How actor James Cosmo went from building sites to the Battle Of Britain!

Actor James Cosmo, 75, has been delighting audiences since the 1960s, playing everything from a British field marshal to a Highland warrior.

His military ties don’t stop at Hollywood, however, as he is also an honorary colonel in the 7th Scots Regiment.

His devotion to Scotland, its history and culture is not limited to scene-stealing roles in Highlander, Game Of Thrones and His Dark Materials, among others.

Launching this year is his own brand of blended whiskey, Storyman, available Wednesday at storymanwhisky.com.

The award-winning star lives in Surrey with his wife Anne and says he dreams of having his own bolthole near a fly fishing stream in the Scottish Borders.

What money advice did you get from your parents?

After the war there was not much money, so they advised me to always be careful with it.

You had to live within your means. So I’ve always been a little hesitant about taking on debt, aside from important things like the mortgage. With cars, if I wanted one I would pay cash or not at all.

Has your attitude towards money changed over the years?

I’d like to believe it isn’t. My wife Anne and I are never ones for big holidays or flashy things.

Not because we’re Luddites or utilitarian or stingy, but because it never really occurred to us to do that. I think Anne and I have only been on holiday together twice. For me, being home is a holiday.

What was your first job?

I started at Arnott Young shipbreakers in the Firth of Clyde, extracting copper from engines using oxy-acetylene burners.

It was dirty work, lacking health and safety, almost Dickensian. But there were a great number of characters, and it was a good introduction to a working life.

It was tiring, but it certainly did me no harm. I’ve always enjoyed physical labor, so I worked and built Clydeside, not all by myself, but I did my part. I still drive by and see places where I was driving an excavator or whatever.

How did you get into acting?

I thought I should make a living doing something I really enjoy doing. Where I came from, acting seemed incredibly glamorous, so I hitchhiked to London when I was about 17.

I had backup of course because I would work if I couldn’t get an acting job. I never signed up.

I had the thought that I am an actor, and working in bars or as a laborer is homework. You observe the human condition, and all that experience, all the characters that you meet, one day you’ll tap into those people that you saw when you weren’t acting, and that will serve you well.

Have you ever been paid stupid money?

I worked for £10 a week and then got a part in The Battle Of Britain.

This was in the late 1960s and there I was making £400 a week, I think, along with Michael Caine and Trevor Howard.

Which role has impressed you the most?

I made a short film for the BBC called Golden Wedding. I was in my early fifties and made up to look like my late seventies, playing an older man with Alzheimer’s.

I knew about this disease because my mother suffered from Alzheimer’s disease at the time and was cared for by my beloved sister.

Anyway, I played this poor man who was losing his faculties, and on the last day of filming, my sister called to say Mom had passed away.

What has been your best money decision?

Buy a house with a hefty deposit. It was a three bedroom semi-apartment in Twickenham, South West London, and we had many, many happy years there.

It was really something to jump on the housing ladder and be able to say that we now have a house. In fact, I still have that house and we rent it out.

And your worst money decision?

Buy another BBQ. I’m watching YouTube, and there’s someone cooking something on a big green egg and I have to have it. And then another comes along.

Where do you live?

I live in a village in Surrey. I like to say it’s near Weybridge but it isn’t. I’ve been thinking about looking for a small house in the Borders as I’m an avid fly fisherman.

There are some nice little streams there, but that’s probably just a utopia. It would be cheaper to just go there and stay in a hotel.

What is your personal luxury?

Sitting on the plane on the way home, feeling like it went well. Just coming home to the family is a luxury.

Do you invest or do you have a pension?

Anne and I have a pension. When it comes to investments, I’m not good at all.

I would have broken Elon Musk if I had invested in him a while back.

No, I leave investments to the professionals, with their huge buildings, big cars and thick files.

That really impresses me, honestly. They can take all my money.

What’s next for you?

Well, I made a movie called Outlaw King, and the production company was going to launch its own whiskey and asked me to promote it.

Nothing came of it. Anyway, a while later I suggested to a friend that we launch our own blend of whisky.

There were no great designs, we just wanted to make our own bottles as a little thing. It was just a thought, but it grew and grew.

Annandale Distillery came on board because I met their boss through the Outlaw King movie.

The result was Storyman whiskey, a beautiful blend. If it goes well, that’s great. If not, it’s been an interesting journey.

You are an honorary colonel of the 7th Scottish regiment, how did that happen?

I’ve played so many military characters in my career. I started playing corporal in the Virgin Soldiers, and it’s been on the rise ever since.

I was Lieutenant Colonel in Soldier Soldier and I was Field Marshal Haig in Wonder Woman, and you can’t go any higher.

So I’ve always had a loose connection with the services and I like to support them and go to their functions, and let the people who are in the services know that they are appreciated.