Robert Pattinson started acting because he ''fancied'' a girl in his amateur theatre company.

The 31-year-old actor has admitted his love of being in front of the camera started at a young age when he first locked eyes on a woman he had a soft spot for.

Speaking about his career to TimeOut magazine, he said: ''I joined this little amateur theatre company in Barnes, I think specifically because I fancied this girl.

''I had no interest in acting until then.''

Although the 'Twilight' star didn't have his sights set on being in the movie industry, after having an audition he soon got a taste of the sector and swiftly changed his mind.

He continued: ''But one audition broke the seal. It was so scary: I hadn't sung, danced or acted in front of anyone, and suddenly I was doing all three in this audition for 'Guys and Dolls'. I wanted the Frank Sinatra part. I think I got cast as a Cuban dancer.''

Meanwhile, Robert has admitted he has always felt like an ''outsider''.

He said: ''A lot of people there took it extraordinarily seriously and I wasn't really accepted into that group, so that was massively formative. 'I'm a f**king outsider'. I went to America before quite a few of my peers for the same reason: I didn't feel like I fitted in with the English theatre crowd.''