When Hugo Speer, star of The Full Monty, isn't getting his kit off, the actor likes to keep well covered up for his outdoor pursuits.

Hugo Speer smiles a lot...although, since his rise to fame as the well-endowed stripper; Guy, in The Full Monty, his cheery smile is probably not his most-talked-about feature.

"It's strange, that moment when you become famous. Nothing's the same again. I look around my room and there are posters and things from the film and it still takes me by surprise. It's like, 'Oh my God, thats me up there!'"

Speer says he's always been lucky. Landing a part in ITV's The Bill the day he left drama school; working steadily over the past few years and then starring in the most successful British film in cinema history seems to confirm his claim. But then most men wouldn't consider removing their clothes in front of 300 women and a camera crew. "I refused to think about it at first, it was just too scary. Luckily, it only needed one take!"
Yorkshire-born-and-bred, Speer has always had his feet planted firmly on the ground - or, scrambling up a hillside. "I've just returned from a few days' mountain walking in Ireland. It was great to have time to think and the scenery is stunning. I've always loved being outdoors and these clothes are ideal for roaming around in."

Speer is not a solitary type, though. He loves being with people and, as a result of the film's release, he's been reunited with some long-lost friends. He's also had the chance to make some glamorous new acquaintances. In Los Angeles, he and other members of the cast schmoozed with the stars; John Travolta, Robert Duvall and Sigourney Weaver to name-drop but a few. Even the casts of ER and Friends stopped filming to say "hello" when The Full Monty boys dropped by. And there can't be many men who can say that Courtney Cox has rustled-up dinner for them.

"Getting such a tremendous response has been really rewarding. Everyone was so happy that the film was a success and I felt immensely proud to have played a part in that.

"I felt fated to get the part from the word go," says Speer, who knows very well that topping the success of The Full Monty could be difficult, but he remains relaxed about it.

"My plans for the future are quite simple - to keep working with talented people on well-written scripts. At the end of the day, I come back down to earth and remember that it's just a job. A job I get paid for, and a job that I love."

Thanks to Ange!!!