'The Time Traveler's Wife' star Eric Bana talked to Men's Health about his love of cars (fast ones :), his love of New York City, and how uses his Australian roots to stay grounded.

Eric loves car racing, even after crashing.

"It’s something you look back on and realize how lucky you were. But I’ve crashed before and I’ve chased since. I guess what makes this one significant is the fact that I really convinced myself I would never crash because I was driving that car," Bana says of his painstakingly resorted 1974 Ford Falcon XB Coupe. "If it were any other race car, I wouldn’t have been bothered at all."

"Tony (Eric's best friend and navigator) and I have seen a lot of people badly injured in rallies, and we’ve pulled people from wrecks. And as a driver I was always frustrated at never being able to drive 10-tenths [as fast as possible] because you’re constantly coming up to a corner you’ve never seen before."

Aww, Eric sounds like such a typical guy, doesn't he? LOL

When he isn't racing cars, Eric finds inspiration in New York City.

"I loved New York, even back then," Bana says of the 1980s graffiti-scarred, pre-Giuliani New York. "It was such an overwhelming animal. I loved the energy and attitude of the place."

"It’s great for being productive and creative," Bana says of America.

But when Eric wants to get grounded, he relies on his native Australia for that. He can be anonymous in Melbourne.

"I embrace the two different lives. There’s not meeting in the middle. There’s not island between the two that allows them to coexist."

"Australians are bred to be antiestablishment. We’re wary of authority."

You can read Eric's entire interview in the Setpember issue of Men's Health, which is on newsstands now. Once you're done admiring this good-looking guy, you can give it to your husband or boyfriend to read :)