Jamie Bell

Prefers tap dancing over ballet. Has been in many tap-dancing competitions and won many awards.
Met his former wife Evan Rachel Wood while filming Green Day's music video for "Wake Me Up When September Ends", where they played an actual couple.
Only the second actor ever to be awarded Outstanding Performance by a Young Actor from the National Board of Review, USA. The first was fellow Brit Christian Bale in 1987 (then titled Outstanding Juvenile Performance) for El imperio del sol (1987).
Was chosen out of 2000 boys to play "Billy Elliot" over a series of seven auditions. Criteria that the casting director was looking for were acting ability, dancing ability and the right Northern English accent.
When he won Best Actor at the 2001 British Academy Awards (BAFTAs), not only did he beat the Best Actor Oscar winner of that year, Russell Crowe, but the other three nominees he beat out - Tom Hanks, Michael Douglas and Geoffrey Rush - had also won the Best Actor Oscar in past years.

[on why he continued pursuing ballet despite the mockery] - "The other boys called me 'poof', 'ballerina boy', "Get on your tutu, Jamie." It gave me more determination to prove it wasn't just for girls. It was for boys as well."
[on winning awards, after he won the British Academy award] "It's just an award although it is a big one. It is no good getting too big-headed. I've been very busy and I'm very tired. I've been given advice, you know on speech-making and things like that. It's kind of weird that the other guys didn't win because they're such big guys."
(It's true that) most British movies are emotional and I agree that most American actors look manufactured. It's a shame.
Ballet is very hard. It takes a lot of practice to get to a certain standard. You have to know a lot about the steps because when you take examinations they'll ask you all about it.
"(Billy Elliot (Quiero bailar) (2000)) got that (R-rating) because of the swearing. But it wouldn't be what it was without the swearing, kids need to swear".