B.L. So what makes a guy like you drawn to play Dickens' classic character, Nicholas Nickleby?
C.H. Just a great script, Doug McGrath really wrote a wonderful adaptation. I was sent a batch of scripts and it was the one thing that I really enjoyed and I asked my agent about it and he gave me the lowdown on the ensemble that Doug had assembled and I just thought this is something very interesting.

B.L. I understand you wavered for a minute as to whether you should try out for the part or not.
C.H. Doug was in New York and I live in L.A. and he was bound for England and I was one of the last people to be cast. I had basically two days and I thought, "I can either take a long shot to buy a ticket and get on a plane and go see or just let it go." So I bought a ticket and it was great. Normally when you audition for something it's usually pretty cold and you are allocated about 20 minutes or something and there's a panel of people and you have to go in and perform for them like a monkey. But Doug just really understood where I was coming from. As an actor it's tough to put your soul out on the line when you don't know people, so he gave me about two-and-a-half hours. I also went to his apartment and we just discussed the scene like a real work session. I thought, "This is a guy who really understands what it takes to get a performance out of an actor," and it was very inspiring.

B.L. I would think that also being an actor himself makes a lot of difference.
C.H. Oh, definitely. We put some of the scenes that I did on tape and then a couple of hours later he brought the producers and everyone in and then they offered it to someone else!

B.L. You're kidding?
C.H. Then they turned it down, and it came back to me.

B.L. Did you find yourself relating to him at all, because I have to tell you that all of your fellow actors say that you are the sweetest guy on earth!
C.H. Aw shucks... you make me blush. I don't know - I guess I could relate to him a little bit. Nicholas was a fun character to play, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

B.L The ensemble cast that you mentioned earlier is astonishing in this film. Did you find that you learned from working with these actors?
C.H. Of course, every day something new. It was just great to have the opportunity to work with these people. I went from this cast to going to work with the people in Cold Mountain, which I can't even believe. It's like working with the best actors in the world and it just makes the job so easy when you're working with good people, because they just know how to do it and it all comes together very organically and it shows on screen.

B.L. You also have wonderful chemistry with Jamie Bell, who plays poor Smike. He told me that you two were troublemakers on set. Is that true?
C.H. A little bit. It was always fun and it was kind of relaxed with Jamie because we are both young guys who were just enjoying ourselves. Although I was always inspired, it was a little intimidating going up against someone like Jim Broadbent. Whereas, with Jamie, it was just two lads knocking around and having fun.

B.L. You of course are well known in Britain for your role in the hit TV series Queer As Folk, and you are becoming quite a star here in North America having starred in Abandon and the TV series Undeclared. How are you adjusting to your celebrity status?
C.H. To be honest with you I don't really feel it at all. I am very thankful for everything that has happened to me, but nothing has really changed. I hate all that stuff, it's really kind of the downside of the job. I just love the work. I don't really indulge; I have a nice little house. I keep out of the way; stay really low key and I don't do the party scene or anything like that. I just hang with my friends and I'm perfectly happy with that.

B.L. Next up, as you mentioned, Cold Mountain, directed by Anthony Minghella and again, a whole slew of amazing actors.
C.H. It's going to be awesome. It's with Renée Zellweger, Nicole Kidman, Philip Seymour Hoffman and a ton of other actors.

B.L. You play a gunslinger, I understand?
C.H. Yes, an albino gunslinger who does back flips and the works. It's going to be great!