David Wenham wants to set something straight. "I was way off the mark when I said I had two dozen pairs of shoes," he says over the phone a few days after his In Style photo shoot and interview. "I counted them and I only have 15."

Phew. We didn't think him the excessive type. Not that many people - women - get past the actor's piercing blue eyes (cold and murderous in The Boys, sweetly sexy in ABC - TV's SeaChange) to even care what's on his feet. Revealing much more than his sole in his new movie, Better Than Sex, the 34-year-old Sydneysider has back-to-back projects between now and Christmas.

Having completed a small role in Buz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge, Wenham is now in Macedonia filming Dust, a cowboy drama co-starring Joseph Fiennes. Quicker than you can say "giddy-up", he will be back home to start work on the film The Bank. Once that's in the vault, he'll go to New Zealand for "A great role" in the screen adaptation of the Lord of the Rings. "My life at the moment is a bit like my wardrobe," laughs Wenham. "Organised chaos."

Growing up in a big family, did you raid your siblings' wardrobes?
I couldn't really because my brother is almost 30 years older than me and I have five sisters above me. I would have looked a bit peculiar if I had raided their wardrobes.

So you never had to wear hand-me-downs?
I got hand-me-downs. My mother was a secretary at a school and a woman she worked with had a son a few years older than me so I got his old clothes. Some of them I thought were pretty cool at the time.

When was the first time you dressed to impress a girl?
I remember the first time I tried to impress a girl, but I don't remember what I was wearing. The date was at [Sydney's] Luna Park and the first ride we went on was the Pirate Ship. I'm not good with motion and further into the ride expletives started coming from my mouth. When we finally got off the ride I had to excuse myself. What's a polite way to say it? I showed food. I had to excuse myself for the rest of the day.

What's been your biggest fashion mistake?
There've been so many. When I was at [the University of Western Sydney] drama school was probably the most embarrassing. The worst was probably a pink sleeveless pullover.

Who are your favourite designers?
Locally, I love Calibre suits. The cut of their suits is really fine. I also like Morrissey. I love his colours and simple sophistication. Overseas I like Paul Smith. His suits are a fantastic cut for someone slimmer like me. Also Armani and Gucci.

An example?
I went into a shop to buy a tie and walked out with a Paul Smith suit, a shirt, a pair of shoes, cufflinks and a tie.

Did you feel guilty?
Not at the time. It's only when the credit card statement comes in: "I don't believe I did that." Food and clothes are my biggest indulgences.

Do you have a favourite pair of shoes?
My Jeffery West boots. As soon as you pick them up you can smell the workmanship. The leather. They are stunning.

Are you a fan of jewellery?
I appreciate it, but I don't like to wear it because very little suits me. It's only very recently that I've started wearing a watch because I've got thin wrists and [watches] look quite strange on me.

What do you feel most comfortable in?
I'm a bit of a dressing-gown man around the house. It can be any time of the day - I just find it easy to put on.

Did you ever dress to disguise?
Only if you count putting on a pair of sunglasses and my Mambo "Hey Charger" cap first thing in the morning. It's a ritual. Straight out of bed, cap on the messy hair and sunglasses on 'cause it's first light. You don't want to be squinting the whole way across the park to get the papers.

Are you a neat freak or untidy?
Bit of both. I'm a Virgo so I'm supposed to be quite meticulous, which I am in some areas, but in others I'm not.

Do you keep anything for sentimental reasons?
There are two T-shirts I keep in the bottom drawer from my drama college days. I only came across them the other day when I was tossing things out. Every six months I send a bag off to St. Vincent de Paul, but those two T-shirts never seem to make it.

Would you say you are a hoarder?
Not any more. I try to keep my life as simple as possible. I grew up being a hoarder and at my parents' place my bedroom is still chock-a-block with stuff I must toss out.

What's the oddest thing in your closet?
I have a pair of Swiss Army trousers with braces I bought in London last year. I went to this club that plays popular songs in foreign languages and they encourage everyone to dress up. I bought these trousers I'll never wear again. Didn't I just say I'm not a hoarder?

How did you make a living before you made it as an actor?
I called bingo for five years at [Sydney's] Marrickville Town Hall. I started off calling the manual method which was to have all the numbers in a biscuit container. Then the technological age started and I had this computerised board.

When you first started auditioning, how do you think people looked at you?
After I did the stage version of The Boys I think I was pigeonholed for a while. I'd turn up to auditions and I think at times the director was expecting a six-foot guy with tattoos. It's not what they got. I quite enjoyed it - it put a spinner in the works - but it didn't help with employment for a while.

In Better Than Sex you spend a lot of time in your birthday suit. How did you prepare for the role physically?
I certainly exercised. But getting down on the ground and doing to push-ups before the camera rolled? No. I'm a big fan of seeing people on the screen who look real. I'm not into the manufactured look.

You're working a lot overseas. What do you never leave home without?
A collapsible iron is an important item 'cause you never know when you might have to throw on a suit. I can improvise anywhere, on the carpet, on a hotel desk, on the top of the television. I always use a towel because you don't want to melt it.