Charlie Cox interview

Britain's hottest new talent on his new role in Stardust

British rising star Charlie Cox, 24, snags the role of a lifetime as the hero of fabulous all-star fairytale Stardust, alongside Michelle Pfieffer and Robert De Niro.

Do you like fairy tales?

What I like about fairy tales is that they highlight the emotions within a story. The situations aren't real, with falling stars and pirates. But what you do relate to is the emotions that the characters feel. Even though you're in a totally different world, where gravity is different and the landscape is different and the people have magical powers, what's always the same is the emotions: love and hate, life and death, good and evil.

You worked with Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice and now Robert De Niro in Stardust. Pretty mad, eh?

I've been so lucky. Every time I think about it, it's almost like I still can't compute it. It's laughable how lucky I've been. I've worked with arguably two of the greatest actors of all time. What really touches me about that is in fifty years time, there won't be many of us who've worked with either one of them, let alone both.

You've since worked on Stone of Destiny, with our own legend Robert Carlyle. How was that?

He's one of my favourite actors, in many ways more than some of the big guys, because he's more my generation. But the first week on this, to be honest, I was all over the place. I had not worked for almost a year ? I'd turned things down and the parts I wanted I had not got, or films I got offered didn't go. So when I got on this set, I was out of practice and that took me by surprise.

So you're quite self-critical?

To the point that it's not even helpful. It's actually quite sad!

Stardust opens on 19 October