I wouldn’t put criticism from a “fan” into a different category than from anyone else. Maybe someone who fits into the “fan” category, whatever that is, might not be critical enough, I don’t know, but I try and take stuff at face value. If someone is a total loon though, that’s another thing, but there hasn’t been too much of that.
You’re only as good as the people you work with and the show you did last night. Sometimes you might be a bit off and sometimes they might be, you do what you can to keep it tight. We (the cast of “American Buffalo”) would come in and run an act or part of an act before the show, not every day but most, right up to the last day. I’ve been lucky with the people I’ve acted on stage with, and if something isn’t working we all take responsibility generally and try to make it right. But nothing in recent years has strayed far off track. There are different ways to keep it alive and the most important thing is to want to do that. If somebody is really fucking it up for everybody you would have to address the issue, but with decent actors and a decent director that doesn’t really happen.
There’s a responsibility when you’re doing a play to do what you can to get people into the theatre to see it, and they ask you to do press for that reason, so I don’t have a problem with that, particularly as you’re in safe hands with the P.R. Department at The Gate. The interviews I did in relation to “American Buffalo” were all with quality papers and it was actually quite enjoyable for me to do these as I’ve never done much press in Ireland despite being from Dublin. It’s still not something I jump at doing, but there was also an opportunity there to attract Irish attention to “The Wire” where Season 4 was just about to start airing on a local channel (TG4), but with no press push at all. I made a real point of promoting that as well as the play. Most people I’ve met who have come across “The Wire” in Ireland really like it and follow it so I thought I’d do whatever I could to up the numbers. It seems that when you do interviews you’re answering the same kind of questions over and over again so it’s never too revealing really, you just answer in the way you want to.
Well, I try to make everything into something worth looking at, I would say, in no particular order: “The Caretaker,” in New York a few years ago cos it was a new arena, I didn’t really know anyone. The build up to an opening night is always harrowing enough without stretching it out forever like they do in New York with endless previews and several press nights. I worked hard and ended up with the performance and character I had visualized before rehearsals had began, sometimes you have to push forward with your ideas even if others might not see what you’re at till later (I’m not saying this was particularly the case with “The Caretaker” – that character is elusive anyway, but I suppose you could try and spell it out at an early stage). I was very proud of “Safe,” which was one of my first proper leading roles on film, because we pushed ourselves and revealed more than we might have done otherwise. This had quite a lot to do with being directed by Antonia Bird and working with like-minded actors including Kate Hardie and Robert Carlyle, in particular Kate who I was with in practically every scene and was more experienced than me. We felt safe with each other and pushed it out from there, as you would have to in a gig where it said on your contract: “Contains scenes of nudity and extreme violence, including self-stabbing.” “MOJO” on stage and screen, but I’ve talked about that in the previous Q & A’s, “The Wire” cos it’s one of the most intelligent, uncompromising and thought-provoking series ever made for TV and out on it’s own, “Queer as Folk,” cos it again we really went for and it turned out the way we intended it to, new, exciting, without ever making a big deal about the sex despite being full of risqué situations. “Platonov,” cos it wasn’t easy, “The Tempest,” but that wasn’t like work at all, and the film you mention in the next question (and lots of other projects too).
There wasn’t as much of that improvised as it looks, there was a certain amount in there but Jamie Thraves (writer/director) wrote some quite naturalistic dialogue and also likes to celebrate the ordinary things, the quiet moments. It’s like with Cassavettes films (who Jamie would have been influenced by), people always thought they were full of improvisation but they were scripted. Lots of people have been impressed by that film, and it’s frequently referred to in various essays on Modern British Film. And there was a lot of me in there.
With that character, I wanted to play it some way unlike what I was used to seeing in portrayals of gay men, which I was bored with. And by that, I mean camp. I mean it wasn’t written to be camp anyway and I was more interested in someone tough and edgier. So if that was appealing to girls, I don’t know, certainly they seemed to be turned on by the bedroom/bathroom/anywhere action but I suppose why not, guys never make it a secret how the idea of a couple chicks going at it makes them feel. There was definitely some frisson between Hazel and Stuart. No one really mentioned that before, but I was aware of it certainly. And there’s a couple of scenes in there where it’s hinted at, like the one at the wedding where they’re outside on the terrace. I wouldn’t have done any more episodes than the ones we did. Russell T. Davies (writer) said the same, I’m not sure about the others.
