Family: 1 brother, 2 sisters – all younger

Status: Never married, no children

Nonsmoker, no way

Education: Absolutely not, I got out of school as fast as I could. I had to have a tutor because I was in the ballet company.

Occupation:  Actor / Dancer / Choreographer / founder of punchrobert.com (She’s The Man, You Got Served, Step Up 2: The Streets, They Came From Upstairs)

On aspirations to become a director: "I think I am one. Do I have aspirations to be a director on a larger scale? I would love to but to be frank, I'm just really happy where I am right now. I'm getting to act, I'm getting jobs, I'm getting to do cool characters and in my spare time I get to do anything and everything I want to in my own video format and I have people all over the world who watch it and love it and are entertained by it, so it's very gratifying to me. Doors are starting to open up, people are starting to want to talk to me about collaborating on music videos and stuff like that, so I would love to go there. I'm kind of letting it fall into my lap as it feels like it."

"I always just called myself a comprehensive entertainer. It took its form first in dance and then when I was young me and my buddy who makes the videos with me, still to this day, we started making our own little skits and videos and then next thing I know there's two worlds married when I did the movie You Got Served, and the next thing I know I'm acting. Yeah, I think I'm just an entertainer, really."

On doing choreography: "I do choreograph just for fun. In my Punch Robert videos there's often dance sequences. I still go to Carnival which is this once a month dance gathering at the Key Club and I'll go there and I'll put a work up just for fun, just to share and express myself."

Did you always know that dance was where you wanted to go: "Yeah, it was weird. Recently I looked back on my life and I was like `wow that really is weird.' Because you know dancing is what I've always done and I don't really think about it and when I take a look back, it's like `wow that was all you cared about. You really knew.' The minute I saw Michael Jackson dancing, and I never called it dance, I never registered it as a career or an art, that was the only thing that made sense or was relevant in this world to me was moving magically to music and inspiring people. That was just the ultimate thing to life for me so my whole focus went to there as soon as I knew what it was."

... on HIMSELF

Strengths: "Funny, confident, charming."

Weakness: "Revengeful. I have a bad problem with when I feel like I've been really wronged, I don't let it go until I feel I got the person back. But we're talking when people really do you wrong, when people really screw you over. If someone was to apologize sincerely that would be all that I needed. It's not people who are willing to apologize that I'm talking about. Just people who are in the world to screw other people over and usually I get my revenge, I wait awhile and then I'll play a really bad prank on them and they never know it's me and then I'll feel better."

Others may not see: "I'm really straightforward and pretty up front about exactly who I am. One thing I don't think people see until they get to really know is that I really, really, like I play hard ball. I really expect the most out of people and I push people to do their best and some people misconceive that as having a lack of compassion but I'm extremely compassionate for people that I'll run into in my life whether it be someone working at a fast food restaurant or a homeless man on the street, but it's a very specific personality, it's people who are just completely out of their luck, completely down on themselves but don't let you see it. They keep their chin up for the world. And when I can see that in someone, I can't let go, it just grips my heart to no end and I try to befriend that person. So it's a very specific scenario but I'm compassionate to the point where it disrupts my daily life."

I've been known to ... "be crazy. Outlandish, spontaneous, ridiculous, outspoken."

Turn-ons: "Uninhibited, exciting people. People who speak their mind, live large and like to laugh."

Turn-offs: "Overly sensitive people. I find, from my perspective, there's two types of people often the people who are looking for something to get sensitive about so they can be able to point their finger and call someone wrong and make themselves feel better. And the people who don't waste time doing that and live large and have fun. And like to be honest about their insecurities and be wacky." 

Special Talents: "I draw well. I used to draw comics. It was a thought to get into that but dancing and live entertainment just took a forefront all too quickly."

