Tattoos? Slicked back hair?

Who is this guy and what has he done with Chace Crawford?

The 24-year-old star of Gossip Girl and the upcoming Footloose remake has adopted a tough, stylish '50s persona - for a story in Interview magazine.

"It's good to switch things up," Crawford said of the new image he adopted for the photo shoot. "I did all of this stuff early, and they always wanted the same thing, the same look, the same deal, and I'd think, 'That's not what it's about.' "

Crawford is branching out from Nate Archibald with his acting roles, too, playing a drug dealer in Twelve and getting his funk on with the new Footloose.

"I'm going to try to get shredded," he says.

"My flexibility has already gone up like double ... There's some kickboxing, some Muay Thai in there. And I'm learning fundamentals like breakdancing."

So far, he tells the magazine, the Footloose preparations are going well. "I'm confident because I knew I had rhythm, and I'm athletic," Crawford says.

"I know I have rhythm, I have it in my brain. And I'm a quick learner."

Click to enlarge more Chace Crawford pictures from Interview:

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.