Why did you choose this as your follow up to "Billy Elliot"?
The last time people saw me I was a dancing kid with ballet shoes around my neck. I needed to find something that would help me with the transition from a child actor to an adult actor. I don't think there's a better way of doing it than going to war, dodging shrapnel, diving in the mud, and carrying a gun. People are going to be shocked.
Were the conditions in which you were shooting as tough as they look on screen?
For the first few days it was tough. During the filming the whole cast really came together as a group. Andy Serkis, who plays Quinn in the movie, became a kind of spokesperson for us. He said: "OK, let's build a hut where we'll stay and let's do it in character." For me that meant going and getting the tea again and again and again. It completely crushed me. But it was good because you learned the ways a Private would have been treated and how he would have felt.
Did you ever think of just saying no?
You don't challenge Andy Serkis. The first day we got in the trench, he just went off his rocker. He started grabbing us and throwing us in the mud and beating us up.
Finally, has your life changed much since "Billy Elliot"?
Not as much as people think. I'm still living with my mum. The BAFTA is still on the floor. I'm still making movies and I'm still a cocky little... guy. I've still got the same friends and, if anything, we're more united.
