Joe Manganiello

I got to L.A. in 2000, when we were coming off the '90s: women looked like men and the men all looked like women.

When I was growing up, it was Clint Eastwood, it was Harrison Ford and Steve McQueen - these guys were tough. They were leading men, but they were also tough and physical.

Acting was the only place that I ever felt like I belonged so went for it with everything I had.

I was happier going back to my roots: training like men do in my hometown of Pittsburgh. Back home the guys in the gyms don't lift to look good; they're lifting to lift. They do it because they want to squat more and bench more.

I was kind of a dark kid. I loved Halloween, and I loved vampires and the black and white old monster movies.

I started working at clubs when I was sixteen, which is young. I would not want my kid doing that, but I did, and that's how it went.

I mean, I feel like I've been pretending I was a werewolf since I was a little kid.

I mean, everyone walks into the gym on day one skinny or fat. Arnold Schwarzenegger walked into the gym skinny at 15 or 16, and I was that way, too.

I train like a pro-athlete, not like an actor who's just trying to look pretty.

Also, to be honest, my dad wanted me to be an athlete. And I think all sons want to prove something to their dad. So now, aged 35, I want to see what I can achieve physically.

I grew up a big comic book reader, as a kid, and I love the whole fanboy crowd.

Acting was my first love.