The Victim star James Harkness says the guys he used to scrap with in the Gorbals are now his biggest supporters when he returns back home.
And, the 29-year-old actor, who performs alongside fellow Scots John Hannah and Kelly Macdonald in the new BBC thriller, revealed if he makes it in the big time with a giant Hollywood pay-cheque, he'll ensure his money goes straight into the 'tough' neighbourhood where he grew up.
Yesterday we reported on how an axe attack in Shawlands propelled Harkness into acting, an incident, on his 18th birthday, which leaves him feeling lucky to be alive.
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Since then, the Glaswegian has appeared in the likes of MacBeth, Rogue One and Darkest Hour.
In The Victim, he plays the role of family man Craig Myers, who is viciously attacked after being identified online as a notorious child killer. And, after years spent living in London, the actor admitted he couldn't resist the opportunity The Victim gave him to return to Glasgow.
He said: "There’s nothing better than being home here."I grew up in Jeremy-Kyle land. But I love where I come from and I don’t criticise it in the slightest but, it was tough, man.
"I can’t fault anybody I grew up with, every one of them are incredibly supportive. Even some of the boys I used to fight with or get hassle off when I was younger, they’re incredibly supportive - they’re seeing that I’m trying to do something with myself. And they’re very nice about it.
"If I am ever stupidly rich, that’s where all my money will be going.
"That’s the first thing I’d do. If I call bingo, one of the first things I’m doing is building a community hall in the Gorbals and funding it. You won’t have to pay to get in."
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And James can easily empathise with the hardship some in the Gorbals still have to endure. He believes that for all the investment in new housing in the area in recent years, there's not enough for people there to do, leading them to trouble on the streets.
He added: "The people from my area are brilliant. I’ve got a big problem - there used to be the John Menzies Centre, and the community hall that used to be St Francis. These places are brilliant.
"You can pour all the money that you want into it. You can put all these people into nicer houses, that’s fine. But they need more than just somewhere nice to be in. You can’t make them all just sit in their houses and watch telly at night. They should have them all back out, in amongst each other, with the community halls. The swing parks are shocking.
"No wonder they’re drinking and taking drugs if they’ve got nothing to do. It’s boredom and poverty - the two don’t go well together."It’s nice that they’ve put money into building these new houses and make them look good but they’ve not given them any money. They’ve just made them look like they’re living in a happy place. They don’t see what’s really happening in it."
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The actor, who worked as a cleaner, painter, chef, and in garages before he turned to acting, believes more community theatre groups are needed in the city to give this generation of youngsters the same chance he was afforded.
Harkness added: "I had more jobs on my CV than my granddad had in his life. I did everything."I definitely think there should be more community drama groups in all these areas. That was the thing I did a lot. Youth community theatre groups. It’s tough - there’s no money, and there’s nothing to do.
"The community halls in these areas used to keep all that stuff alive."So your aspiration as a young guy where I come from is to get a job that you can have money to go and do stuff with. You don’t really get to jump about your dreams enough."
And asked what his message would be to youngsters living in the Gorbals just now, James said: "Just go for it man, you’re not stuck there."I don’t want it to sound like ‘get out, get out, it’s horrible’ because it’s not. It doesn’t matter where you come from.
"Do what you want to do. If you want to be a plumber, be a plumber - go put they taps in like a boss!"Don’t let anyone tell you where you come from should define who you are."
The Victim is a legal thriller, told through the eyes of the plaintiff and the accused. Set within Scotland's unique legal system, the story asks the question: 'Who really, is the victim?'.
Anna Dean (Macdonald) whose son was murdered 15 years ago, is accused of revealing the killer's identity online, conspiring to have him murdered.
Family man Craig Myers (Harkness) is viciously attacked after being identified online as the notorious child murderer.
Is he a convicted murderer, or the tragic victim of mistaken identity? And has Anna Dean's grief and anger turned her into a criminal?
The first episode of The Victim is set to air on BBC One on Monday April 8, 9pm - 10pm.
