Luke Evans: My family would rip into me if I became 'posh'

Beauty and the Beast star Luke Evans has revealed he would get “ripped” by his family back in Wales if he had put on airs since becoming a Hollywood star.

The actor, 39, also believes that if he can make it, “anyone can” and that young people should not be put off by the apparent class divide in acting.

Evans said: “I can only speak for myself. I know many of my contemporaries have come from a better upbringing and a more affluent start in life than myself. But I would hate for a young actor who’s starting off to look at the people who are successful and think they’re never going to make it because they don’t come from money.

“Acting is a bloody hard business, and such a small percentage of actors are ever working at any one time. I wouldn’t recommend anybody to start doing it! But if it’s in your blood and it’s your passion, it doesn’t matter where you’re from, you’ll make it.

“My dad is a builder and my mum’s a cleaner. And so if I can make it, anybody can.”

Speaking in the spring issue of Man About Town, he said of his family’s influence: “Even when I was in college, if I came home with anything but a strong Welsh accent then my family would rip me straightaway: ‘What’s happened to you? You think you’re all posh now you live in London?’

“And that sort of Welsh mentality and the way they are has certainly helped me stay grounded ... they would never have allowed me to get too big for my boots.”

Evans, who played Gaston in Beauty And The Beast with Emma Watson, is gay but insists on maintaining a level of privacy. He said: “Most of the press are very respectful of celebrities, but every now and then they dig deeper ... my choice was to keep that for myself. I’m not ashamed of it, I’m not embarrassed of it. I’m very happy with who I am. If people like it, they do. And if they don’t, then I don’t give a shit.”