BILLY ELLIOT - BELL: 'LET ME PUT BILLY ELLIOT BEHIND ME'

BILLY ELLIOT star JAMIE BELL has pleaded for audiences viewing his latest films not to be upset - because his characters are so different from the sensitive ballet prodigy which propelled him to fame.

The 19-year-old hates being typecast as a child, and deliberately chose his new movie ventures with an aim to reinvent his image.

But Bell is terrified the experiment will alienate his fans, who will always see him as the cute boy with a talent for pirouettes.

He says, "I can understand why everyone sees me as Billy Elliot; it was the first thing I did, so I was determined to take the most diverse route possible.

"It wasn't to annoy people, but it seems to have upset so many people.

"Doing stuff like DEAR WENDY (about a group of misfits who discover antique guns) definitely upset people.

"I went for DAVID GORDON GREEN's UNDERTOW (a gothic coming-of-age film) because he's a very self-indulgent director, I like directors like that. They are unconventional people."