<div>Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo made his debut at age nine in the Sistine Chapel choir, flirted with pop stardom as a one-time Simon Cowell protégé and routinely brings audiences to their feet at opera houses from The Met to La Scala. This Sunday, the motorcycle-driving, Armani-loving heartthrob begins performances in <a target=_blank href=http://www.laopera.com/season/romeo/index.aspx>Roméo et Juliette</a> at the LA Opera. We found out what he and the rebellious protagonist have in common just before the premiere.This week’s workout: I’ve been in the theater morning and night for rehearsals, so there’s really no time. But I did swim in the pool a few mornings. It’s something light that energizes you for a long day. How he takes care of his voice: Big changes aren’t good for the voice so I need to have healthy food and I need to sleep a lot. It's good to wear a scarf in air conditioning. But you can’t be too strict with yourself and think about it all the time — sometimes you just have to let go. His biggest vice: The need for speed. I like to challenge myself to feel the adrenalin going. His wheels: A custom-made motorcycle, and I built my own car. It’s based on a Porsche but I redid it completely. It took me four years. How he feels about Romeo: He’s a crazy guy. But I do relate to his passion. How he copes with long flights to and from Europe: I see it like this: the longer the flight is, the more enjoyment I will have. Otherwise I would have to be on the phone, answering email, all that. I think the secret is thinking that for a few hours, you are really free. His style icon: Armani, of course. The way he designs and cuts jackets is both sexy and manly. <div><div> </div><div>His "healthy living" hero: Ironman. His ultimate decadent meal: A steak at Cut, by Wolfgang Puck. His latest obsession: I make remote control helicopters. I’m crazy about them. On his bedside table: The Bible and an iPad. I read a lot of science and tech news at night. I’m interested in anything out of the ordinary. The best gift he’s ever received: A scooter when I was 14. I dreamed about it so much, I even slept with the helmet for a week before, hoping it would come. It got stolen in Rome not long after I got it, but I still think it was the greatest gift ever. What totally relaxes him: A sauna, cooking a nice dinner when I have time, chilling and listening to music and working in my garage. What he'd be doing if he weren't an opera singer: I have so many passions, not just singing. I would probably open my own custom motorcycle shop and maybe have a restaurant attached to it, so when I finished I could go straight from the garage to putting on an apron. His number one reason for taking care of his body: I’m a little bit narcissistic (laughs). But I don’t think that’s bad. When you like yourself, you’re more confident with yourself and you feel more in tune with whatever is around you. <div><div><div> Message he’d like to send to the world. (Only catch: it has to be 40 characters or less): Let’s make the ordinary extraordinary every day. </div></div></div></div></div></div>

Q&A with Vittorio Grigolo

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