STUDENTS were left spellbound yesterday when Harry Potter star Warwick Davis dropped in to talk about his 30-year acting career.

Year 7 and 8 pupils at Sir Harry Smith Community College got to swap their science lesson for a special one-hour lecture with Warwick.

And the 3ft 6in film star kept his audience captivated with tales of Ewoks, androids and four-hour make-up sessions.

The 42-year-old, from Peterborough, said: “Youngsters these days get a perception of what fame and being a celebrity is like from watching shows like X-Factor, Big Brother and Britain’s Got Talent - but that’s a false representation.

“It’s nice to talk to them and tell them that the red carpet stuff is only a very small percentage of what it’s about.

“Acting is my career, being famous is not.”

Warwick talked about making his film debut as an 11-year-old in Star Wars - Return of the Jedi, and his role in the 1988 hit film Willow.

He showed the youngsters behind the scenes footage and even a short film called ‘Video Nasty’ - which he made as a child.

But, with his autobiography Size Matters Not in front of him, he also told the students about his school years.

He said: “Being shorter than everyone else did present its difficulties - particularly in sports lessons.

“We used to have to do the hurdles but I used to call that the limbo because I’d go underneath them.

“I also used to hate playing football because I’d often get mistaken for the ball.”

The actor, who has also starred in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and The Chronicles of Narnia, even recalled the moment he chose to make a pair of stilts for an assessment in woodwork.

Warwick said: “I’m different, and I’m sure there are people at this school that are different. It’s nice to show them that they can use that difference to their advantage.

“That’s what I’ve done in my life and career and I hope to inspire people in that way.”