Reel time: Don't worry about David

HE may be one of Britain's best-loved actors, with appearances in such hit TV series as State Of Play and Doctor Who, but even David Morrissey found it hard to get funding for his first film as director, Don't Worry About Me.

"I'd spent about three years trying to raise money for a film which had a budget of around 5m and I kept getting close to it and then it wouldn't happen," Morrissey told me during his recent film tour.

"Instead, I decided to find out how much money I could raise. With my brother, who's a businessman in Liverpool. We went to the city's business community and raised around 100,000 by saying it was a film, but not what it was about or who was in it."

Now stuck for a script, Morrissey stumbled upon a play in London. "At first I didn't think it was going to work, it was far too complicated, but the story stayed with me about this guy going up to Liverpool.

"I went to meet the two writers, who were also the two actors in the play, and asked if they'd work with me to make a feature out of it and they said yes. I bought the rights to it and we went to work from there."

Don't Worry About Me follows 20-something David (James Brough) who follows the girl of his dreams to Liverpool, only to find she's got a boyfriend. He then gets drunk, has his wallet stolen and is stranded in the city before he bumps into betting shop worker Tina (Helen Elizabeth) and convinces her to skip work for the day.

"It's about two incompatible people who decide to tell each other their secrets and share their pain with each other," notes the actor, soon to be soon in a period adventure film shot near Aviemore, Centurion.

"I was interested in a story about two people who had things to live with that were very recognisable to most people."

But what to Morrissey makes a successful film? Awards? Ticket sales? "I had an idea to make a film and I'm here now talking about it," he says. "I've also paid my people back, so in that respect it's a success. It's been a real ride making it and I hope people enjoy watching it."

Don't Worry About Me is out on Monday on DVD.

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