SCOTS actor Martin Compston has said he believes “it is not a case of if, but when” for Scottish independence.
The Line of Duty star from Greenock, Inverclyde revealed yesterday that he is confident Scotland will break away from the union in the future.
Compston, 38, has long been a fervent supporter of the Scottish National Party and says he can see the youth of the country driving the decision through.
His comments come just as the Supreme Court ruled that the SNP cannot hold an independence referendum without approval from Westminster.
Speaking with NME magazine yesterday, The Rig actor said: “The fact is the youth of the country are massively in favour of independence.
“Politicians from Westminster want you to think ‘oh they’re all a shower of b******s’ and make you feel disenfranchised so you don’t vote but the youth are going to drive this thing.
“I really do think it’s not a case of if, but when.”
During the interview, Compston, who splits his time between Las Vegas and the UK, also revealed that it was watching Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones that made him want to become an actor.
He said: “I had my little fedora and my dad’s old leather jacket and a whip and I’d run around calling myself Indy.”
The Celtic daft Scot was even more interested in pursuing his passion after watching Ken Loach’s 1998 Glasgow set film romance ‘My Name is Joe’.
Compston said: “It changed my view of what cinema could be, as much as I wanted to be an actor, I didn’t see it as a viable career move but ‘My Name is Joe’ showed me that you could talk like I did and be in films.”
The dad-of-one became a household name through his role as DCI Steve Arnott in Line of Duty.
However, the fame from the show got too much for the star following the success of the last season.
Recounting the frenzy, he said: “I had to go out and walk [when it was on] because it got out of hand, the build up to the last series was insane.
“People were watching it on big screens outside of pubs.
“My phone was just going off the hook, everywhere in the street you could hear people talking about it and then the streets would empty when it came on.
“That’s when I went out because I thought I don’t want to be in the house when this is on and by that point we were all ready for it to be over.
“We were so happy with the response but it just felt like the nation was hanging on you, it felt too much.”
Compston’s latest bow comes in BBC’s new drama Mayflies which he stars in alongside real life pal Tony Curran which deals with assisted dying.
He revealed he found out he had landed the job whilst he was partying with the Arctic Monkeys.
He said: “I spent a couple of days with them and it was joyous, man.
“I was in heaven, drinking with the band at 1am and then I get the offer through [on the phone].
“I thought ‘am I f*****g tripping here?’ it was one of those nights where you’re still smiling when the alarm goes off after two hours kip.”
Speaking of his time living the rock and roll life with The View’s Kyle Falconer, he added: “The wee man took years off my life.
“But then he would say I did the same to him.
“Back then, he was a holy terror. I’d come back from filming and open the door to utter madness and a flat-full of people and be like: ‘Not again!’”
“He’d say: ‘Marty, I wrote this song, come and listen to it’, and play it in the corner.
“He’d record them on my phone – because he’d always lose his.
“It was a very hippy existence for a while – although our neighbours didn’t enjoy it as much as we did!”
Mayflies comes to BBC this winter.
