Kevin Spacey, adopted Briton BEN STANSALL

I LOVE London, says Kevin Spacey – despite the muggings and knife crime.

The American Beauty star says that crime in the capital, where he has lived for seven years, is “shocking” – as he knows first-hand after receiving head injuries during a mugging in 2004.

He said: “I think crime here is shocking and knife crime is shocking and everyone must do what they can to be safe.

“Hopefully that particular culture will start to be more productive and find things to do with themselves that aren’t about stealing things and hurting people.

“It is terrible when you read about it, absolutely terrible.”

But despite the risk, Spacey – artistic director of London’s Old Vic Theatre – says he is deeply in love with his adopted town, where he got his first big break as an actor.

He said: “I can say with all sincerity that London is my home. This is my seventh year living in London, fifth season with the Old Vic.

“I was in New York before. It’s a great city but my focus for the next six years will be in Britain.

"I will never renounce being American but there is a part of me that is British now. I may go for dual citizenship – who knows"

“I will never renounce being American but there is a part of me that is British now. I may go for dual citizenship – who knows.”

His first big acting job came in London’s Haymarket Theatre. He had travelled regularly to England on holiday with his parents, so naturally continued to visit as a young adult.

He said: “When I started out I got a big break by playing at the Haymarket Theatre with Jack Lemmon in Long Day’s Journey Into Night when I was in my 20s.”

New Jersey-born Spacey’s career on this side of the pond hasn’t always gone smoothly – critics savaged some of his early work at the Old Vic. “I actually don’t give a toss, I just do my work. We took a bit of a beating when we started. You have to realise, that’s the British way.”

But over the last few years he has scooped various awards and increased the theatre’s attendances, as well as bringing on prestigious ventures such as Sam Mendes’ Bridge Project of transatlantic theatre productions and the hugely successful London theatre project Tunnel 228.

But despite a fast-approaching landmark in life – he turns 50 in a few weeks – the Old Vic role still inspires him.

“At the moment I feel as energised and driven as I ever have,” he says. “We are at our halfway mark of our 10-year plan. It has been an extremely satisfying journey and I am proud of what has been achieved.”

Nonetheless, there is one big ambition Spacey hasn’t yet satisfied. “I would love to play the villain in Bond,” he muses, “but they haven’t called yet.”