance of her.
Nature is so important.
I'd say I'm not openly gay. I'm just gay.
My perspective was: yes, I've worked before in London, but, my God, I've never done a musical in the West End and I see myself as someone who's predominantly known for TV, so can I prove my worth?
I remember seeing Oliver!' when I was six and having vertigo in the theatre - I experience that even when I go to theatres now.
With Bridgerton,' you're following eight siblings, all with different wants and they'll meet people along the way, and they'll interact differently.
It's so important to see everything through every gaze and the female gaze in terms of sex is not something we have seen much of. Let's reassert that balance!
I think there's just incredible amounts of labeling generally and as woman, as a man, as a gay man, as a mother, as a father, there's just a sense that there's opinions everywhere.
There's an element of control that comes with acting which you've just got to be really mindful of.
I think Chris Van Dusen has got this amazing ability to take Julia Quinn's extraordinary books and her amazing worlds that she delicately filled with excitement and sexiness. And he takes it to a whole other level.
I got taken to see Oliver!' by my Nana when I was five and I remember the experience so viscerally. And I just said to her, 'This is what I want to do!'
You know, I've just discovered the Mandy Patinkin and Patti LuPone performance of Evita' at the Tonys. It's honestly one of the most extraordinary pieces of singing in the world.
In fact, I've always thought that there are actors who can talk very quickly and effectively. And I've never felt that I'm in that category!
My understanding of romance novels was that it was on the beach with a glass of rose.
The National is the leading theater in the U.K. because it's three big theater spaces in one big building. At any moment you're there, you just know that you're working with people that you're going to be seeing for hopefully the rest of your career.
I feel like it's probably very out of character for Anthony to break into song. I feel like he might play the flute or something, like a really weird European cinema moment where it gets really odd and he serenades his love in music. You never know with Bridgerton.'