Tom Hopper

'Merlin' was a big step; it was my first big role in a show.

I think I found that when I was doing a show on a regular basis and just acting constantly, that was when I was at my happiest.

I still get weirded out when people recognise me.

Shaft was a pop culture figure along t he lines of, I guess, Dirty Harry - except that he wasn't as much of a racist. So yeah, I was always a fan.

They said I couldn't play anything but an English boy. I knew I could. So I went to New York.

Australians and the British are very similar: If you try and stand out in any way, and you try to reach for success, someone is gonna be there to cut you down.