All the right moves

In his new movie Begin Again, Adam Levine plays a musician who transforms into a douchebag after his first taste of success.

Somehow, the role doesn't seem like much of a stretch for the 35-year-old superstar.

In a recent interview with GQ magazine, Levine was asked about his reputation - if he is in fact a douchebag.

"Would it be really easy to assume that I was a douchebag? Definitely," he said. "One hundred per cent. But that doesn't mean that I am. Or maybe I am, I don't know... I'm not the easiest person to love right off the bat, you know. If I knew everyone in the world, they would love me."

His Begin Again co-star and on-screen love interest Keira Knightley told Glamour magazine: "Actually, I admire him being so willing. To play a d***head is quite a big thing when you are trying to break into film and you want to be likeable."

There are various definitions of what it means to be a douchebag, but I think it basically boils down to being sleazy and slightly stupid.

Only the most naive Levine fan would deny that the crooner is a love rat and a bit of a himbo.

The frontman of popular US rock band Maroon 5 and People magazine's reigning Sexiest Man Alive has been linked to a string of models and he cultivates a carefree image.

"There's a very Neanderthal quality that still exists in a lot of men," he told GQ. "There's the carnal s*** you can't deny. There was a time in my life when I lived probably a bit more on the primal level. And it was amazing."

Give the man credit for honesty!

Humbled

He also isn't harbouring any delusions about his budding acting career, admitting he's "very humbled by it".

He told USA Today: "Anthony Hopkins is an actor. I'm a singer in a band who got a call and decided to give it a shot. I got so lucky with this experience. I definitely want to do it again."

Despite the fact that Levine is almost certainly a douche, the fact remains that the guy is a talented and lovable douche who has it all - which just makes him all the more insufferable.

Aside from the musical romance Begin Again, which opens here tomorrow, Maroon 5 have just released a new single, Maps. It debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard Weekly Digital Songs chart last week, with 138,000 paid downloads.

It's romantic, a tad dark, but still upbeat, with Levine's beautiful falsetto dominating a perky but otherwise unremarkable arrangement.

In other words, it's trademark Maroon 5.

Maps is the lead single off their upcoming album V (for Five), due out in early September.

"It's our fifth record," he told MTV News. "Five is literally part of our name. We thought we'd get back to certain elements that we'd been missing out on for a while with our original sound, but also bridge the gap with the new stuff that we've been doing. I think it's an all-encompassing kind of record."

If you just can't wait until September for your dose of fresh Levine, you can check out the Begin Again soundtrack.

Levine has three solo tracks on the album, including a beautiful acoustic ballad called Lost Stars.

His co-stars CeeLo Green and Knightley also appear on the record (yes, Knightley can carry a tune).

Aside from his commitments as a musician and actor, Levine continues to be a mentor on the reality TV singing competition The Voice, of which season 7 begins in a few months.

Levine is a busy fellow and the reason he remains so is that people keep buying what he's selling.

While being interviewed on the Howard Stern radio show, Levine's long-time friend, Oscar-nominated US actor Jonah Hill, spoke of him with great fondness.

"He's the kind of guy that you never would be jealous of cause he's not a d***," said Hill.

"He's not a d*** about it, he's so generous and nice to people. He's not different now. He's an actual guy. That is a guy who is exactly who he ever was in a great way."

One senses that beneath his playboy exterior is a rather caring guy.

In Begin Again, his character comes to long for real human connection - just like the man himself.

He's engaged to Victoria's Secret model Behati Prinsloo and the pair are getting married in Mexico later this month.

A cynic might predict that they will last about as long as your average celebrity couple, but I'm optimistic.

If anyone has sown his wild oats, it's Levine.

Bushels and bushels of them.

Perhaps Knightley put it best to USA Today: "He gets to choose to do whatever he wants to do, which is a lovely position to be in. He is that confident. Can they bottle it?"

This article was first published on JULY 2, 2014.
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