The actor, 37, talks about his parents’ divorce, couples therapy and speaking with Richard Curtis on WhatsApp

I was a class clown at school and very creative. My parents saw my creativity as me just being silly. I’d make music, use cameras, come up with funny sketches, record radio interviews. I loved expressing myself. It was never for my parents’ validation – I knew they didn’t approve. It was for my friends, to make people laugh.

I was somewhat ignored as a child, which was a weird blessing. My older sister was the golden child because she was academic and even though I grew up in an ex-council house in Hounslow, with loan sharks coming to our door and electricity being cut off, my dad put her into private school and didn’t bother with me. But being left to my own devices suited me. If my parents had said, “Study!”, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Now I’m the golden child because I’ve done well.