SAM RILEY - RILEY: 'MY RAGS-TO-RICHES STORY ISN'T TRUE'

RILEY: 'MY RAGS-TO-RICHES STORY ISN'T TRUE'

British actor SAM RILEY has dismissed stories about his dramatic rise from obscurity to stardom - insisting the rumours he was a poor factory worker are wildly exaggerated. The 28-year-old shot to fame following his performance as late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis in the 2007 biopic Control, and was praised by the media for turning his fortunes around. But Riley insists he was too "ashamed" to admit he actually had an advantaged upbringing. He explains, "The press loved my rags-to-riches tale, but it wasn't true. "I had been working in a retail warehouse, but I was ashamed of my privilege and aware that my public-school (independent) education was ruining my chances of being a credible rock star. Now I can be sympathetic to both sides of the story."