Ray Winstone needs "a few days" now to get over a hangover.

Ray Winstone

Ray Winstone

The 60-year-old actor is known for portraying hard man characters in films and on TV, but he has admitted he can't live up to his old ways now, and if he has a boozy night he struggles to recover as quickly as he once he did.

Speaking about how he has changed over the years to ShortList magazine, 'The Departed' star said: "It takes me a few days to get over a night out now."

Ray - who has daughters Jaime, 31, Lois, 34, and 15-year-old Ellie with his wife Elaine - is set to star in the drama sport movie 'Jawbone' and although he claims boxing was his "world" and one of his big interests, he claims his right hook is not as sharp as it once was.

He explained: "It's my world and [Johnny Harris'] world as well.

"I was an alright boxer but John was a hell of a fighter, and his trainer and my trainer were good friends. What these trainers do is take boys from the streets and give them a discipline and something to live for. It's close to my heart, so the film meant something to me and it was done the right way. I've still got the moves in the ring, they're just an hour behind everyone else's."

Meanwhile, the Hackney-born star has admitted he felt honoured when he was cast in the upcoming production, which is set for release next month, because it gave him a "little buzz" again and he fears his generation of actors would miss out on starring in great productions.

He continued: "It gave me a little buzz again. I've been doing lots of studio [projects], and the way they work can be soul-destroying.

"You do kind of fall out of love with the game.

"I think you do in any job. Things change. Scripts aren't what they used to be for my age group. They're very studio-directed and you haven't got a chunk of it, so you don't get a feel for the whole film."