Soap Opera Digest: How old are you?
Drew Tyler Bell: I turn 18 on January 29.

Digest: Are you still in school?
Bell: I took my California proficiency test, so I don't have to have a teacher on the set. I'm technically graduated from high school.

Digest: Have you ever watched soaps?
Bell: A little bit. My immediate family doesn't watch soaps, but I know a lot of people who do. When I was growing up, my babysitter would watch them while I was playing with my LEGOs.

Digest: How did you celebrate winning this part?
Bell: (laughs) I got a new cell phone and went out to dinner.

Digest: What was your first day like on the set?
Bell: It was great. I shot my first two scenes with Susan Flannery [Stephanie] and Ronn Moss [Ridge]. They're amazing. It was a little nerve-racking, but then you realize that we're all here to do a job. But the fact that I'm working with such great people is a little intimidating.

Digest: Have you met John McCook (Eric) yet?
Bell: I have, and that guy's crazy. In five minutes we found out each other's whole history. He plays piano, I play piano and we both dance and sing.

Digest: Do you have a musical theater background?
Bell: Oh, yeah, I grew up entertaining. I was in musicals and plays ever since I was in kindergarten. I also play the violin.

Digest: What kind of dance do you do?
Bell: Everything: tap, jazz, hip-hop ballet, lyrical.

Digest: Where are you from?
Bell: Ohio. I moved out here just over two years ago. There are only 20,000 people in my hometown, so coming here was a different experience. But I think it's more of a shock if someone moves from here back to a small town.

Digest: How did you get from Ohio to Hollywood?
Bell: Well, my uncle is Steven Spielberg and he said, "Drew, you gotta come out to Hollywood...." No, I'm just kidding. I've been training for this my whole life. I've been taking music, singing and dancing lessons ever since I can remember.

Digest: Did your parents get you into that?
Bell: I had the drive to do all that and they were just like, "Whatever you want to do, Drew, is fine." I said, "All right, then I'll do 18 things." I sort of maxed out what I could do in Ohio. There are only so many 50-seat dinner theaters I could perform in. Then, I heard about this convention in L.A. for acting and modeling. There were all these competitions like monologues, cold readings, sitcoms — and the judges were industry people. I met a bunch of agents and managers, so I got a lot of contacts from that. When I did get representation, I moved out.

Digest: Do you live on your own or is your family out here?
Bell: My mom and dad are here and I live with them. I have an older brother who is 20, but he's at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He wants to be a fighter pilot.

Digest: B&B is huge internationally; have you ever been to Italy?
Bell: No, I haven't. I'm completely domestic. Except for Canada, I've never been out of the country. B&B is going to Venice [on location] in August. I want to ride in a gondola.