The 45-year-old star - who won an Oscar for his portrayal of an alcoholic in 1995 classic `Leaving Las Vegas` - thinks beginning his career as an actor when he was a teenager means he is still a child at heart.
He said: "I`ve been doing this since I was 15 and that makes me a child actor of sorts.
"And it was very hard to live my life and to be an actor at the same time. But now I have a family, and my kids and I know how to make the shorthand, to go home and have my life."
Nicolas - who has starred in movies as varied as action comedy `Kick-Ass` and horror thriller `The Wicker Man` - also confesses he doesn`t like to be stuck in a box when it comes to the kind of projects he commits to.
He told the Yorkshire Post newspaper: "I feel eclectic, I like making different kinds of movies and I never wanted to have a steady diet of one type. Sometimes, that p**ses people off. Sometimes, people that wear the art beret are p**sed about the popular movies and the people that wear the cowboy hat are pissed off about the art movies.
"So, that`s how it goes. You can`t make everybody happy and you can`t really care what people think either way. I try to do whatever I find interesting for me."
sections: Celebrities |