(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Chris O'Dowd was nicknamed "Pelican" as a child.

The Irish actor has attracted admirers all over the world thanks to his role in hit comedy Bridesmaids.

The 32-year-old explains he wasn't always so popular growing up and his schoolmates made fun of his height.

"My childhood nickname? Pelican," he told Empire magazine.

"I was six foot tall when I was 11, so I looked like I had pelican legs."

Before Bridesmaids, Chris played the role of Roy in British comedy series The IT Crowd.

The actor admits his rise to fame has previously put him in some uncomfortable situations.

"I was in Rajasthan making a film with no budget whatsoever and I got Delhi belly," he revealed.

"Vomiting from both ends. I stayed in an awful hostel with a communal toilet and I remember lying on the floor, just drained from everywhere, thinking it could not get any worse. Then I saw a rat floating in the hole in the ground where I'd just been sick and I realised my belief had been wrong." (C) Cover Media