The wallflower who made his name in Richard Linklater’s coming-of-age epic Boyhood is now side-stepping into fashion. After showcasing a decade’s worth of style moments on screen, actor-turned-model Ellar Coltrane is finally blossoming. Once he was free from the 12-year shackles of filming, he signed with top agency Wilhelmina, responsible for scouting Kendall Jenner and Janice Dickinson. Returning from Milan fashion week, the 20-year-old gave an interview to The Cut, where he dished about his “cherry-popping” foray into the industry. TL;DR: he buddied up with Breaking Bad’s RJ Mitte (now also a model), kicked back with photographer Bruce Weber, and kept it low-key on a shoot with Hedi Slimane. So what’s it like making a move from the red carpet to the runway?

HE’S A SELF-DESCRIBED ‘FASHION WHORE’

“I’ve always been quite a fashion whore, for lack of a better word,” he admits in the interview. Coltrane had dabbled into modelling before, but it was only after a promotional tour for Boyhood that the seed was planted, watered and harvested. As for what he likes to wear, he’s got few rules, but there is one he’s adamant about adhering to. “When I’m buying my own things, I try to buy things not made in sweatshops,” he told WWD in Milan. “That’s the only thing. Other than that, I like comfort and dark colors.”

HE THINKS GENDER ROLES ARE BULLSHIT

This season’s menswear designers continued to toy with gender – Gucci did pussy bow ties and frills, Hood by Air did diamante vajazzle stick-ons for the forehead, and Prada had us wondering if gendered fashion was still a conversation we’re having. There’s one person who’s not afraid of shaking things up. “I think defined gender roles are bullshit,” says Coltrane. “I would like to wear a dress at some point.”

HEDI SLIMANE WAS ANNOYED AT HIS POSING

“When I was shooting with Hedi, he almost seemed annoyed when I was posed,” he says of his shoot with the creative director of Saint Laurent. “He wanted non-posed, non-contrived, casual – the way you really are. It was actually sort of a challenge to be able to break down those preconceptions of what a fashion shoot is and just kind of look normal.”

COLTRANE WAS SURPRISED AT FASHION’S PACE

The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it bedlam of fashion shows doesn’t leave much time for digestion. With hundreds of shows and presentations packed into fashion month and a new menswear week on the horizon, the pace of fashion has no signs of slowing. “I was interested to see how massive of a production it is,” Coltrane said of the spectacle. “And then the actual show goes and then it’s done. It’s a lot of buildup to a quick thing. But it’s very focused while it’s happening.”

HE’D RATHER EVADE A SINGULAR JOB TITLE – FOR NOW AT LEAST

Citing the double-edged career of actress Tilda Swinton as one to emulate, Coltrane still has one foot firmly planted in the film world. He’s currently working on projects with writer and director Kevin Ford. Of course, he wouldn’t say no to a bit of modeling on the side. “I think the two careers can be tied together very nicely, and they complement each other. And that’s what I hope to do. I’m not going to define myself as a model, but I’m not going to define myself as an actor either.”