Alex Pettyfer Embarrassed by His Racy Striptease in Magic Mike

USMagazine, Saturday, June 23, 2012, 10:17am (PDT)

Playing Channing Tatum's wide-eyed stripper protege in Magic Mike wasn't a huge stretch for Alex Pettyfer, 22.

"I had never danced before. I find it very hard to put one foot in front of the other, let alone move to the rhythm," the British actor, who is engaged to costar Riley Keough, 23, tells the July issue of Cosmopolitan. "And to dance with no clothes on, that's a new level of embarrassment."

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Shaking his stuff on stage taught Pettyfer that women "like to have a good time as much as men do." In fact, he thinks more men should consider performing sexy stripteases. "Listen, it worked for Jason Biggs and made him ultrafamous when he stripped in American Pie. So yeah, why wouldn't a guy try it out in real life?"

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According to Pettyfer, whose exes include Emma Roberts and Dianna Agron, it shouldn't be too hard to convince a man to strip down. "I think most women can get their men to do anything for them," he tells Cosmopolitan. "We don't need a lot of convincing."

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Magic Mike -- which also stars Matthew McConaughey, 42, Matt Bomer, 34, Joe Manganiello, 35, Adam Rodriguez, 37, Olivia Munn, 31, and Cody Horn, 25 -- is in theaters June 29.

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Alex Pettyfer Embarrassed by His Racy Striptease in Magic Mike