I once thought I might have a career in forestry.
No, I wouldn’t take part in something which had a political message I didn’t agree with, no way. I wouldn’t see it as a case of trying to influence people to think in the same way as I do or whatever, just straight ethics. Acting (like writing, filmmaking, music, theatre, etc.) can be political and I have made certain choices in the roles I’ve chosen or the way I’ve performed them which were informed by some sort of political leaning (i.e. “Safe,” “Some Mother’s Son,” “Queer as Folk,” and “The Wire”).
I’m not against big budget movie-making at all, I think there’s plenty of actors and directors who work in those kind of movies (or who do and mix it up with less mainstream stuff) who keep their integrity and do great work. Making the right choices is part of it of course, like if you’re offered “The Thin Red Line” and “Under Seige 2,” make sure you pick the right one. Having said that, my favorite films tend to be in the low to mid-price range. If you’ve got your wits about you and are good enough at what you do, you should be able to keep your soul intact.
I think the best TV drama used to come from Britain, but that’s not really the case anymore. Turn on Channel 4 or BBC nowadays and you’re more likely to see some reality show or talent contest than a groundbreaking drama (not to say that there aren’t great dramas still being made, there are, just not nearly as many). I read somewhere last year that BBC were supposed to be re-committing to producing first class dramas and I hope that’s true. U.S. television has had a bit of a Golden Age in recent years with “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood,” “Six Feet Under,” “The Wire,” and others. Those ones I’ve mentioned are all made by HBO, and HBO have played a big part in this renaissance. There’s not the snobbery there used to be about acting in TV over movies, TV became the new movies etc., but in fact there was always good TV around in the states (Hill Street Blues, E.R., Homicide, etc.), just not enough to fill the huge amount of channels in the U.S. I was reared on Hawaii 5-0, Columbo, Kojak, The Rockford Files, Hart to Hart, The Hardy Boys, C.H.I.P.S., and all these other American shows as well as all the classic British and Irish stuff (and not so classic stuff). I don’t think anyone is fooling anyone, I just hope people get bored with reality shows and celebrity culture so the airtime (and production budgets) can be taken up by something more worthwhile. Unfortunately these kind of programmes can be produced quite cheaply and make a packet. But I would rather be electrocuted than watch 5 minutes of “Big Brother.”
Maybe Edward in the play “Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me,” but that may have been cos what was going on with that character had parallels with what was going on in my own life at the time. I don’t mean being held hostage, but being in that middle place where your kids are young and a parent dies. And, also being away from your kids a lot. Thinking about the things you’re missing. But a lot of the roles I’ve played fit, that’s how I ended up playing them I suppose, from something else very close to the way I am like “The Low Down,” to crazy stuff like “Buddy Boy,” they all seem to fit in some way. There have been a couple that didn’t feel right, and I try not to be in that situation if I can help it.
Hmmm. How do you respond to that? Is that a compliment? I read “Less Than Zero,” years ago and liked it. I didn’t read “American Psycho,” or see the film, but I did read “Lunar Park,” his last one, where Brett himself is stalked by Patrick Bateman, so I know a bit about that character. I think B.E.E. is a pretty good writer, but I lost interest in “Lunar Park” about 2/3 of the way through. Christian Bale was a pretty good “Batman.” Hey..Batman, Bateman.
I’m actually not involved with any causes or organizations. One thing I do feel strongly about is capital punishment, which I think is horrific. I can’t think of any more pre-meditated kind of murder, or revenge, or whatever you want to call it. But apart from doing a stint in the play, “The Exonerated,” in London last year, I haven’t yet done much to try and alter the situation. I should get involved in some way. Imagine you were wrongly (or rightly) convicted of murder in California, going to the death chamber on a warrant signed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2007 a woman can be sentenced to death by stoning for adultery in Nigeria; or a man, for that matter. But from what I can gather, the men tend to get off more lightly. Environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and 8 others being hung in Nigeria on trumped up charges. You’re much more likely to end up on death row if you’re poor. How many people have been executed for crimes they had nothing to do with? A lot, but that’s not even the point. Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about how my career would be affected if I was involved with causes, performers like Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Sean Penn, etc. get slagged off all the time for being involved in causes and protesting against certain things, but why exactly? Maybe it’s uncool, but so what?