When you got discovered was that something you were hoping would happen or were you going to go after that at some point: "No I was very happy just making my videos and having my lovely dance career that I made good money and got to tour the world and meet cool people. I was completely happy. I'd like to say that it was a dream come true but it was never a dream. It all took me by surprise. I had no idea that those things would happen. I always thought the acting world was just too big and too subjective and too crazy. I had no desire to try to step into that world, I got very luckily thrown into it."

"I was dancing with all kinds of artists in movies and music videos and commercials and all that kind of stuff and making a nice career. And it was at Carnival, that night at the Key Club on Sunset, the producers of You Got Served were there looking for new dancers. And so the legend goes, they said who's that guy walking around like he owns the place. So I was doing film but not in acting roles, just as a dancer."

Awards: "Best kiss at the MTV movie awards for Step Up 2. I just got my trophy, it's so cool. Won the American Choreography award for You Got Served. I was Mr. Dancer of America 2001. It's this national dance competition called Dance Masters of America, it's the big technical dance competition."

Charities: "I support John Chu's charity, Invisible Children. I give my time to them when I can. Invisiblechildren.com. And I just got involved with something called Hollywood Knights, it's a celebrity basketball league that goes around and plays games for charity."

Travels: "I've traveled quite a bit, South America and many places in Europe. I can say that my favorite so far is New Zealand. That's actually where I did They Came From Upstairs. I found of all the places I've been in the world the Kiwi people, the New Zealand natives, the people who live in New Zealand are the nicest people by far, just in general. Absolutely. They also have a tropical rainforest there and there's no spiders that can kill you, no snakes whatsoever, no animals that can kill you so you're running around in this total jungle and you don't have anything to worry about, it was really nice."

Spirituality: "I'm extremely spiritual, not religious at all. In fact I stay as far away as I can from religion, but I'm extremely spiritual, yes. I just study, I study different spiritual theories that are relative to what my beliefs have come and process them and take a look at my life and the people around me and the world around me. To me the biggest thing is happiness and positivity. In my opinion that's the one guide you have to understanding life and beyond. That's how I live my life, in pursuit of real happiness. It's something that I'm extremely focused on especially in the past couple years. I feel like with a lot of the spiritual lessons and discoveries that I've made, my life has changed very dramatically and I'd say at least 65% more positive. I grew up as we all do with some extreme situations and I definitely had just as much anger as the next person. But I learned to realize that's not something you have to accept about yourself, all that anger that you're left with from whatever happened in your youth. Few people come out of their youth with out some sort of baggage, everyone's got something intense that happens or an intense family situation, I don't think that's uncommon. But I think what is uncommon is for people to rise above that and find something more than that as opposed to just wallowing in self pity."

Fashion sense: "I like to mix match things. I think my style was defined when I saw David Faustino on the MTV movie awards when I was younger. He had on a pair of cool jeans or something, he had a really slick black leather jacket and he had this tattered basketball jersey on. And I was now that's what I like, I like mix matching stuff. When I help my buddies dress I always tell them you got to remember one thing, you can only have one centerpiece. You can't have like a flashy belt, a flashy necklace and brightly colored shoes. You got to have a cool outfit, mix matched whatever feels comfortable on you and one centerpiece, that's always my advice. Mine's typically my two necklaces right now."

Do they mean anything to you: "One's a Buddhist mala beads and although I don't consider myself a Buddhist, I've learned a lot from Buddhism. I've been learning as much as I can from all religions right now. And the other one's a little, I don't how you describe it, a little metal chain with some religious figure on it, I don't know, it looks cool."

Staying healthy: "I do now. I used to eat whatever the hell I wanted whenever I wanted because I was dancing all the time and had no problem. Then I got a little bit older and all of a sudden realized I had to start watching it. I'm a no carb vitamin head now. Actually I'm not dancing anymore, there's not a lot of classes that really challenge me anymore so I dance on my own just to kind of develop my own style now and then. But I go to the gym, I like to play basketball."

