Verne Troyer wants "leading man" role

Verne Troyer has revealed that he would like to play an "action hero" role in the future.

In an interview with Parade magazine, the actor argued that his 2ft 8in height should not count against him in auditions for lead parts.

Troyer, who is best known for his role as Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies, commented: "I can play the leading man. I can play the action hero, maybe in just a different way. I look at it as, you know, if you set your mind to it, you can do it.

"And I'm just trying to show people that I'm more than Mini-Me, even though I loved playing him and I'd do him again in a minute if Mike Myers asked me.

"The only part that I don't really like is when a person sees me on the street they say, 'Mini-me, I'm your greatest fan'. And it's like, 'If you're my greatest fan you should know my name'."

Earlier this year, Troyer was seen in Heath Ledger's final film The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus.