Actor Tommy Hatto, who recently worked with Samuel L Jackson on the feature film, The Last Full Measure, has written a book on wellbeing, and both are due for release this year.

Tommy was born in Swindon and grew up in Stratton before he was discovered by Dustin Hoffman at the London Film Festival. The actor had moved to London to study journalism. He was at the festival to make some contacts, when Dustin Hoffman commented that he had a face for camera. A casting director overheard and asked Tommy to audition for a film.

It was Thor: The Dark World, part of the Marvel super hero series.

"I remember driving to Stonehenge where we were filming, at 2am in the morning, but it got me where I am today. I took the challenge. Everyone can try, to see what they are capable of,'' said Tommy.

Since then he has become a known name in both acting and modelling, but like most struggling actors knows what it is like to get knock backs and to lose self esteem. It was this experience that prompted him to write his book entitled In This Skin. He has also been invited as a keynote speaker to the Bristol Holistic Festival in March.

"It encompasses everything I am passionate about. Giving me the opportunity to speak means I can reach out to people and draw on my own experience. People assume that I was always health conscious, but it is only in the last few years that I have educated myself on health and wellbeing and put it into action,'' said Tommy.

"My book is about being happy within your own skin, striving to be the best version of ourselves.

"I realised that I am the only person who was going to champion me when I was rejected at auditions, and screen tests - told to go home. It is those hard times that make you strong, shine your own light,'' said Tommy. "There is a difference between confidence and arrogance.''

The former Kingsdown school boy says that his Swindon friends keep his feet firmly on the ground. He returns to his home town regularly, as he has family and friends still here.

"We are all from different walks of life but that makes our conversations interesting and we keep in contact through Facebook,'' he said.

The actor is a huge fan of the outdoors, particularly of open water diving, but his keep fit regime did not prepare him for his experience on The Last Full Measure which is based in Thailand. He was featured alongside Jeremy Irvine and Samuel L Jackson in the film.

"The story is set around a soldier from the Vietnam war, so we needed to get into character and we had a US marine train us for two intensive weeks. We were up at 4am drilling, wearing heavy uniform helmets, but I love pushing myself and that's why I like to share that knowledge through the website,'' he said.

Tommy's mother is from Thailand so he can speak Thai, but he can also speak Arabic and Italian.

"My girlfriend speaks Italian so she started teaching me and then I had a part in a film called Parle Con Me which was all in Italian,'' he said.

Along with his acting Tommy presented a documentary countdown for British Television’s Channel 4, entitled Channel 4 Love Jennifer Lopez! He appeared in the spy thriller Criminal, starring Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot and made a brief appearance in The Saturdays video for Disco Love.

Tommy will be speaking on Saturday, March 30 from 1.15pm at the Bristol Holistic Festival in The Mercure, Bristol. - Flicky Harrison