Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford was inked up “Eastern Promises” style for Interview’s photo spread. In his interview with Interview magazine, Chace talks about moving out of his apartment, his relationship with his parents, success of GG, college, fame, Footloose, and much, much more.

On moving out of his apartment with GG co-star and BFF Ed Westwick: “My mom’s here saving my ass, helping me out. She did a little pre-planning on the move, so it went smoothly.”

“I’m turning 24 in two days, so I think it was about time, you know? I mean, I was a little bit on my own in California but mostly living with fraternity brothers. So initially Ed and I became roommates here in New York because we didn’t know if the show was going to last or not. Ed had never lived away from home, let alone in a different country. We got along and figured it would be a smart move financially. And really, it was also just kind of out of laziness.”

On being close to his parents: “They were really young when they had me. You know, it’s a southern thing. They had me when they were like 21 or 22. My dad was going through med school while my mom was pregnant with my sister. So they’re still young now. I talk to my dad at least every other day. They’ve still got a little hipness left in them. I took my mom out last night. She said, “I want to know what all of the fuss is about.”

On being noticed in NY vs somewhere else: ‘You know, the day before we started back at work for the next season, I had just completed a edgy independent film called Twelve that was shot in New York. It turned out phenomenally. I got spoiled because I looked different than I do on the show. I dropped some weight. I was pale and scruffy. No one even recognized me. It was much more of a low-key, smooth situation with Joel Schumacher running it. There were no big master scenes outside. It was more improv—just throw and go. Then I jumped back into Gossip Girl on a Monday, and I was so stressed the first day back. There’s the first shoot of the episode on location, and it’s triple the mayhem. Of course, it would die down in a couple weeks, but there were paparazzi guys flying around like wasps, completely disrespectful.”

“It’s funny. There are always those Gossip Girl walk-and-talk scenes where you’re walking and just talking about life and death. You’re having a serious conversation, looking someone in the eye, but everywhere around you, it’s literally a circus. Sometimes I sit back and laugh. But it definitely drains your focus and energy. I came out so mentally exhausted, especially after being spoiled with Twelve, where I was incognito. Everyone on Twelve had the same small trailer. So it was really a different experience. It was just easier to focus. But coming back to Gossip Girl is like high school, too, in a sense. You see all of these people who you know from last year.”

On handling success: “The overall statement is that everyone has handled it phenomenally. But all it takes is one person to sort of flip the switch and make it a more tense, toxic environment. And I would cite specific examples of other shows from the past, but I wasn’t part of them, so I don’t exactly know.”

“It’s funny because everyone wants to know what’s happening on set. There isn’t anything shocking to write about, so magazines want to stir things up, like “Blake and Leighton hate each other.” But the truth is, when we’re all done with work, it’s like, “Hey, what are you doing? Let’s go do karaoke.” The publicity factor is outrageous. They just want to shoot you down. So that can definitely wear on you a bit. A perception of you is created, and you really have no control over it. To some degree, you learn to adapt. But you also think, Eff you, you don’t know me. It’s exactly what you are saying about becoming a fantasy. Sometimes you think, I just wanted to express myself and be challenged. I didn’t sign on to be a novelty boy. But that’s a double-edged sword and certainly not a constant factor. Even if that feeling ever creeps up a little bit, it’s like, who likes a whiner? I’m not going to sit down and bitch about it, because you can’t.”

On GG moving on from high school to college: “Oh, we all happen to go to a few colleges next to each other! No, it’s great. I mean, god, if we were in high school one more year, it would get a little weird. Everyone’s pretty happy about it because it opens up a whole new can of material. And I burned that private-school uniform—it was great. We all burned ’em. I’m totally kidding. But that was the main thing we were so happy about—we don’t have to wear those uniforms anymore! But the show’s material has always been more mature than high school. So now it’s like, Okay, let’s move on a little bit and get into some more mature, cooler storylines.”

On attending Pepperdine before GG: “I went into broadcast journalism. I loved every class I took, I just got anxious becauseI came to the realization that you’re groomed in high school to get good SAT scores to get into a good college or else you’re done for. I didn’t have a career path so I switched to business and didn’t like it. I got nervous, like, If I’m really going to buckle down and study one thing, I better do something that I love. And my parents saw me panicking. They said, “Listen, take a semester off.” I was like, “Okay, I’m going to come back and do business.” I’m actually good at math, I tested out of all my math classes, except that in business, you have to take some really high-level calculus ones. So, I was just thinking, Oh god, I need a little break so I can gear up and kind of tackle that. I was living with some friends just valeting cars in Malibu.”

On knowing he wanted to be “famous”: “I had a stage built for me when I was four and I knew right then.” But you know what, I think that might be why I had a bit of an advantage over other people because I went in with such a cynical attitude—almost a realistic skepticism. I was kind of wary of people. The smaller boutique agencies starting sending me to these classes, and I thought, Jesus, 90 percent of these kids aren’t really balls-to-the-wall trying to learn this craft. I got into a couple of serious classes, and that’s when it started clicking, over the course of a year. My dad—he’s the coolest guy I know. This was all on his dime, after all. I remember I went back to school part-time and I got frustrated, classes were tough, and I was commuting back and forth, trying to make these auditions. Finally my dad came up and he said, “How you doing?” and I was like, “Listen, I’m half-assing both things, Dad. I’ve got to be honest with you. I really need to give one thing my all. I’m really bummed.” And then he said, “Well, then quit school.” I was like, “Wait—excuse me?” He said, “Chace, just do it, man. Just go!” That’s what it took. He was confident. I don’t understand how people do it without some moral and emotional support, you know?”

On taking dance classes for his role in Footloose: “It’s like you’re naked up on a stage or something. But you know what I will say, I am confident because I knew I had rhythm—and I’m athletic. I know I have rhythm, I have it in my brain. And I’m a quick learner. I’m better at doing something by imitation than being told. So if I’m working with the dance coach who tries to explain it, I say, “Just do it and I’ll get it.” That’s how we’ve been working. I’m taking these private lessons. It’s been unbelievable.”

“I’m going to try to get shredded. And my flexibility has already gone up like double. Really, what it’s so much about is core strength and flexibility. Its not just dance practice, I mean it’s a lot of movement work. There’s some kickboxing, some Muay Thai. And I’m learning fundamentals like breakdancing.”