HE'S only 25 but Joe Absolom has already notched up 15 years in showbusiness.
Undoubtedly he's best-known for his two years playing EastEnders' Matthew Rose.
His exit in 2000 involved one of its best storylines to date - being framed by villainous Steve Owen for the murder of Saskia Duncan.
So it was a pleasant surprise for the already seasoned actor to come across something of a first in his latest role, The Long Firm - he had to lose his on-screen virginity.
"It was like being very young again and fumbling around in the dark, only there were a lot of people watching and you have your buttocks out!" he giggles.
"I had to kiss Mark Strong who plays the lead character Harry Starks, then I get to kiss Lena Headey and we had to do a sex scene - my first ever!
"I think it's worse for the woman because most of the crew were blokes.
"The funniest thing about it is marking the scene out. You have to work out at which point you're going to grab her bum, or kiss this bit - it becomes technical."
It takes either a supremely confident - or an incredibly laid-back - man not to worry about nudity on screen.
He explains: "I just thought rather than worry, don't think about it. There's going to be another day when you're not going to have to get your bum out. Enjoy it, feel free, man!
"I didn't know if I'd have embarrassing spots on my bum, but nobody ran in to buff it!
"I had a bloody good day at work really. got to kiss Lena and do some pretend rubbings with her."
The Long Firm is a four-part drama set in 1960s Soho. Harry Starks is a gangster who runs a local nightclub. Joe, who appears in the second episode, plays his love-interest, who turns his amorous attentions to fading movie starlet Ruby Ryder (Lena Headey).
"It's all about the sex industry and strip clubs," says Joe. "Harry goes about killing people, but in my episode you see he has a softer side."
Adapted from the critically-acclaimed novel of the same name by Jake Arnott, it has a great soundtrack and Joe has a retro wardrobe to match.
"They got a tailor to make suits for Mark, and I got a couple of the rubbish ones that didn't fit him," says Joe. "I didn't get to keep them at the end though. They're a bit dandy and I don't think I'd get away with that in Lewisham."
Born and bred in south London, Joe's about to buy a place with his girlfriend Liz, 26, a student.
"We've been together almost two years and we're making a commitment. I'm looking forward to it," he says. "I feel like I'm growing up a bit more."
So how does he feel about the way his career's going?
"I tend not to try and think about if it's going well. It's when you think like that that your car gets broken into and your washing machine breaks down.
"Life's just going, really. Every time I get a job I think, `I've blagged another one'."
Unconventional
This whole `blagging it' concept may have something to do with the unconventional way he got into acting. Rather than go to drama school, Joe did adverts and bit parts.
"I've never done theatre, and I think if I'd done the training route I might have a lot more tricks up my sleeve. Actors who were trained know plays and accents. When I sit with a group of actors I'm probably the quiet one. I've only read plays at school."
Not only did Joe not go to drama school. He didn't particularly fancy a career in showbiz either.
"Acting's not a career I contemplated. I thought I'd go to university and spend three years drunk, then try to start to live properly. My brother Dan had done that and I thought it sounded great, living in halls and everything. But I'm 25 and I'm still here!"
For his next job he's going to Cornwall to film Doc Martin with Martin Clunes.
He says: "I'm playing a local plumber. I'm looking forward to it, and I've been practising my accent. I've gone from a gay 60s gangster to a plumber, so it's been quite a diverse year."
His next job means nine weeks on location away from Liz but she needn't worry, actresses don't appeal to Joe.
"I've never been out with an actress, I don't really know any, to be honest. I suppose one actor is enough. You don't really want two of you racing to the phone when it rings.
"It must get annoying if one of you works all the time and the other doesn't. It wouldn't be my cup of tea."
Joe does have a plan he'd like to put into place for those quiet moments when he`s between jobs, and that's having children.
"Little kids are wicked. There's probably a big difference when you have one though.
"If I go wandering in the park it's full of mums and their little kids - and unemployed actors - and I think, that's what I could do!"
The Long Firm starts on July 7 on BBC Two.