Tell us about your role in "Mean Machine"...
I play Danny Meehan - a fallen football star who gets put in to prison for assault. The warden gets him in his prison to play for the warden's team, but he doesn't want anything to do with football. I end up getting a group of cons together and playing against the wardens.
What has been the toughest thing to master in your acting career so far?
I think the biggest challenge has been this film. A lot of the other parts I've played, I've been quite comfortable with, but this one required a lot more from me than just looking hard. It's my first film playing the lead, which was quite scary at first but I did a lot of research and watched other films and actors.
Were you nervous about following in Burt Reynolds' footsteps?
I wasn't nervous as I did a lot of work beforehand. I'm a fan of the original film but I wanted to put my own stamp on it. I wanted to play the character in my own way, not as Burt Reynolds played it.
Are you worried at all about being typecast as this kind of characters?
I always want to try new things and "Mean Machine" has given me that chance. I have got plans to carry on acting and would love to play all sorts of roles - you'll see that there's more strings to my bow!
Any plans to make a film based on your own life story?
Yes, I have. I've spoken to Guy Ritchie about it but he thinks it's too early. I am already writing the script though. The autobiography is a lot different to the script - the book was my life through a pub window, really!
"Mean Machine" opens in UK cinemas on Friday 26th December 2001.
