Andrew Scott credits acting for helping him overcome a speech impediment

He told The Times magazine: "I had a speech impediment as a child and acting helped me be less self-conscious and shy.

"I had a strong lisp and in elocution lessons I practised improvisation and verbalising phrases like, 'She sells seashells on the seashore.'

"I still find acting helpful."

When he isn't working, the 48-year-old star takes pleasure in painting.

He said: "I love painting people, and my mother [who was an art teacher] was very influential. She made sure that I drew from observation.

"She always said, 'Draw something that you see, not something that is in your mind', and that's always stuck with me."

Despite his fame, Andrew doesn't think his life is "unusual".

He said: "I don't have a life you'd describe as unusual. I live in the city, and I go home to Ireland and see my loved ones.

"I go to the gym and, honestly, I just love going to the movies. And galleries. All of that artsy stuff gets my heart beating.

"Nature is increasingly important to me. I love the coast particularly. And mountains. And spectacular canyons. All of it is pretty amazing."

The 'Fleabag' actor always feels a sense of "relief" when his time on a project comes to an end because he's ready for a different challenge.

He said: "Finishing a project is a relief. I don't find it difficult to let characters go. I love the idea of doing an action movie then doing a bit of Shakespeare and then doing a radio play.

"That's what I kind of get a buzz from. And that seems to have been the pattern of my career.

"It feels a complete privilege to be an actor, and although it can be difficult when you don't really know where you're going to be next, I've grown to love that about it. The uncertainty. Will I ever write something? Never say never."

While Andrew insisted he doesn't have "any big ambitions", he wants to find more uplifting projects.

He said: "I want more joy in my life. I'd love to do more romantic comedies, more love stories, more musicals. Joy is essential to our lives and proving that to people when the world is unsteady is important."