At a down at heel community centre deep in the heart of Clapham, south London, extraordinary things are happening.

Beneath the roar, rush and thrum of an old building settling in can be heard excited shouts, the thwack of man-on-man contact and the clang of approximated weapons.

It is in this unlikely place that the Royal Shakespeare Company is rehearsing its family show, The Heart of Robin Hood. And its star is Glaswegian actor James McArdle. Directed by Gisli Örn Gardarsson, best known for his wild, acrobatic adaptation of Metamorphosis, he teams up again with David Farr to produce an unlikely, anti-hero Robin for the RSC. So what can the hard-to-please family audiences expect? Not the tried and true tights and fights, that’s for sure.

“It’s unlike any other Robin Hood that people have seen,” McArdle explains. “He steals from the rich, that’s it. He doesn’t give to the poor. My Robin is more savage and feral.”

It’s easy to see why McArdle would fit the bill for dreamy leading man, with his bright, expressive blue eyes, prehensile physicality and earnest, engaging manner, but savage and feral? He’s refreshingly honest on his reservations about the likeability of his portrayal of the fabled hero. “He’s quite lonely, quite aggressive. Very hard to like. But he becomes heroic.” McArdle likens the production to a Disney film in its treatment of darker issues. “It’s full of fun and whimsy, and family adventure, with a real integrity and emotional core.” Given Gardarsson’s reputation as a director and performer with a gymnastic bent, it’s no surprise to find that the actors have been thrust bodily into some twisted, corporeal situations. It’s a physical show. “The set is like a playground! We get to dive, the set is made out of a ramp and we slide down it, climb ropes. I keep finding myself doing things and think, ‘When did I learn how to do that?’”

Performing the lead in a Royal Shakespeare Company show is merely a bookend to a remarkable year for McArdle. As a child actor he knew some of the ropes, but a move to London at 17 to study at RADA was a step that cemented his serious ambitions. Since graduating in 2010, McArdle has amassed the kind of experience most actors only dream of. He’s done Turgenev at the Chichester Festival, Shakespeare at The Globe, Ibsen at The National Theatre and hotly reviewed newcomer Anya Reiss at the Royal Court. This is alongside supporting roles in television dramas Appropriate Adult on ITV and David Hare’s Page Eight for the BBC. It’s a stunning range of accomplishments for one at the end of only his first year as a professional actor. He’s not one to take all the credit for himself, though, and wears his mentors and good experiences on his sleeve.

“Everything I’ve done has been a result of the Court [the Royal Court Theatre, where he did Spur of the Moment, the breakthrough play by 18-year old Anya Reiss.] It was amazing. Every meeting I’ve been to, it’s always The Court they talk about, and I’m so proud of that show.”

McArdle is equally effusive about his experiences at The National and The Globe, and says a lot of work has come his way because of his reputation for being easy to work with, though he does admit that work usually comes from other work. “When I first came out of training I had to audition for everything, but then the play at The National was as a result of the play at Chichester, as was Page Eight. It’s a mixture of forming relationships and continuing to audition and meeting new people.”

He dismisses early comparisons to David Tennant with an easy laugh. “It’s because I’m skinny and Scottish.”

And it’s obvious that McArdle, for all his easy charm, is deadly serious about his craft, so a certain amount of this work he so easily ascribes to other factors must come from his own drive and much-in-evidence talent. When asked about his own preferred methods for preparing for a role, and if he favours the more American method school of acting to the defined, and traditionally British, technical approach, he sucks in his breath and takes his time measuring out his answer. “That’s such a political question.” Turns out he’s a method man. And that I’ve asked a deeply personal question. “It’s what I believe in. It’s so private. It’s something you don’t want to talk about. You’ve got your own little toolbox, they’re your secrets.” He says that though at RADA there was emphasis on the technical, he continued to train with American coach Dee Cannon, whom he cites as a major influence. “The method is considered a very American thing to do, (somewhat heavy pause) and not all that popular with some actors I’ve worked with. (Heavy pause) There is a divide. (Extremely heavy pause) I don’t think everyone has gone over to that side.”

I sense he’s less than enthusiastic about the training he received at RADA, considering his comparatively guarded and careful referencing of it throughout the interview. It’s clear he found some value in the experience, but says that since leaving “I feel I really enjoy acting again. I’m appreciative of the platform it gave me and some of the training, but I’m very happy to have left.”

Helping him get to that platform were Paisley’s PACE Theatre and the people behind the Dewar Award, which prepared him for his RADA auditions and helped support him financially. “ I don’t think I’d have been able to get where I am if it wasn’t for the Dewar Award. They’re so supportive. I’m thankful for what they’ve done. And I owe so much to PACE. I owe everything to Mhairi Gilbert (director of PACE) to be honest. She changed my life completely.”

McArdle is energetic and gives every question its due with abundance, so when he’s thoughtful and circumspect, it really stands out. It’s clear he loves what he does and is committed to seeing it through. A frequent theme in the conversation is his wish for longevity through quality work. And he can talk about his craft in a way that is irreproachable. McArdle is never the arty bore. “I’ve had a good year. And it could all end. This business is fickle. I’ve really learned so much, and I’ve tried to remain passionate. I want to be known as an actor that makes brave choices and is authentic. That’s what people want to see, and I hope it’s something that they see in me.”

After the glitz and glamour of life on the London stage, what does this local boy like to do when he’s back in Glasgow? “I love to go to my gran’s and have a Bovril.” At the time of the interview, he was planning on a surprise visit home to capitalise on a rare weekend off, and to make up for the fact that he’d be spending his first Christmas away from his family. “I love Glasgow so much. When you come in on the train and go over the bridge and see the quay, I love it so much! Glasgow is my proper home.”

So what does McArdle, who I suspect will be well known soon, want for himself? His response is typically artistically articulated. “People always ask what I want to do; film or telly or theatre. And all I want is to do good work. And we’ll just see how it goes.”

The Heart of Robin Hood runs to January 7 at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon.