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What is the secret of your success?
I’ve been lucky but I take my job seriously. I work hard and do a
lot of text work. You hear some actors say you either can or can’t
act but I sit down with the text and write a lot of notes. I don’t
just rock up to the audition and blag it. My career has been about being
in the right place at the right time. I got an agent because I met someone
when I went bowling.
When did you realise you were good enough to act for a living?
I thought I was terrible at drama school. There were a lot of times I
wanted the teachers to put me out of my misery and tell me to leave because
the other 12 people in my class were so much better than me. I’ve
now done work which I’m proud of but I find it hard to watch my own
work critically. It’s cringe-making and, of course, you never believe
your own performance. I know I’ve got a lot better and learnt a lot.
I can see how far I’ve come.
What other careers did you consider?
I wanted to be a football player. I was the top goalscorer at my school.
Maybe I’d have liked to have been a gardener – I like the idea
of it. I’ve never grown a plant but you get to work outside and you
can travel all over the world. It’s very creative. It seems like
a very peaceful job, the opposite of being in a celebrity-type job.
When are you moving to LA?
Never. I really struggle there. I love London, I love the weather. I’ve
never got a job from auditioning in Los Angeles. I don’t think my
American accent is very good. I don’t like living out of a suitcase
and not knowing anyone. It’s like living in the office. Everyone’s
an actor in LA and everyone talks about films. It consumes everything.
In London I’ve got friends from school and they’re bored of
me talking about acting. We talk about football.
Do you like being recognised?
It’s mainly children who recognise me from Stardust and that’s
nice. When a little boy or girl comes up to me they think they’re
talking to the character in the film. That’s sweet. It’s nice
to be able to say hello. When someone approaches me like that I know that
I’ll be polite and kind and sign something. I’ve seen some celebrities
be rude to fans and it’s not nice.
You’ve got five tattoos. What are they of?
They’re just random thoughts. I’ve only got them because my
best friend, Scott Campbell, is a well-known tattoo artist. My last one
was a funny-shaped pattern on my arm. It’s quite intricate. Scott
did one for my mum. It was her 61st birthday and she had her first tattoo;
it was of a sweet pea flower.
You’re pals with Sienna Miller. Is she misunderstood?
Yes, she’s a lovely person and a terrific actress. Maybe she’s
made some bad decisions – it’s not my place to say – but
she does get a hard time. She’s a nice girl and does a lot of work
for charity.
Has she made you wary of the pitfalls of fame? What won’t you
be doing?
I’ll try not to fall out of clubs naked and drunk. I’m not suggesting
she does that but I’ll try to behave myself.
Do you have to be posh to go to Sherborne School [in Dorset], as you
did?
Yes, relatively posh, or your folks have got to have enough money. I was
at a day school in London and asked to go to boarding school. I had friends
who went and heard stories about them pillow fighting and all the sport
seemed better. I went and never had a bad experience at school.
What was the last thing you bought on eBay?
It was by mistake, I accidentally clicked on it. It’s a big octopus
that hangs on the wall and it’s got ‘head’ written on it.
Apparently it’s something to do with boats. It looks awful but it’s
quite funny.
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