My old man tried to force on me a notion of what it was to be a 'man.' And it destroyed my dad.

As a kid, I always loved Mel Brooks' stuff - 'The 2,000 Year Old Man' record was something my dad put me onto.

My dad was not a tall man, but he always made me feel like he was a giant. I was never afraid when I was with him.

My dad, was the archetypal charming man. If I've inherited even a small bit of what he had that would be enough for me.

Like with me, I just see my mum and dad as parents - I don't see my dad individually as a man, my mum individually as a woman.

My dad said to me growing up: 'When all is said and done, if you can count all your true friends on one hand, you're a lucky man.'

At five years old, I became the man of the house. When he left, my dad let me know that. It put a certain drive in me that I can't explain.

I heard stories about my dad. I wondered why he never protected me. I loved the man and I have still not got over the fact he wasn't there for me.

Dad had a huge influence on me. I really look up to him for his brave acts. He was an outspoken man. For him, if it was the right thing, he would stand up for the smallest guy around him.

When I was a kid, man, my dad used to buy me the Ted Williams glove at Sears with the Ted Williams shoes with the eight stripes on 'em. I used to play Little League, and I was Ted Williams-ed out.

The 'Tough Man' contests were for 21-year-olds, but I weighed 150 pounds at 13, so I got a fake ID card and entered. My dad and uncles had given me an edge, so having a boxing background made it easier because a lot of the older guys didn't know how to fight.

In P7, I played Robin in a musical version of 'Robin Hood' and afterwards DO McLean was standing with mum and dad and he told them that I should go into drama. It is still extraordinary to me that a man in that period would think that that was an option for me.

Wear what you want to wear. Do what you want to do. Be who you are. Pick out your own clothes. Be a man. And if that's too much to ask, as it almost always is for me, think of someone you consider to be a man and pretend to be like him. I pretend to be like my dad.

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