I BEAT TOM AT POOL TO WIN MI:2
Dougray Scott was on cue

HUNKY Dougray Scott has revealed how he won his part in Mission Impossible: 2 by beating Tom Cruise at pool.

The Scot, who starred in British films Twin Town and Enigma, was amazed to land a role in the blockbuster when he was still an unknown in Hollywood.

He said: "It was bizarre. Tom saw Twin Town and loved it and thought that I was the guy to play his nemesis.

"They came to me, which is extraordinary. They flew me to Los Angeles. I met Tom in his house and we talked for a couple of hours.

"We played pool and I cleared the table. Not really a good move. I thought 'Well I've messed this one up'.

"But he won the next one and said 'This is great isn't it?'. By the time I got back to the hotel, they had started doing the deal.

"I was the only actor they saw so it was flattering."

He spent months bodybuilding to play evil Sean Ambrose in the film which featured gruelling action sequences seen for the first time in a movie.

During filming, Scott says he developed an admiration for Cruise which has inspired him to put everything into his own roles.

He said: "It was a fantastic experience working with Tom. He has the most incredible focus.

"I've never come across anything like it before. His catchphrase is 'whatever it takes'. I adore him."

After the role, he shed his beefy hardman image by eating cabbage soup.

He lost more than two stones within weeks to land a part alongside Kate Winslet in Enigma and has now established himself as one of the world's most sought after actors.

He said: "I lost a stone in the first week and went on from there."

Fife-born Scott, who is working on a historical film called Cromwell & Fairfax, has been tipped to become the next James Bond.

But speaking about the possibility, the 36-year-old was keen to play down his chances of landing the role.

Scott told GQ magazine: "I would think about doing it, obviously. But Sean Connery did so well with it, and with me being Scottish, people are going to make comparisons."

Copyright 2002 Scottish Daily Record & Sunday Mail Ltd