TIM BURTON - BURTON FINDS BANJO BOY

Movie-maker TIM BURTON tracked down a forgotten movie icon to star in his new film BIG FISH - only to find he was reluctant to leave his job as a waiter.

BILLY REDDEN played a hillbilly banjo player in 1972's DELIVERANCE, and hadn't acted in a movie since when Burton rediscovered him working in a diner.

Co-star EWAN McGREGOR was thrilled when he discovered he'd be acting alongside the Deliverance star - after Redden eventually agreed to come out of retirement - because he's a huge fan of the adventure film.

The Scottish star says, "They sent two of our assistants to find him, and they drove off and found him.

"He worked in this restaurant and he was worried about taking the time off of work, worried he would lose his job, so Tim phoned the restaurant owner up himself.

"There is this beautiful story about the banjo because he didn't play the banjo. In Deliverance, they had someone else's arms playing the banjo.

"He wanted to play it but his father died when he was very young and his mother sold the banjo to pay the bills, so he woke up one morning and the banjo was gone.

"All these years later he's asked to play the banjo in this film and he asked if he could have the banjo he played and Tim made it happen. They cleaned it up and gave it to Billy so at long last he has a banjo. Maybe he will learn to play the banjo now."