Line Of Duty star Stephen Graham: I nearly quit acting for social work

Line Of Duty star Stephen Graham has revealed he was very close on giving up his acting career to become a social worker after going without a role for nine months.

The 45-year-old feared he had been typecast after playing the sociopathic racist Combo in the 2006 film This Is England.

He said: “After This Is England, I didn’t work for about nine months. I think people thought that’s what I was like as that character, which is a bit of a compliment in a weird way.

“I nearly packed it all in and became a youth worker. I love working with young people and helping them realise their potential and their dreams.” He would have been following the career of his father.

The actor has appeared in films such as Gangs Of New York with Leonardo DiCaprio, Snatch with Brad Pitt, and two Pirates Of The Caribbean films with Johnny Depp.

In the fifth series of Line Of Duty, out next year, Graham will play the villain John Corbett. Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure and Martin Compston are all reprising their roles for AC-12’s next anti-corruption case.

Graham, who was a guest on Red Stripe Presents: This Feeling TV, said he had enjoyed working with his close friend Compston again. We did The Damned United together,” he said. “I’ve known him for 12 to 13 years. I think sometimes that natural chemistry that you have is a power that can come onto the screen.”

He could not reveal any plot details, but teased that he did not film any scenes with McClure.