The thing with acting is I'm at the liberty of someone who wants to book me. With music, I can do it all the time. With acting, I could, too, if I wanted to write a script and do that whole thing, but music is a constant thing. Acting, I have to audition.
— Ross Lynch
The songs my band and I like to sing - the songs that the room will erupt for - are '90s hits, like 'All Star.'
A lot of people say actions are stronger than words, and I think, in acting, this is a very accurate thing.
I love learning new things, and 'Austin & Ally,' honestly, was probably the best foundation for the acting side of me, just cause I learned so much.
I don't think there'll ever be a time where we're like, 'Okay, The Driver Era is... ' People ask me, 'What do you represent?' But it's forever growing, and it's forever changing.
I can play anything - piano, drums, guitar, harp - I can even play a trumpet through another trumpet.
There are times when you sit down, and you're just like, 'Man, I don't know if I can do it right now.' Take a second - go to the woods and just hang out, or go to Yosemite and check it out. Be in nature for a little while; clock out - which is super healthy, especially for creative types. Honestly, for everyone. Everyone needs that at times.
I pretty much know everything there is to know about Dahmer.
Any decent actor knows you can't judge the character you're playing.
My favorite poem ever was 'Annabel Lee' by Edgar Allan Poe.
When I'm feeling stressed out and overwhelmed, sometimes I'll read a book. But most of the time, I will either listen to music or play music. I'm basically always playing music, even if I'm not stressed!
I don't really think of myself as a heartthrob. I've got a lot of brothers, and there's a natural competitiveness between us when it comes to girls. If I said something about being a heartthrob, then they would bring me straight back down to earth!
I usually try to stay off my phone and enjoy the world, but when I am on my phone, it's always for social media - to talk to my bros and my fans and my friends.
While I wouldn't say that I'm going to do another Disney TV show, I would like to do another comedy or something musical. But I like doing the dark independent stuff as well.
The reason we started the Driver Era is just 'cause our creative endeavors sort of demanded it.
I just think, in general, I'm not a really judgmental person.
It is really interesting to change your hair color after being blond your entire life.
That's the thing about being an artist: you never should settle, really.
People often only see one side to someone's personality, but there are levels.
It's nice to have a variety in creative work that I like to do.
I know people look at the Disney Channel as... a specific thing. But all the actors from 'Austin and Ally' - honestly, they're really good.
I've met girls in college that say to me, 'Is it bad that I'm 25 and I'm in love with Ross Lynch?'
I love OneRepublic, The Script, All Time Low. I love pretty much every genre. I love the Rolling Stones and Elvis.
As far as putting stuff on social media, I think Instagram is really cool because I like the visual aspect. You're taking pictures, and you can put a filter on them, and it's super creative.
Everyone's got crazy fans! But honestly, the crazy fans are where it's at, because they know all the lyrics to the songs that you're singing, and they're dancing and having a great time. You can really enjoy performing for them, even more than you can enjoy performing for someone that's not crazy.
I try to make as much time as I can for R5, because I love it so much. Ultimately, that's what's going to be around forever in my life. Because with 'Austin & Ally,' our season is going to end, and then that will be it. But R5 will always be there.
I like to go off the other actors in the scene, which kind of stinks when you're acting with someone who's not that great.
As an artist, you want to entertain people.
I tend to empathize with people, just in general.
You grow as a writer when you learn how to make songs flow from start to finish. That's the best song, when it's such a seamless process to get to this release at the chorus, this euphoric feeling. That's why the Beatles were so good - they did such a good job building so much tension in the beginning to this immaculate release, and then it ends.
You've got to empathize with every character you play.
Playing Dahmer, there were ups and downs. It wasn't all dark, all the time. I felt a wide range of emotions.
Playing a real person, it does add an extra level of thoughtfulness. You're portraying someone who actually existed, so instead of saying, like, 'OK, I think this would make the scene better,' it's more a question of, 'What do I think the real Jeffrey Dahmer would do?'
When I was on Disney, in the back of my head, I wanted to do - not even for anyone else, just for me - I wanted to do something that was independent. And maybe a little darker.
I have an electric Fender and a Telecaster. I have a Taylor and a Martin. I want to get more guitars for more sounds.
'Teen Beach Movie' was a lot of fun because we were in Puerto Rico on an island - you can't even call it work!
When I was younger, I always wanted to be a musician, a performer and an entertainer - but I never thought about becoming a poster or anything like that. It's pretty cool.
It's always important to stay in contact with the fans, because ultimately, if they weren't there, I wouldn't be here. It's very, very important to spread the love.
