Dominic Sherwood: Just Jared Spotlight of the Week (Exclusive!)

Check out the handsome Dominic Sherwood in this exclusive photo from the latest edition of the Just Jared Spotlight of the Week series.

The 23-year-old actor stars in the much-anticipated Vampire Academy, the film adaption of the young adult book series by Richelle Mead. It opens Valentine’s Day next year!

Dominic chatted with us about recording music, taking a liking to country singers Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, his most embarrassing moments, and much more!

Click inside for our full interview with Dominic Sherwood…

Dominic Sherwood Interview – JustJared.com Exclusive

Just Jared: What was your favorite on-set and off-screen moments while shooting Vampire Academy?

Dominic Sherwood: Basically all of the scenes we did in the attic were amazing. Firstly, I got to work with Zoey Deutch and Lucy Fry very closely when we were filming those scenes, which was great! On top of that, I auditioned with those scenes so it was nice to actually get to set and see what the attic really looked like, it was all very exciting. Some of the stuff we did with the ending was pretty amazing as well. We were on the grounds of this beautiful house and there was a helicopter and fire, it was all really cool. As for off-screen moments, we had a lot of fun as a cast very early on. We actually went out for a meet-and-greet dinner before we started filming, and we all ended up becoming very close. We all would go out every weekend we had free, so I don’t think I could pick just one moment. Just spending time with them was great. Honestly, I’ve made friends that I think I’ll have for life.

JJ: What was your favorite prop you used?

DS: My favorite one? I’m not allowed to say, because it would give away the ending! I didn’t get to use any of the stakes though, they didn’t trust me with them. (laughs) But they were pretty cool!

JJ: Did you take anything from the set?

DS: No! I really wanted my fangs! We just finished re-shoots about three or four days before Halloween and I went off to Prague with some of my best mates, we spent the Halloween weekend there. I really wanted to bring my fangs, but they didn’t trust me with them. I took lots of pairs of socks, though. I always take socks from set. (laughs)

JJ: Describe each of your co-stars in one word. Sarah Hyland?

DS: Bubbly.

JJ: Zoey Deutch?

DS: Energetic.

JJ: Olga Kurylenko?

DS: Elegant.

JJ: Sami Gayle?

DS: Professional.

JJ: Danila Kozlovsky?

DS: Fun.

JJ: Lucy Fry?

DS: Angelic.

JJ: Cameron Monaghan?

DS: Hard working.

JJ: Claire Foy?

DS: Beautiful.

JJ: Ashley Charles?

DS: Fun… again. (laughs)

JJ: Will Tudor?

DS: Will is a really good friend of mine! Will is just awesome, that’s it.

JJ: Did we miss anyone else?

DS: Ed Holcroft! He’s posh and hilarious, those are the two words I would use to describe him. Gabriel Bryne, as well. The best way to describe him is just… actor. He’s absolutely amazing.

JJ: Vampire Academy comes out on Valentine’s Day. What did you do for Valentine’s Day this year?

DS: I was in L.A. for pilot season! I got flown out to screen test for a TV show. I met a British actress who happened to be with my British agency as well. I think I spent my night with her at the bar in my hotel. Very British.

JJ: If you were to put the Vampire Academy characters into the Hunger Games arena, who do you think would survive? How about the cast members themselves?

DS: Oh, good one! The characters who I think would survive are: Rose [Zoey Deutch], Dimitri [Danila Kozlovsky], and Alberta [Dominique Tipper], they would all survive. As for the people who would survive: Cameron Monaghan, Danila Kozlovsky, and Zoey Deutch. Definitely not me and Lucy! We’d be long gone, I don’t think we could do it. (laughs)

JJ: What first drew you to the acting world? What was your first acting gig?

DS: I don’t remember all of this from my childhood, but my mom tells me I was always an eccentric type of character. The first acting thing I remember is that I did a play in school called A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a Shakespeare play. I played Oberon. I remember walking on stage for the first time and seeing the audience look at me, and me looking out at them. Just seeing everyone’s faces along with the silence, that’s when I realized I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. So the first gig I did was through school.

JJ: You lived in Kenya for a job once, what was that like? What’s your favorite thing about Kenya?

DS: It was amazing, it was the most humbling experience. Although it was tough and a lot of hard work, it was absolutely incredible. Some of the things we saw were the most beautiful sunrises and beaches, just from an aesthetic point of view, but also I met some of the most inspirational people. It really makes you appreciate the life that we have, and makes you work harder to try and be a better person. My favorite thing about Kenya is the people. Definitely the people.

JJ: Is there a play or musical out right now that you would love to join?

DS: Weirdly, I just saw A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and I would love to be able to do that play as an adult. Taking the experiences I’ve had with acting and the growth I’ve had, then rejoining them with my 7 year old self and the initial spark of acting, I think that would be really interesting. I’d love to do something like that.

JJ: You recently covered Jason Mraz‘s “Song For A Friend“. Do you have any other covers coming out soon?