What touches my soul: "First thing that comes to mind is music. When it's done right, it catches you and takes you where it wants to go and you can become really mindless in music and also music is what drives everything that I do artistically, every character I find music to inspire who the characters about and every video that I do starts with a song. A song gives me a vision of a thought and then I carry it out whether the music stays in the video or not. It's kind of like music's a really good gateway to that other realm, you know what I mean, that higher consciousness, I think."

... on WOMEN

What I first notice on a woman: "I don't want to be dishonest. I think physical attraction is the first thing I would notice. It is important."

Attention-getters: "The thing that stands out to me always is someone with a sense of humor and someone who can play, someone who's not overly serious and looking to make negative of whatever's situation they're in or try to cause problems. I like people who like to play."

Ideal woman: "All the girlfriends that I've ever have always been extremely, aside from saint like, good natured, solid, they typically come from a very solid upbringing, they're strong. I like a strong woman, that's the main word I'm looking for. Strong as in the opposite of a victim, as in someone who is confident in who they are, who stands up for themselves if need be, doesn't let anyone take advantage of them. Sweet. I like a strong woman who can be sweet and who likes to play."

I can't resist a woman who ... "smells good. That's huge. If a woman's wearing Satsuma or one of the few other fragrances, like time stops, the world disappears. Smell has the most incredible, this woman can be not my type at all and if it's the right smell I can really lose it."

Most important quality in a woman: "It would just be a word that's somewhere between strong and independent. Happy."

Ideal date: "That's a good question. I like to hang out. I don't like the traditional thing. I think pursuing a woman happens naturally. I think a man is naturally inclined to pursue a woman. But to me the traditional pursuit, the traditional dating circumstances, I think are skewed and they are set up for a relationship that's not totally honest. Whereas if you hang out on a mutual level and you're both, you're starting out as friends. To me when there's that label of I'm pursuing you, I'm taking you here, I'm trying to earn you, it's not as genuine as when two people are coming together as friends to hang out and enjoy each other's time and in my opinion that always is a better set up for a better long lasting relationship than all these traditional gestures. I guess the word date to me just encompass something that kind of has a structure. Like oh I'm going to call you, hi, I think you're really pretty, I'd like to try to impress you tonight, let me take you to this nice restaurant. To me, it's more about hey what are you doing, let's hang out somewhere and just kind of going with it. Moving in as friends as opposed to moving in and showing all this chivalrous notions which are quite frankly more than likely not what a marriage is going to be like, you know what I mean. At the point you become a husband and a wife and you have a kid to take care of and at that point that's when it's more important that you're friends and you can hang out and talk to each other not that you can make chivalrous reservations at... Yeah, go with it and have fun together as opposed to what's this date about specifically."

I'd call a woman back after a first date ... "if she was fun to hang out with, had interesting things to talk about and wasn't worried about the next date. Little signs, like intently asking when am I going to see you again, things that don't matter, things that you just kind of let happen naturally. It's kind of the living in the future thing, I like people who live in the present, live in the now. It's not so much the asking, it's the intention behind it. Someone who's content with where they are, whether we see each other or not, it's someone who might feel a little needy or dependent, insecure, it's getting ahead of themselves. Instead of seeing where things go."

I'd never date a woman who ... "These are interesting questions. I would never date a woman who's sensitive. That's my man turn off is sensitive, defensive people."

How I show I care: "I'm romantic with someone that I've become really close to. I guess that's what I was saying earlier, those early on romantic gestures to me are very hollow. It's when you've gotten to know someone and you've become friends with someone and you have a deeper connection and that's when I see that someone is my friend and is there for me and has little expectations of me, that's when I really start to pull out all the stops and doing the big thing, the flowers and the big cute notes everywhere and the special dinners. One thing that I like to do is I'll leave little notes all throughout a girl's house, in her clothes drawer, under a cup in a cupboard, in her soap dish in her shower, in her computer. This is someone that I'm obviously in a deep relationship with, someone that I would be at their house alone, leave notes everywhere, in her shoe, little sweet notes for her to find all throughout the day or coming week."

