London Spy's Edward Holcroft: Why I’m planning to stay mysterious

Wolf Hall and London Spy star Edward Holcroft says he will never be drawn into the celebrity party scene because he wants to retain “an air of mystery”.

The actor also joked about the popularity of British actors in Hollywood, saying that soon producers will realise “we’re all pretty s**t”.

Holcroft, 28, graduated from the Central Saint Martins Drama Centre in 2012. He has since starred in Wolf Hall, with Mark Rylance, and in London Spy, with Ben Whishaw and Jim Broadbent. He also had a role in 2014 film Kingsman: The Secret Service.

But he does not want to get carried away, telling Rollacoaster magazine: “There are always people who will tell you it’s good to go to parties, but I think, especially as an actor, it’s important to keep an air of mystery.

"People won’t believe you in roles if they’re seeing you p**sed in the [gossip pages].

“Those guys — Jim, Ben, Mark — you never hear anything about them, ever, and I think that’s the way to do it, if you can.

"I have a very small group of friends in the acting world. Literally about four, who are gems. There are lots of lovely people, but my family aren’t actors, and none of my friends from school went into it.

"They’re all very excited for you, but there’s only so much they want to hear. When I’m with them, it’s back to talking about football.”

On the trend for “posh” UK actors, he said: “I think Hollywood will wise up soon and realise we’re all pretty s**t. They’ll suddenly be like, ‘Wait, hold on, what’s so great about them other than the fact they all sound posh?’”

Read the full interview in Rollacoaster magazine, out on Friday.