Acting only for wealthy privileged kids: Julie Walters

Actress Julie Walters says only "privileged kids" will be able to become actors because poorer children can't afford to put themselves through drama school.

The "Paddington" star, who was able to get funding to study drama in the late 1960s and honed her craft at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, England, in the 1970s, thinks the art will ultimately suffer.

"Now the theatre is dying out, where do kids start out? They have to pay a lot to go to drama school, then hope they get straight into television or film.

"But working class kids can't afford that. I was lucky - I had a grant. You can't get a grant to go to drama school now. Soon the only actors are going to be privileged kids whose parents can afford to send them to drama school. That's not right. It feels like we are going backwards," mirror.co.uk quoted Walters as saying.

The 64-year-old has had an incredible TV and film career which has spanned five decades and seen her win several awards, including two BAFTAs.