Tom Felton not trying to shake Draco Malfoy

The 27-year-old British actor returns to screens this month in Murder In The First, a 10-part detective drama that follows a gripping murder investigation in San Francisco playing an arrogant Silicon Valley technology billionaire.

But Tom insisted his career moves have never been about getting away from his Harry Potter role.

He said:”I never really tried to. We’re all very proud of our 10-year stint working on those films. It’s something I wear as a badge of honour, not something I try and hide from. It’ll probably be with me for the rest of my life, so it’s better to embrace it.

“Seeing how many people whose life it’s changed is quite touching. I’m definitely in no rush to shake that off.

“When we were doing it, I didn’t realise the scale of how widely these films would be received. Someone came up to me and said, ‘Thanks for being part of my childhood’. In a weird way, I feel we have grown up together, even though they’ve been watching and I’ve been in the films.

“As the years have gone on, the dawning of how lucky I was as a 12-year-old kid has really sunk in.

“We’re very blessed, the Harry Potter family of fans is an enthusiastic bunch, to say the least! Ultimately, it seems to have brought a lot of passion and happiness to their lives. I don’t do any self-Googling or anything like that, so I think I’ve avoided a lot of the super crazies!”

The former child star insisted he has always been careful not to let fame go to his head.

Tom revealed: “I’ve had the same friends forever, who couldn’t give a monkey’s about what I do. They’d rather sit and chill, watch the cricket and have a beer, which is key! My brothers still give me just as much stick as they always have.

“Keeping the people who know you for who you are around you, and not buying too much into the whole world of fame is important – I avoid all that stuff.”

Murder In The First begins on Fox on Friday, January 16.