Scottish independence: Kevin McKidd backs yes vote 7 April 2013 Last updated at 12:43 By Glenn Campbell BBC Scotland news McKidd was speaking as he led the Tartan Day parade in New York Hollywood actor Kevin McKidd has said he would vote for Scottish independence if he was allowed to have a say in next year's referendum. The Scottish star of Grey's Anatomy, Brave and Trainspotting cannot take part in the historic ballot because he now lives in California. McKidd, 39, said he was "sorry" not to be able to help determine his country's future. "If I could vote, I'd vote 'yes'," he told BBC Scotland. About four million people, resident in Scotland, will be asked to decide whether or not it should be independent from the rest of the UK in a ballot on 18 September 2014. McKidd offered his support for a breakaway as he prepared to lead the 15th annual Tartan Day parade in New York, celebrating Scottish-American culture. "A lot of people think we're all gonna fall flat on our face if we do this," he said. We're too feisty a people to let things turn bad if we went and tried it. Why not try at least? McKidd, who is originally from Elgin in north east Scotland, described himself as a "proud" Scot and linked his nationality to his success in America. "I think, definitely, being Scottish has made my life easier," he said. It seems to open doors over here. Americans seem to think we're exotic! The actor, who plays Dr Owen Hunt in the hit TV series Grey's Anatomy, still cannot quite believe his own screen success. "I'm just a teuchter from Elgin really," he said. I'm doing all this acting and I'm directing now and I'm living in Hollywood - it seems bizarre to me. Declaration of Arbroath His mother and father travelled to the US from Scotland to walk with him in his role as Grand Marshal of the Tartan Day parade. About 2,000 people marched along New York's Sixth Avenue to celebrate the role Scots played in building America. The parade is held on or around 6 April each year - the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath which asserted Scottish independence in 1320. Previous Grand Marshal's have included the screen stars Sir Sean Connery, Brian Cox and Alan Cumming, who have also expressed support for independence. Opinion polls tend to suggest that about a third of adults living in Scotland agree with them. The Yes Scotland campaign is trying to persuade a majority of voters that Scotland would be wealthier and fairer as an independent country. On the other side of the debate, the Better Together campaign argues that Scotland has greater financial security as part of the UK.