Actor Cumming tells how his home in New York mountains makes him think of Scotland

Actor Alan Cumming has revealed how his American retreat reminds him of Scotland and his childhood home.

The Hollywood star, 55, was born in Aberfeldy, Perthshire, but is now based in New York.

Speaking on BBC Scotland programme Shelf Isolation, to be shown tomorrow night, he reveals he flew back to the US after End Game, the play he starred in alongside Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe at London’s Old Vic theatre, was brought to an end by the coronavirus outbreak.

He is currently locked down at his property in the Catskill Mountains, in Upstate New York, which he has previously described as his “sanctuary” from the city.

He said: “It’s been lovely up here. I love this place and it really reminds me of Scotland.

“I’m looking out view of rolling hills.

“When my brother came out to see me for the first time, he said ‘oh, you’ve bought your childhood’.”

Speaking to host Damien Barr via video call from a wood-paneled at an amazing room in the house, he reveals a huge communist-style wall decoration behind him was stolen from the set of 1995 Bond thriller GoldenEye.

Cumming played baddie Boris Grishenko opposite 007 star Pierce Brosnan in the film.

His character, a Russian computer programmer, famously proclaims “I’m invincible”, moments before he is frozen to death by liquid nitrogen from exploding canisters.

Cumming admits the object, which appears to be sculpted from stone, was easy to pinch as it is actually made from polystyrene.

He said: “It was a prop in GoldenEye, the James Bond film I was in. It’s made of polystyrene – you can just lift it up.

“It was in a scene with Pierce and it was all communist statues and things that had been knocked down and brought to this place.

“I thought that looks pinched it.”

Shelf Isolation with Alan Cumming is on BBC Scotland tomorrow at 10pm. nice and