Harrogate-born actor Laurence Mitchell sees himself as the acting equivalent of Manchester United and England football star Alan Smith. That's not in term of pay packets, but in answer to questions about the pressure of making a main role debut for the world famous Royal Shakespeare Company.

Of earning the right to play Proteus, one of The Two Gentlemen Of Verona, and Octavius in Julius Caesar, 29-year-old Mitchell says: "There's absolutely no magic formula whatsoever, all I can say is the really boring answer that I went to an audition and got it, I don't think there's any secret beyond that. I don't know, is Alan Smith scared of playing for Manchester United? I doubt it.

"I want to answer your question sensibly now, I find the pressure to do with what we're doing and trying to make the play as good as possible, not because it's the RSC. I don't care if it's the RSC or a prophet show or anywhere, that's not to say that I'm not pleased to be working here."

Sadly, North Yorkshire audiences will only see Mitchell as Octavius because Northallerton's Hambleton Leisure Centre will be staging a debut week's run-in next month (Sept 14-18). This means Mitchell's starring role as Proteus won't be seen until Telford the following week when director Fiona Buffini's version will also run for a week.

However, the thoughtful Mitchell admits to being excited about a tour including North Carolina, US, followed by a November to February run in the beautiful Swan Theatre at Statford.

He attended Harrogate College before the acting bug took him to London's Drama Centre. Mitchell jokes about trying not to sound too big-headed about his career which has already taken him to the National, Young Vic, Crucible, Almeida and includes the hit play Time And The Conways at the Royal Exchange Theatre.

He says: "I know this is an over-crowded profession but I like growing up in a world where we all believe we can be whatever we want to be, even if we don't end up doing it.

"I never thought I'd be an actor, I just had a loud voice and talked a lot, so my mother said 'oh my God, you'd better do drama'. I just wanted to play outside with my friends, but when I was 14, Harrogate Theatre was doing 40 Years On by Alan Bennett and my mother told me to audition.

"I was still incredibly resistant and even when I went for the first day I thought it was awful, but it was very helpful it was Alan Bennett actually. I could get my head around his humour and what he was doing. Then I got a bee in my bonnet about acting and I think it was because I had a lot of people saying that I couldn't do it. Teachers at school who said 'you won't be able to do that'."

Based in London, he doesn't want to slag off Yorkshire but "if nearly every job interview I go for is in London and lots of the work, like the current rehearsal, is in London then you end up here.

"I'd love to work with West Yorkshire Playhouse, but they've never asked me. My decision wasn't about being in Yorkshire or leaving Yorkshire because I go back there all the time. My mum still lives in Harrogate and so does my sister and nephews."

A working return finally came recently when he appeared alongside TV star Mark Jordan in ITV1's Heartbeat. Jordan, as PC Phil Bellamy, has appeared in all 13 series of the hit 1960s-set drama and has been quoted as wanting to stay in fictional North Yorkshire until the curtain falls on Aidensfield.

Mitchell adds: "I did some filming in Whitby and Goathland and they're filming two series at the same time because it's so popular. I enjoyed working with Mark and that's entirely the opposite to my career.

"But it happens in any job where you can be in one place for 25 years or be a freelance and go all over the place. I'm a bit of a nomad, aren't I?"

So will there be any butterflies when he takes to the stage in Stratford's Swan Theatre?

"I'll return to Alan Smith at this point. I don't think he gets a massive sense about playing for Manchester United, but he gets a massive sense that he wants to play football very well. If that's at Manchester United it's at Manchester United or at Real Madrid or wherever."

About the future, which sees him working with the RSC until May of next year, he adds: "In football terms I'm only interested in the 90 minutes I'm playing, not interested in next season or the season after. If my energy goes anywhere else it's counter-productive."

l The RSC's Julius Caesar runs at Hambleton Leisure Centre, Northallerton, September 14-18. Box office: (01609) 777070

l Peter Barron is away