AceShowbiz - James McAvoy has credited a teenage crush with inspiring him to act - because he followed his dream girl to drama classes. The "Atonement" actor landed his first on screen role at the age of 15 while he was still at school, starring in "The Near Room" in 1995.

McAvoy admits he wasn't particularly interested in becoming an actor when he joined the cast, but after falling for one of his co-stars, Alana Brady, he signed up to her theater classes in a bid to keep in contact. And the Scottish star is convinced his crush led him to become a successful movie star.

He says, "I liked a girl on the set, Alana Brady, and I followed her to a drama group. From that I got a tiny bit more work and realized I could make a career out of drama." Meanwhile, Brady who now works for the National Theater of Scotland adds, "It's nice that he remembered. We did both like each other but we were just teenagers. It was a long time ago."