What makes a woman unforgettable: "The two big things for me are smell and just being independent, being strong, being content, having found their place in life and being self fulfilled so the guy can come into a wonderful situation and make it even better for you."

What I wish women understood more about men: "I wish women knew that snooty might get them attention but it gets them the wrong attention. Women who dress provocatively and who hold a coy attitude or snooty or snotty or bratty. That might get you attention but it doesn't get you respect. Be themselves and give the world your best face. Bring something to the table. Bring yourself, bring positivity to the table. The people that you become involved with at that point might not satisfy your ego but they'll bring you happiness."

One thing a woman has never done for me yet, but I would love it: "Learn how to play video games, yeah, but I don't expect that from a woman. I don't think it's typical of a woman's nature."

... on RELATIONSHIPS 

On relationships: "I've had both, I've had short and long. They're usually either in the 3 month then the 2 year range, it's usually one or the other."  

Is a relationship important to you: "It's a weird thing. It's like I've always just assumed it would happen I just have no idea at what age it'll happen. My estimation is that right now I'm kind of having the "college" right now because I'm putting in all the hard work right now so I could get to a place where I can really not have to be on the daily grind, always pumping out new videos, and always making connections and always traveling all over the world to do the next film. So right now I feel like I'm kind of laying the ground work for a much more self-sustaining lifestyle at which point I assume then I would feel like I had gone the man's journey and proved myself and then I can sit back, relax, raise children and make a woman happy. Yes, I'd  definitely be open to it, I don't know why, it's not like something I have a yearning for right now but I've always assumed yes, I would definitely want one."

"It sounds very unromantic but on a scientific level it's a primitive need, I think more often than not you're either going to be in a serious relationship or you're going to be in a dating relationship. Having someone just kind of gives you a solidity, something of a peace of mind, it's such a human thing. When you're younger it's off and on and you can go without it and you can with it but it's always in your mind, I just feel like it solidifies you, it helps kind of ground you."

What I love most about being in a relationship: "I love laying down next to the person who's the most special person in the world to you, completely letting the world disappear and you just lose your breath and you just let everything go. Those moments when you and that person just let everything go and lay next to each other and you just know you're with the most special person in the world to yourself and you forget about everything and you take a catnap."

Top relationship keys: "It's all personal work. I think the relationship is all relative to how honest a person is with themselves, how willing they are to look at themselves and how much of their ego they've let go with and how much of their higher consciousness is embraced personally."

A woman in a relationship with me can expect ... "fun, a lot of fun. I spent my whole life harnessing all the funnest things in life whether it be toys or fun drinks or fun friends, fun places to go. I definitely could brag about that."
 
What I expect: "I appreciate, I don't want to say I expect, I don't want to sound demanding, I appreciate in a relationship someone who's comforting, respects themselves and sometimes I like being pampered. I think it's fun to be pampered by a woman, to be given a massage or to have your hair played with. I really like that. I like the tenderness that a woman gives. No, I never go get massages or anything like that, it's so much better when it's endearing. Yes, I reciprocate but in a different way. I'm very snuggly, I'm like extremely snuggly, my family was very snuggly, but my pampering comes more from the things that I do. I know I said earlier that it's not something that I think is that important in the early stages of dating, I think it's more about being friends first as opposed to all those chivalrous gestures but when I'm in a serious relationship my pampering comes from thoughtful things as opposed to immediate physical things."

When I'm in love, I ... "am extremely thoughtful and extremely affectionate."

What makes me feel close to a woman: "To me the thing that makes me feel close to a woman is a woman who doesn't have high expectations ... who isn't needy, someone who is very independent. When I see a woman who's independent, I'll do anything for her."

Greatest relationship lesson: "Be honest. Being brutally honest to your true without fearing the consequences because you're always trying to get what you want by saying the right thing or whatever, you're not being true to yourself, you're not being happy and it's going to come back to haunt you. So be true to yourself, say yes, say no but just make sure it's you. Even it's something you don't honor about yourself, be honest about it."

