As a working class kid growing up in Walton, James Nelson-Joyce didn't think acting was an option for him.
But thanks to his English teacher who recognised his potential in school, he decided to give it a try and hasn't looked back since.
James, 32, has gone from leaving school with no GCSEs to starring in shows including Shameless and Little Boy Blue.
And it was a chance encounter with fellow Scouse actor Stephen Graham during a trip to Nando's that changed James' career path entirely.
James told the ECHO: "When I was 15 or 16 I didn't realise acting was an option for working class kids like me.
"When I came to leaving school my English teacher had a soft spot for me and she said 'I think you should have a go at acting.'
"I said 'me acting? Kids like me don't act'. So she goes 'I really think you've got something, why don't you go down to this community college?' so I went down there."
After finishing college James went on to drama school in London and landed his first job in the film About Time starring Rachel McAdams.
It was around this time that he started watching productions starring Stephen Graham, who he "idolised", including This is England.
He said: "That's when I saw people from our background can do it. There are opportunities out there."
When James bumped into Stephen during a trip to Nando's, he plucked up the courage to introduce himself.
James said: "I went over and said 'I'm a big fan, I've just left drama school and you've been really inspiring'.
"He was with his wife and I thought I better leave them to it. His wife came back over to me and went 'here's my email let me know when you're in stuff and we'll watch out for you'."
James bumped into the star again years later when they were both starring in ITV series Little Boy Blue.
He said: "Three years later when we sat down for the read through of Little Boy Blue, Stephen was just looking at me and he mouthed 'you're that lad from Nando's.'
"He mouthed to me 'boss that lad'. and put his thumbs up."
During filming Stephen invited James to his trailer for a chat and encouraged him to audition for bigger roles before introducing him to his agent.
James said: "When he said 'have you auditioned for x, y and z?' I said 'no I haven't auditioned for that' and he said 'that's crap that lad. You should be going better work. I'm going to set up a meeting with my agent'.
"I met with Stephen's agent who is now the agent that represents me. She said 'I've only ever done this for one person before and that person was Jodie Comer'.
"He'll phone me at least once a month and see how I'm getting on. He's the most amazing person and he doesn't just do it for me."
James is now represented by the same agent as Stephen and is set to star alongside him and Sean Bean in the new BBC drama Time by Jimmy McGovern.
The three part series, which was filmed in and around Liverpool, is described as "a visceral and high-stakes portrayal of life in the modern British penal system".
Other projects that James is working on at the moment include Amazon Prime series The Offenders and a new Happy Mondays film which he will star in as the role of Bez later this year.
When it comes to acting, James said he is proud of his working class background but he has encountered some people in the industry who have been negative about his Scouse accent.
He said: "When I was at drama school in first year, when I got to lessons they went to me 'don't speak in a Scouse accent' so I had to speak in RP or the queen's English."
Despite this, James has always stayed true to his Liverpool roots and his advice to others starting out in the industry would be to approach others for guidance and not to hold themselves back.
