What was your career like before being cast, as an unknown, in Steve Spielberg’s War Horse?

I spent two years before War Horse trying and failing to get work. I was auditioning every week and getting told no again and again. It got to the point where I wasn’t even getting callbacks for commercials – you start to question what the point is. But what it gave me was attitude, a real desire to prove myself. After War Horse, I was suddenly being offered parts in movies, and it’s tempting to try and go for all of them, but you quickly realise you have to be careful about the parts you pick.

How do you choose your roles now?

It’s infuriating how many scripts are out there that have no credibility. There’s nothing more boring than reading bad scripts that don’t care about being new or original. But there’s a temptation to think to yourself, “I’ve done a big movie now” and let that impact on your choices. I looked at the actors I most admire and realised they’ve just made good, solid work for most of their career, regardless of budget or status.

You only did a year at drama school – why?

I had a very brief experience with the National Youth Theatre, when I did a little presentation – I wouldn’t call it a play. After that, I wanted to get away from the crowd, because a lot of people go to drama school. I was doing rubbish jobs but, whenever we earned any money, a friend and I would go out into the countryside and shoot scenes. I’d then spend a long time making sure it was good; I bought Final Cut Pro and taught myself how to use it and then I’d spend enough time on the scenes to make them look like professional work, before telling agents that’s what it was. Whether they believed me or not, I’ve no idea... I suspect the agent that eventually signed me didn’t believe me, but liked the effort.

So what’s your advice to young actors going to auditions and getting turned down?

You create your own work, and there are no excuses not to any more. Twenty years ago it might have been different but you can create your own reel now. What’s worth remembering is, when you finally do get cast in a film, there’s no rehearsal time and you’re not supervised. You get a script and you’re told it’s shooting in two months and you have to do all that work yourself. There’s no one holding your hand. There’s no director asking, “Have you tried this?” That happens on set on the day, by which point it’s too late if you haven’t done the preparation. Doing that work independently was the best thing I ever did, because it means you can work by yourself.

Great Expectations is out now.         

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