What makes a woman marriage material: "Devout loyalty because that goes beyond just being loyal to your person. It's not just regarding cheating, being devoutly loyal means that you're willing to look at yourself, to do personal work as well as the other person. Not tripping up on the trivial things and seeing the bigger picture and being there for that person."

... on SEX 

What makes sex good: "Trust. Impersonal sex is infatuation and it's crazy and it's hot but the intimate sex is when it's someone that you trust."

I feel my sexiest when ... "I've accomplished something."

Most sensual part of a woman's body: "The hip, I've always been drawn to it. The crease between the leg and the hip area, that little area right there, I don't know why but it's the hottest part for me."

Sexiest thing a woman can wear in private: " ... black's good."

Surefire way to seduce me: "Smell. It is unbelievable. I think it's called Romance by VS is another thing, Satsuma by Bath & Body Works. There's a couple other ones. But the other thing is every smell smells different on girls. A good smell, a woman can be not my type at all, bratty, I don't care, but the right smell, I can be so attracted to a woman just on smell."

... on LIFE

Making my mark: "The world is very masked right now by its ego, I think. Ever since I was young I always looked around and I said some things not right here, because I've experienced happiness, I've experienced positivity and I know what it is, I know how real it is but I think it's very fleeting in our society and I look around and I say you know what I'm pretty sure that 75% of all people die having living their life that was more full of frustration and disappointment than happiness. To me there was a fundamental disappointment there, not even a disappointment, a fundamental problem there, I think, was unavoidable. And I feel convicted that I found some very interesting insights that I don't think many people are privileged enough to even hear and in this simplicity, and I hope to be able kind of enlighten people soon. Our society trains you to think everything but that and I don't think any human is more than a few thoughts away from realizing that and completely overcoming that - it just has to be related in the right way."

Responsibility to society: "Absolutely I do. I absolutely feel very convicted that I contribute positivity and a less egotistical, less sensitive perspective to the world that I spread through my videos and through ideas and which will presumably turn into even larger scales. All my videos have this insensitive, uninhibited, brutally honest, let's be honest about what we're thinking kind of sensitivity and it's silly and it's willy and it's self depreciating and in my daily life, I live loud, I live hard, I live honest. My friends, we have no boundaries with each other, well outside from legal boundaries or utterly disrespectful boundaries. But we're very frank and we're up front about our insecurities. We don't walk into rooms and play off of our insecurities, we walk into rooms and announce our insecurities, and in that we're able to completely selflessly enjoy each others company and I think that runs off on people around us. I absolutely think it does. When we walk into a party which might be a very insecure awkward atmosphere, we come in with a big energy and very selfless energy and I think that lightens the mood and I also have big plans that I don't care to get into now but I will say this in general. Assuming the success that I'm having now escalates in the way it seems to be escalating, I have very big plans for ways in which I think I'm going to be able to help the world relieve itself of its constraining ego and rediscover itself as these positive amazing beings that we are."

Valuable life lesson: "Life is ridiculous. You know what my thought of the year was earlier and I really realized this and it was kind of disappointing and it was another thing that kind of fueled my, triggered to try to wake people up a little bit. Once I realized that most of the world is idiots, life became a lot easier. I was like wait a second, these people have no idea what they're saying right now, they're completely blinded by their insecurities, and their rage, and their past. It's like ok just let them keep going. Instead of taking it personally."

Three things I must do in this lifetime: "The weird thing is every time these new things happen like choreograph a dance film that's become an international hit, star in a dance film that becomes an international hit. These were never things that I was like oh I want to do that. Anything that as a kid I could have ever imagined has ever happened. I don't know, maybe an Oscar. I don't even have any desire for anything   yet, I've already gotten everything that I could have dreamed for. I do want to see the pyramids because I think that's one of the few unexplainable things in our world, you know what I mean. Like most things can be explained, I ponder whatever was going on back there, the fact that we can't explain it might have some really huge implications into higher powers, mind over matter and whatever. I'd just like to be there to experience that once. And just kind of achieve enlightenment, completely rid myself of all ego and be a healthy positive being with no residual or anything."

Best advice received: "The one thing that's always stuck with me well I guess two things, I'd say 1) would be this weird little knick knack - this little painted piece of wood that my dad brought home from a flea market when I was a kid and it had this phrase on it that really registered with me. It was kind of like my first step into looking at the world in a different way and it says simply To understand all is to forgive all. I thought yeah that makes sense. I don't know why that really spoke to me."

Best advice I've given a woman: "The most common advice that I give to girls is quit chasing the guy who doesn't like you. I mean that's the most common trend I see. A lot of girls swear they want one thing and I'm like then why are you chasing the other thing because that's not what you say you want. I don't have a problem if someone wants that, if they want that chase, if they want that inner battle, if they want their ego to be conquered, I'm ok with it but to me it's just like be honest. Be honest about what you are and what you want. If you want to play and be played with, then fine, but be true to that. If you want someone to treat you right, you go for the guy who treats you right, not the guy that you know is going to treat you wrong."

... on HIS FAVORITE THINGS

Movie: "The Professional, The Game ..."

TV Show: "America's Funniest Home Videos, hands down. Absolutely, that is the one show, I don't care who you are, where you're from and what you've been through in a day, if you watch that show, you will be happy in 5 minutes."

Book: "The Power of Now."

Music: "Right now my favorite group is Silversun Pickups."

Food: "Traditional thanksgiving dinner."

... final THOUGHTS

Wheels: "I have a SUV right now but I feel really guilty about it. It's getting old and I want to get a new car but I'm just trying to hold out until they make some good advances in pollution."

Pets: "No, but I have to get a dog as soon as possible. I love dogs and I miss my dog from back home. I'm assuming a mixed breed because they have a better temperament and understanding. Something midsize, very athletic, not too big."

Tattoos/piercings: "No."

Always in my refrigerator: "Protein drinks. I tell you what else and you're going to want to try this yourself. There's a drink called Galiano, tall thin bottle, you mix that with orange juice and vanilla vodka and you make a Harvey Wallbanger, it's a drink that was really popular in the 70's. It tastes like a orange creamsicle, it's the best drink that you'll ever have in your life. It's an Italian liqueur. The vanilla vodka is what gives you the alcohol and then the orange juice and then you just put a very small splash of Galiano, and it is the tastiest thing that you'll ever have in your life. I always keep the ingredients ready to make Harvey Wallbangers for guests."

Hottest possession: "It's either my ... well I have the world's greatest bed. I have a CA king size bed with egg crates on top of it and it's got a pillow top mattress on it and then egg crates on top of that so it's super soft and then I have that soft T-shirt material sheets, so it is the greatest bed of all time. Navy blue and black."

I'd change places for 24 hours with ... "the president. I want to know if there's aliens or not. I want to know if he knows, he knows everything. I want to know if there's aliens. He knows. That's the one guy that you know who can tell you whether there's aliens or not. That's what I want to know. The government is such a big monster now, I have no clue how to perceive it or what to think any longer."

I'd most like to hang out with ... "hmm, that's a good one. I've gotten to hang out with a lot of them so far. I'd like to hang out with Eckhart Tolle, the guy who wrote The Power of Now, I'd like to hang out with him for a little while. His book was one of the first and only real things I've heard and just to meet the man who wrote it, the man was able to obtain that perspective and give that message to the world. I'd like to shake his hand and have a few jokes with him."

Celeb I'd love to take on a date: "My favorite right now would be Adriana Kima even though she's married. C'mon her eyes, she's ridiculously beautiful. And Sarah Silverman. I would be torn between her or Sarah Silverman. She's awesome, she's amazing, she's hysterical. It's hard for a girl to be that funny and to make guys laugh."

Why I'm a great catch: "Because when someone in in extremely loving and I'm really full of life. I'm just very fun and very open."

Me in a word: "Wow."