Man of the moment dominic west

The 48-year-old’s best-loved TV roles include The Wire and The Affair. This month, he’s playing Lara Croft’s father in the new Tomb Raider film

My rise to fame… the first time i realised that The Wire was getting big in england was during a road rage incident. i started hurling abuse at this guy, then he went, “Oh my God, it’s Mcnulty.” i thought, “Crikey. i can’t be rude to people any more.” it was the first time i’d been recognised, which was embarrassing, but fortunately he managed to forgive me. My life is a bit different now, but i still get the tube to work. My earliest memories… what amazes me is how my parents managed with us [dominic has six siblings]. My mum always said once you have three they look after themselves, but mine [he has three, aged eight to 11, with his wife, film producer Catherine Fitzgerald, and a daughter from a previous relationship with Polly Astor] are all just trying to kill each other. My parents gave us a very, very happy childhood and i’m hoping to do that with mine as well. My significant others… i fell in love with my wife when i was at university and i managed to persuade her to fall in love with me for about three months, but then she married someone else. i’ve been in love with her since and still am, even more so. i make sure i don’t spend a lot of time away from home for work. My kids are at an age where i don’t want to miss any of it. it’s the most important thing in my life at the moment.

My most cringeworthy scenes… there are a lot of sex scenes in The Affair. if Catherine was in something like that i would not be happy. But she’s OK with it. neither of us watches it. Can’t bear to – although apparently it’s quite good.

My latest role in the new Tomb Raider film… i play

Lord richard Croft, Lara Croft’s father, and it’s a privilege that someone as beautiful as Alicia [Vikander], who plays Lara, should be descended from me. the film focuses on Lara before she becomes the tomb raider as we all know her. they have modernised it – this tomb raider is cool rather than being objectified.

 tomb raider is released in cinemas on 16 March.