Richard Madden finds it easier to get naked onstage than give a speech

Richard Madden finds it more terrifying to speak in public than to get naked onstage.

The Scottish star rose to fame playing Robb Stark in hit show Game of Thrones, and next up he portrays Elton John's former manager John Reid in movie Rocketman.

In a chat with Elton for Interview magazine, Richard confessed that, despite his fame, he still battles shyness.

"Nothing is more terrifying to me than standing up in front of a room of 10 people," the 32-year-old sighed. "I was presenting at an awards ceremony the other week, physically shaking onstage, so much that I was sweating. But I can get naked onstage in front of 2,000 people as another character and it's not an issue."

The Bodyguard actor, who won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of security operative David Budd earlier this year, further explained to the music legend that he started acting as a way to help him combat his shyness.

"I was going to a really rough high school on the west coast of Scotland, so I went to the youth theatre to get some confidence," said the star, whose first role was playing a child rape victim in a film called Complicity, which also starred his Bodyguard co-star Keeley Hawes. "It became my everything. Getting famous as a kid was a s**t show, but that's just what I felt I needed to do. I stopped going to school because I got famous.

"I was so shy as a child, and I am shy still. Getting onstage and doing what I did was an escape from having to be shy."

While Richard exited Game of Thrones in season three, he says he's still fondly remembered by fans.

"'King of the North! King of the North!' I still get that a lot, but it's in a beautiful way," he smiled. "There are actors on that show who people walk past on the street and yell, 'B**ch!' People have a fondness for my character. I died too young."