Welsh actor Matthew Rhys is already making a name for himself as one of Britain's "hottest" new stars. As well as his role as moody Matthew in Metropolis, Matt, 25 will appear in three films this year and on stage in the West End with Hollywood star Kathleen Turner in The Graduate.

What's it like to be told you are one of Britain's brightest new stars ?
I find it really nerve-racking. When people say it to me, I feel quite sick inside. For a start, it puts a pressure on me to come up with the goods. And you know there is always someone else coming up behind you who will be the next 'great hope.' It's worrying because I could be told all this now and disappear for years afterwards.

That's not likely in the next year - tell us what you've got coming up?
Well, there's Metropolis which is great. I'm also in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus starring Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange. It's a big, epic film with a big budget. I've got the lead role in Sorted, a new British movie. I play a guy whose brother dies in London. I go to London to find out what happened and then discover it was drug-related. Jason Donovan, Tim Curry and Tim Vincent are also in it. Then there's a small role in another British movie which hasn't got a name yet. I'm also on stage in the West End in The Graduate with Kathleen Turner. I play the Dustin Hoffman role in the film.

What's it like meeting all these legendary names from Hollywood?
It's strange, you build them up in your head before you meet them, then find they're really ordinary people. Sir Anthony was something else; he's such a brilliant actor. In the film, he ends up slitting my throat as I hang naked from the ceiling. Not much acting went on there. I was terrified. I had to read through the role with Kathleen Turner and she was great. It's quite a saucy role though - there are naked, love scenes. I've stripped off on stage before in a play called Cardiff East. However many times you do it, it doesn't get any easier. The worst was when we took the show to my hometown of Cardiff. All my family and friends came to see me - and they saw everything. It was very embarrassing.

I didn't know you came from Cardiff; your character in Metropolis is Northern?
Yeah, I'm born and bred in Cardiff. Welsh is my first language and I still speak it with my family. My flatmate Ioan Gruffudd and I also speak Welsh to each other. Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I think about what has happened in the last few years. One minute I was in Cardiff, the next I was at the Cannes Film Festival in front of 250 journalists sitting next to Jessica Lange talking about Titus Andronicus. From Cardiff to Cannes, I'd never have believed it.

Do you mean Ioan Gruffudd - who starred in the Captain Hornblower series and Warriors on TV?
Yeah, we've known each other for years. We went to the same primary school, the same senior school and ended up going to the same drama school, although Ioan is a year older than me. When I came to London, I came to live with Ioan and we've just bought a house together. We sound like an old married couple. It's good fun. We hang out together when we're not working. He's currently filming 102 Dalmatians. We play rugby around the house and spend hours on computer games. We also like to go drinking around Kilburn where we live.

Do you like London?
I do and I don't. I love the fact that there is so much to do. Every Saturday night we're doing something different either a club or a bar or a local pub. I do miss Wales immensely though. I start to feel hemmed in by London and have to go home to get some fresh air. I've still got lots of friends and all my family there, so I go home a lot. Cardiff is smaller and the pace of life is slower, more friendlier I think. I'm determined that I want my children to be born Welsh and speak Welsh. It's really important to me.

Tell us what you think about your character Matthew? He's a bit moody isn't he?
I understand why he's like that. He went to university and was really bright. But since he left, he's not found his feet and has ended up watching daytime TV and smoking dope. He's angry which can manifest itself in malice. He's got a significant amount of growing up to do. When Charlotte says she's had enough of him, he has to realise that he has to get his life in order. I like a lot about him. He's bright, doesn't suffer fools gladly and is very perceptive about people and situations. It's why I liked the part. All the characters are human. They're not beautiful twenty-somethings having a great time in London. They've got problems. It's quite gritty.

Have you always wanted to act?
It came quite late really. I was 17 and starred in a school production of Elvis. I loved it. I had to sing 18 songs and thought I'd like to apply for drama school. I still love Elvis - and we play Tom Jones a lot in the house.

Have you got a girlfriend at the moment?
No, my last relationship with an Australian actress ended last year. It's not that I don't want a girlfriend because I'm working too hard. I'm not that arrogant. It's more that I can't get one because I'm working too hard. I've not been in the same place for ages. Filming can take you all over the country. I spent months in Rome filming Titus. It's not something I'm worrying about at the moment.

What about the future?
I really hope I can carry on working as I have so far with a good variety of work. I've been so lucky since I've left college, it would be wonderful if it could continue. I'd also like to take some time off and go travelling to somewhere like South America.