Mark Salling: I used to be a hippy

The 28-year-old actor has become famous for playing dumb jock Puck in the award-winning television series Glee, but insists his on screen persona is very different from his real-life experience of school. The shaven-headed hunk has revealed he used to have long locks and enjoyed a laidback lifestyle when he was a teenager. Mark also says he wasn’t as mean to his peers as Puck is on the show and always made an effort to make friends with his classmates.

“I wouldn’t say I was popular,” he explained to TOTP. “I was just friends with everybody, even the geeks! I was more of a hippy – at one point I had hair down to my shoulders!”

In Glee, Mark’s character decides to show off his singing skills by joining the musical club at his school. Even though he has always loved performing live, Mark was never a member of a Glee-style club when he was a student. He has revealed he preferred to sing with a band.

“I wasn’t in musicals when I was at school, but I was in bands and we did some talent shows,” he explained. “It wasn’t like a competition, it was more of a showcase.”