Taron Egerton Will Make You Swoon in Sing: 5 Things to Know About Your Next Celebrity Crush

Actor takes center stage in the new animated movie

By Traci Doromal Dec 06, 2016 12:05 PMTags
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Get ready to unleash the inner fangirl on Taron Egerton.

The 27-year-old Welsh actor is one of the stars featured in Illusion Entertainment's upcoming animated movie Sing, and he provides the voice for a lovable gorilla named Johnny. As soon as the first note comes out of his mouth, you're left clutching your heart and wanting to know more about the man behind the character. But don't worry, we've got the answers, so here are five things you need to know about your new celeb crush.

1. He Really Can Sing: Yes, that's actually Taron singing in the movie. In Sing, Johnny has a breakout scene belting out Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" - which Taron incidentally lip synced to last year. Much like that video, Taron reserves his singing skills for less high-profile settings like cars and karaoke bars, where his go-to song is George Michael's "Faith" (another rendition that will make you love him even more). But one thing he'd like to check off his bucket list is starring in a musical, particularly with his Eddie the Eagle co-star Hugh Jackman. The two collaborated on an ‘80s-inspired song called "Thrill Me" for the movie's soundtrack, and Taron told Josh Horowitz on his "Happy Sad Confused" podcast that they've already talked about doing another project together, and they hope it's on the stage instead of the big screen.

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2. Yes, He's Single: After the initial question of "Who IS this guy?" the next logical question is obviously "But is he single, though?" This answer is yes! We think. Back in March, he told The Guardian that he's been single for the past three years, mainly because his acting career has made him a bit of a busy nomad. But for all we know, he could be dating on the low, since he admitted he doesn't want to have his private life all out in the open like a lot of Hollywood A-listers. "A part of everyone wants to be Leonardo DiCaprio, don't they?" he said. "But then a big part of me recognizes that I'm a very private person – someone who really likes to go to the pub and get silly with my mates. I don't want to worry about maintaining an air of decorum that's not natural to me."

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3. He's a Total Animation Geek: Growing up, Taron was big into drawing and sculpting, but let it slip to the wayside when he got more serious about acting. While he is eager to get back to the literal drawing board, he's even more excited he gets to live out a dream of voicing his first animated character. "Voices have always been my thing… The ambition to voice a character was something that kind of remained and that residual ambition has thankfully been satisfied this year," Taron told Horowitz of his role in Sing

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And to prove even further his love for animation runs deep, the Kingsman: The Secret Service star admitted to being the most starstruck not to someone like Leo - but to Oscar winner Pete Docter, the director behind Inside Out. "Nothing came close to how starstruck I felt meeting Pete Docter," Taron told Horowitz. "I was trying to tell him how much of a fan I was about his work and he said, ‘Well I'll do you a drawing!', and I was like, ‘No you will not!'" In the end, Docter sent him a hand drawn sketch of emotions Joy and Sadness from Inside Out - which he keeps framed in his home.

VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images

4. He Looks Good In Clothes: And we have the receipts to prove it. To be fair, Taron would look good in anything, but the fine folks at GQ Magazine have deemed him one of the 50 best dressed British men both in 2015 and 2016. In fact, he was number 40 last year, and got bumped all the way up to number 13 on this year's list. It also doesn't hurt that he looks like he could walk the runway and totally fit in with the other male models. We all see that jawline, right?

5. He Was Almost Han Solo: Taron was reportedly one of the three young male actors shortlisted to play Han Solo in the upcoming Star Wars spin-off, but the role ultimately went to Blue Jasmine's Alden Ehrenreich. Even though he didn't get to follow in Harrison Ford's footsteps, he was in good company with the other rumored actors vying for the role, including Dave Franco, Jack Reynor, Tom Felton, Miles Teller and Ansel Elgort.

Sing is in theaters on Dec. 21. (E! News and Universal Pictures are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)