John Simm: 'I won't beg for US success'

John Simm has said that he will not beg for success in the US.

The actor told The Guardian that he wrongly thought he had made it across the Atlantic when he was invited to Los Angeles to discuss a remake of TV drama State Of Play.

Simm said: "I rang [my wife] Kate [Magowan] and said, 'I think I've taken America, we've got to move the family over'.

"And we did, and we were there for a couple of months and I was queueing up with 400 people in a room, thinking, 'I've got to audition for this part with 400 other people'. I couldn't be arsed."

He continued: "They make you feel like a million dollars, then you realise they say it to everybody. Very important people would say, 'My God, I'm such a fan. I love State Of Play - we're going to remake it with Brad Pitt in your part. How d'you feel about that - Brad Pitt in your part?'. And I'm like, 'Well done, what d'you want me to do, dance a jig? That's great for you! Excellent'."

Pitt was later replaced by Russell Crowe in the role.

Simm added: "They remake everything I do, so they know who I am. They remade Life On Mars, too, so they've watched stuff I've done, and I'm not going over there begging.

"It's going to sound b*llocks this, but sometimes I do feel underappreciated. I was the lead in State Of Play, and two actors got nominated for BAFTAs and I wasn't even one of them. David [Morrissey] and Bill [Nighy], who are both brilliant, were nominated and I was... 'That's outrageous'."