Matthew Morrison: 'Sex Appeal' Made My Career

Matthew Morrison is shedding his image as uptight teacher Will Schuester. He's also shedding his shirt.

"It's pretty amazing being me," he said in the new issue of Details, whose December cover he graces with a bared torso. Though Morrison, 32, has hit it big with Glee, his Broadway roots are still a big part of how he came to be who he is today.

"There was so much opportunity," he said. "There were all these beautiful, beautiful dancers. As a straight guy I had some room. There were the shared interests in singing and dancing, and I always find dancing with someone very evocative and sexual. I definitely hooked up with a lot of girls when I was a young guy on Broadway. It was exciting. Very joyous and free."

But Morrison wasn't always so interested in sex. The actor joined a Bible-study group in college and did not lose his virginity until he was 21. "I'm not comfortable with the idea of my sex appeal, but I know in my job I have to use it," he said. "I wish I could say I got to this point in my career based on my talent, but I don't think that's true."

But co-star Jane Lynch gave him a little more credit. "You get the sense he knows he can write his own ticket," she said. "If I were going to come back as someone, I'd come back as Matt Morrison." And the actor is learning how to handle Hollywood pressure and publicity, as well. "I do look at stuff people on the show are doing, and I don't judge them, but I question it," he said. "I say to myself, keep quiet. Fame, you know, it's like a handgun—in the wrong hands, it's dangerous." –AMY LEE