Clive Owen felt the threat of violence was "always in the air" in his youth.

The 47-year-old actor was raised in Coventry in the West Midlands area of the UK.

As a small child in the 1960s, Clive always felt the presence of danger, as the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was very volatile and active at the time.

"[It was] always in the air," he told British newspaper The Independent.

"I grew up with it being part of our lives and every night hearing some report on the news about the troubles. [It was] rough It was a war zone.

"I remember going out in the evenings and it was disconcerting what was happening on the streets. They'd do these drills where the vans pull up and the soldiers all jump out and hit their positions and the first time I saw that, I seriously thought, 'I'm in the middle of a situation'."

The star's next film crime drama Blood Ties will be released in 2013.