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To be a famously successful opera singer. I wanted that since I was eight.

I was attracted to opera when I was 15 or 16. A very rich man in England bankrupted himself to put on a lot of opera during the war, but he converted a lot of people, myself included, in the process.

I sang opera, I sang show tunes. I got into a rock band for a while. I've sung a lot of different things.

I carried on acting during school holidays and was all set to go to drama school when I was offered my first professional job appearing in 'King David' with Richard Gere.

I was an acting opera singer, and that's one of the reasons I left opera.

I saw a lot of operas from backstage and watched a lot of rehearsals - my parents were singers.

A lot of my friends were a lot into theatre a lot earlier than I was. A lot of my friends were kids who were in The Broadway Kids and the kids auditioning for Gavroche in 'Les Miz.' I was never that kid. I was weaned on Michael Jackson. Not literally, because that would have been odd.

I got into musical comedy because of Shakespeare, not because of singing. They needed someone to understudy Richard Burton. I was also going to musical auditions because the agent I had insisted I go to them.

I was heavily involved in musical theater.

Before 'Grease 2', I was called the next Richard Gere, then after 'Grease 2', nobody would touch me.