DS: It’s just me and a couple friends who are great at musical editing and making me look good on camera. (laughs) So it’s one of those things where we’ll go have a couple beers, then the guitar comes out and we have a couple more beers, then we’re like, “Should we just do another video? Yeah, why not!” We’ve got nothing planned, it’s all very sporadic and instinctive, but I’ll let you know!

JJ: Have you written any original songs?

DS: One or two, yes. Again, that’s one of those things where if I’ve had a bad day or I’m feeling really happy, I’ll sit at home and write some stuff. It’s really more for me, when I’m at home alone.

JJ: Have you recorded any of them?

DS: No…

JJ: Does your necklace have any special significance? You never seem to take it off!

DS: I thought that might come up! They were made for me when I was working in Kenya. They’re my little reminder of the people I met there. As I said, the people were so truly inspirational that it’s one of those things that I try not to to take off. I can look down and say, “You know what? Life isn’t so bad. You can definitely handle this a lot better than you are.” That’s why I wear them.

JJ: We heard you fancy Taylor Swift. Is this true?

DS: How could you not?! I’ve met Taylor once, with Sarah Hyland, and there’s just nothing not to like about her. She’s beautiful, talented, hardworking, and she’s very genuine. It’s a terrible thing, I was actually very surprised! I had read all these nightmare stories, and when I met her I was very pleasantly surprised that she seemed like one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. As for having a thing for Taylor? That’s for me to know and for you to wonder about.

JJ: You also love Carrie Underwood? Do you have a thing for blonde country stars?

DS: I don’t know, maybe! Now that you’ve just put those two in my head, maybe! For me, with Carrie Underwood it’s more about the music than anything. I live in a place in South London where if I am playing that in my car with the windows rolled down, I’ll get some weird looks. I try and play her music when I’m on my own, so I can rock out and have a private jam session. It’s a guilty pleasure.

JJ: Have you and Sarah Hyland taught her Modern Family co-star Ariel Winter how to be a vampire yet?

DS: Not yet, we’re going to though! Next time I’m in L.A. we’re going to set a date and teach her how. (laughs)

JJ: Who are your favorite actors or actresses right now?

DS: One of my most inspiring actors in the world is Daniel Day Lewis. A lot of male actors look up to Daniel Day Lewis, but me especially because he grew up in Kent, right near where I grew up. When my teachers would say, “It’s too difficult to be an actor, you’re never going to be a successful actor!” I’d say, “Well Daniel Day Lewis did it, so leave me alone!” He’s one of the actors that I aspire to be like.

JJ: What is the last movie you saw in the theater?

DS: I saw the new Hunger Games movie.

JJ: What are the top five songs on your iPod right now?

DS: I’ll have a look, I have no idea! It’s probably really embarrassing, but I’ll tell you exactly what they are. Please don’t be embarrassing! Ok, so they’re: I Bet That You Look Good On The Dance Floor by The Arctic Monkeys, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love from the Blues Brothers soundtrack, the Boyce Avenue cover of Grenade by Bruno Mars, Gorilla by Bruno Mars, and Flat On The Floor by Carrie Underwood.

JJ: What is your secret obsession?

DS: Probably video games or music.

JJ: Do you have any OCD tendencies?

DS: A little, yeah. When I have a shower or take a bath, I have to do it in a certain way. I shampoo my hair, then I wash my face in a certain way, then I wash all that off, then I condition my hair and I wash my body. This is going to sound weird, but if I do it wrong, like if my head’s not in the right place, I’ll start over. So yeah, that’s a bit OCD I guess.

JJ: What’s the most funny or embarrassing moment of your life?

DS: I’ve got two. I used to skateboard a lot with my best friend. One night we were skating in a park and it was really cold. I went up into the air and started falling. On my way down, it was like an instant thought, my brain said, “Don’t put your hands down, because it’s really cold and you’ve got cold fingers, so it will really hurt your fingers.” So I literally put my hands behind my back and landed on my face, and I was out cold for 50 minutes. That’s the most ridiculous thing, I don’t know why it happened – and it’s not happened since, I’d like to point out.

Here’s the other story. I was doing a TV show called The Cut a few years ago, and we went out for a meet-and-greet at the end of season two, beginning of season three. We were in this bar having a drink and there was this guy washing a window from the inside. From the corner of my eye, I saw him and I started waving a him, that’s what I though he was doing, waving a me, so I started waving back. All of the cast managed to see me at that exact moment and just burst into laughter, I couldn’t have been more embarrassed!

JJ: That’s all we have, thanks for the great interview!

DS: My pleasure, thank you!

PHOTO SHOOT CREDITS (PICTURES BELOW) �”�”

Photos 1 – 4, 6 – 10:
What Goes Around Comes Around head to toe

Photo 5:
Diesel sweater

Producer: Jared Eng (@jaredeng)
Photographer: Justin Campbell (@justjustinnyc)
Stylist: Michele Tomaszewski (@MTStylist)
Grooming: Melissa DeZarate (@MelissaAdelaide)
Interviewer: Colin Moretz (@colinuggets)
Talent: Dominic Sherwood (@DomSherwood1)