There’s a scene in the movie where Tom Cruise holds your breast. What was that like?
"That was my first scene with him! I was nervous as all get-out, but after every take he high-fived me and was like, “That was awesome.” At one point on the movie, I got really hurt—I tweaked my neck and was in so much pain. And everyone was pressuring me to keep shooting, but Tom came in and said, “No, this is what insurance is for, Julianne. You have the rest of your career. You need to take care of yourself!” And I thought, Tom Cruise cares about me! Now I can cry."

What kind of prep did you have to do?
"Diego [Boneta] and I were known as the kids on the set. It was kind of a rock-star camp. We did vocal lessons every day. We had dance lessons. We had Rollerblading lessons. It was fun to be able to go back and be coached."

Are you competitive?
"Yes, about everything. It gets silly. Ryan and I are very alike. When we work out with a trainer, we’ll die before we stop, like, to the point where we can’t breathe."

Is the age difference between you two an issue? You’re 24, and he’s 37.
"No, but he’s always joking about it."

How did you meet?
"Well, when I first came to L.A., someone actually tried to set us up, but I was engaged to someone else, a guy I knew from Utah who had served a Mormon mission."

So did you date Ryan soon after?
"I had another boyfriend, Chuck Wicks, whom I met on Dancing With the Stars. While we were dating, we went on Ryan’s radio show together. The interview’s on YouTube, and I blush when I hear it because Ryan is hitting on me the entire time! At the end, Ryan said something like, “You guys really have something special!” And I thought to myself, He’s so full of s--t right now! When Chuck and I broke up, I wanted to be single. That lasted five months. Then Ryan and I went on a date."

What drew you to him?
"I think it’s that similarity I was talking about before. We both like that perfection in ourselves, and we want to make our relationship like that."

Do you miss dancing?
"Oh my gosh, yes, just for the sheer fact that I could eat whatever I wanted and didn’t have to go to the gym."

You’ve been working pretty much nonstop since you landed Dancing With the Stars.
"I’m a very anxious person. If I’m not working, I go crazy. I’ve been lucky in my career. But if I lost everything tomorrow—and had no money—I would somehow make it work. I have that survivor mentality because of a lot of stuff that went on in a previous life. I feel like I’ve had four lives."

Glamour’s July 2012 issue featuring Julianne Hough is available on newsstands and digitally nationwide on June 12th.