Well, my left hand still hasn’t recovered. I smashed those fingers into a desk, then once it started to get a bit better I re-did it, this time slamming into a pillar. Have been sitting around with bags of frozen food wrapped around it. On one of the previews I got a good cut on my thumb when smacking Bobby on the head with a marble ornament and bled all over the stage. I wandered around, looking for a tissue or a piece of paper or something, couldn’t find anything suitable so just lived with it. Added an immediacy to the scene, because of the grubbiness required of the floor, they couldn’t really clean it, and didn’t. So for the rest of the run, even though you couldn’t see it from the audience, there were trails of blood, gone brown, all over the set.
And it was great to do something in Dublin. I hadn’t been in theatre there since the start of 1993, and had never worked at The Gate, which is a really nice theatre, with great history. I knew the other 2 actors from before, and we worked the same way, which was to try and get far in, quickly. There’s an apprehension when you’ve been away for ages and then you have to perform before a home crowd, or at least that’s what I thought I thought, if you know what I mean, but I was so into what we were doing that I wasn’t aware too much where we actually were. That play requires major concentration with its rapid fire and frequently elliptical dialogue, so there wasn’t much opportunity to get too bothered about your Auntie being in the audience. It was a short run and all went very quickly. It was also the longest chunk of time I spent in Dublin for a while, and it was brilliant to just be in town, and walk to and from rehearsals and performances and the rest of the time as well, meeting people I hadn’t seen for ages. Dublin has changed a lot, but this time I realized a lot of the old stuff about Dublin is still there.
Who played that? Gary Oldman? I’ve never read Harry Potter books, but my daughter Berry read them all. I always think its strange seeing grown-ups reading Harry Potter books on the tube. Apparently they’re published with 2 different covers, one for kids and one for adults. The adult one costs a pound more. I’ve seen bits of all the films. “The Prisoner of Azkaban” looked good. For my money, you can’t beat “Darby O’Gill and the Little People,” a Disney film with lots of leprechauns, poitín, etc. that did everything it could to reinforce the myths of Ireland as a mossy green land of goblins, fair maidens, spooks, little white horses with chariots running around and drunken revelry in fairy forts under the ground. The effects were state of the art at the time and are pretty frightening, especially the banshee coming down out of the sky in her death-carriage.
There’s going to be drugs and violence when there’s poverty, low self esteem (possibly drilled into you) and nothing much else to do. If you’re living in a hellhole, drugs are one way to escape, not a very constructive one, but maybe the easiest. I suppose education and real commitment to injecting life into dilapidated inner cities, and trying to come up with new ways of going about that is the place to start. Easier said than done though, cos despite good intentions there may not be the money there, in a city like Baltimore, for example, to plough into these areas. In the past I would definitely say there has been an attitude to leave what goes on in the ghettos to go on in the ghettos. Stoned people are less likely to riot like they did in the 60’s (Detroit, Watts, Baltimore, etc.) People aren’t born bad, it’s unfair being born into a world of crack and guns and in a real democracy those in control should always be looking for ways to give life to those who don’t really have it. There will probably always be a certain number of people striving to do this, and a number of people who don’t want to lose what they have acquired. I don’t know that you can say drugs = social chaos, because there are a wide variety of drugs being done nowadays right across the social spectrum, just if you’ve got money and work, you might be less inclined to take it to such destructive lengths.
Well, there was all that coffee and lack of sleep that was talked about in the play, but generally the last thing you feel like doing afterwards is going to sleep or even going home. There’s lots of adrenaline going around, and you’re wide awake. So if there are friends around, you might do something with them and try to keep it sane cos you might have a matinee on the way, or just march around town listening to music, or drive out to the beach. After all this, read a book for a bit in bed, then crash.