Clive Owen hates being famous.
The 47-year-old actor insists he didn’t get into Hollywood for the fame and admits it was difficult to adjust to his newfound celebrity status when he first rose to notoriety in 1990 with ITV drama ‘Chancer’.
Clive told the Mail on Sunday’s Live magazine: "I never wanted to be a movie star. And I didn’t become an actor to become famous. I genuinely didn’t. It was always theatre for me.
"’Chancer’ was a baptism of fire. It’s very weird to go from obscurity to suddenly being in newspapers.
"When somebody is hot, everyone wants a piece of it. If you explode onto the scene at a very young age, there are so many people pulling you in different directions.
"It takes time to recalibrate and see what’s important."
The down-to-earth ‘Closer’ star – who has worked with an impressive list of A-list leading ladies including Keira Knightley, Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman – maintains that he doesn’t get star-struck by famous actors, only his sporting heroes.
The football fanatic mused: "I never think of meeting actors. I think of the times I’ve met footballers."
He added that the biggest star of all in his eyes is rock legend David Bowie, who he has met several times.
Clive said: "I got very tongue-tied. It’s like meeting somebody that you feel you’ve known for so long – it’s difficult.
"I often think he inspired me to get into acting as much as any actor."