Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs has said he felt he like he did not belong until he became an actor.

The TV and film regular said he thought everyone else had the “secret of life” until he found acceptance in the movie world.

Speaking at the Into Film Awards in London, Isaacs said he was only able to begin discovering himself after finding his acting peers.

He said: “I think like pretty much everyone in the arts, I felt like I didn’t really belong anywhere – I was in groups of people, and how come they had all been given the secret of life?

“It was through storytelling, finding other people who like to do the same thing, that I began to unpick at it. I’m just curious about what makes people tick.”

Asked whether he had role models in film growing up, he replied: “I had teachers that did things they should be ashamed of, but I didn’t have teachers that did anything to be proud.”

Isaacs played Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series.