I’d make a great Robert Burns - Martin Compston

ACTOR Martin Compston has revealed his dream role would be to play Robert Burns, because he could use his own West Coast accent and play the role of a “brilliant womaniser”.
Actor Martin Compston is keen to take on the role of Robert Burns. Picture: Robert PerryActor Martin Compston is keen to take on the role of Robert Burns. Picture: Robert Perry
Actor Martin Compston is keen to take on the role of Robert Burns. Picture: Robert Perry

The 29-year-old, currently starring in the hit BBC thriller Line of Duty, said he was a fan of Burns both for his literary work and his romantic ways.

Fellow Scot Gerard Butler has been lined up to play the Bard in a big screen biopic, but the £5 million project, announced in 2004, is still in pre-production due to problems with the script.

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The Wee Man star, from Greenock, Inverclyde, said: “I would love to play Burns. Apart from being one of the greatest writers who ever lived, he was a brilliant womaniser if that’s the right term to use.

“He lived life to the full and he was definitely a character.”

Compston, who uses an East London accent for his role in Line of Duty, added: “It’s a lot easier to speak in your own accent.”

He is a supporter of Scottish independence and recently dined with First Minister Alex Salmond at Bute House, his official residence in Edinburgh.

He added: “I was having dinner with the First Minister and you’re sitting thinking, for a wee boy from Greenock, I’m doing alright.”