Have I ever been the shy retiring type? Never. Not since the day I was born.

Never apologize for being nerdy, because un-nerdy people never apologize for being assholes.

I'm not one of those actors who likes to analyze things too much, so I trust what the writers are doing with the characters, in order to give them their journey. My job is to come in and try to make those words on the page come alive on camera.

My humour and my work ethic definitely come from my Scottish side, and I have to say the sense of humour doesn't really translate when I'm in America.

Many things shaped my identity as a young boy: a strong selfworth (something that was instilled in all three Barrowman siblings by our parents), my immersion in theatre and music, and my DNA. I was born gay. It's not a choice I – or anyone else who is gay – made. If it were, why on earth would anyone choose to be part of a minority, part of a group that in so many cultures and countries, even in the twenty-first century, is regularly blasphemed, hounded and worse?

My first professional job was actually at a place called Opryland USA, which no longer exists, but I've been performing since I was a kid.

I'm lively when I perform and I always put everything into a show, but when I get home I love lying down in front of the TV and relaxing.