'I decided it was time for me to read the book...'

Troye Sivan is 15 years old. He was born in Johannesburg to a family involved in the entertainment business, and when they moved to Australia his passion to perform only grew stronger.

"I love being a performer. I entered every talent quest and by the time I was about 12, I was flying around Australia to perform."

His first CD came out when he was 13, but then, says Troye, "it occurred to me that I should also try acting and I had a stroke of luck when Gavin Hood gave me a role in X-Men: Wolverine.

"I didn't know what to expect, but the moment I landed on that sound stage it felt exactly right. I wondered why I had not attempted acting earlier. Being on set with all those people just clicked for me."

Troye is a little shamefaced when he owns up to not having read Spud before his auditions.

"Obviously I'd read the screenplay for the first audition, and I got a callback and that was when I decided it was time for me to read the book and I thought it was brilliant," says Troye.

"It was only after the movie was finished that I started getting nervous."

Troye's mother, Laurel, ran a successful talent agency in South Africa, but, says Troye: "I wasn't formally involved with the entertainment business as a child. I have vivid memories of standing in front of the TV, watching Michael Jackson music videos and concerts, copying everything he did and saying to myself, 'I wish I could be him right now'.

"My mom helps me to stay grounded. She says: 'Stay in the moment, not in the future. You can't think of yourself as a star.' And if I show any signs of getting a big head, my mom, my dad and my agent will quickly bring me down to size."