January 2003

It’s the start of a brand new year and while the rest of the world may be gearing up for another bout of global lunacy of a warlike nature, we at the REGiment are more interested in more “pertinent” issues, as we delve into the latest round of questions recently “fired” in REG’s direction.

So here’s the latest installment in which Richard has very kindly answered yet another exclusive REG Temple interview. Onward!

1. Shade asks: Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

REG – Alive, solvent, employed, healthy and optimistic. Have come to the conclusion that John Lennon was very wise when he opined that “Life is what happens in between your plans”. Gave myself till I was 35 to succeed at making a living as an actor in England and having achieved that, am grateful to still be getting work doing what I love doing best. Oh, and of course, being supported by the REGiment.

2. Denise asks: Noted that one reason you gave for selecting the acting profession was to see the world. So if I (hypothetically) gave you a ticket for anywhere, what destination would you select? And, of course, why?

REG – Plan to go to India, being the only person left who hasn’t yet been, and although have been to Australia once, want to dive on the Barrier Reef before it’s too late or I’m too old.

3. Denise asks: Which building/landmark/site has ever rendered you gobsmacked/awe-inspired?

REG – The Chrysler Building in New York City – symbol of that great city and it’s art deco perfection – the architectural equivalent of Gershwin’s music. Venice – because no matter where you look your eye can feast and the line between past and present is perfectly blurred. The Ezulweni Valley of heaven in Swaziland – the view from the house in which I grew up.

4. Elaine asks: What kind of role could you NEVER see yourself playing?

REG – Anything that Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone would be up for!

5. Jolie asks: Politics and economics aside, what do you think is the best way to provide Mankind’s need for a seemingly endless supply of energy without harming the environment?

REG – Water, wind and hydro-electricity. If we weaned ourselves off oil, there’d be no need for anyone to wage war with the Middle East ever again.

6. Djoeke asks: Do you notice any differences between film productions that you’re involved in that are made in different countries?

REG – Always boils down to money. If the budget is big, the problems and pressures of production always get bigger. The smaller the film, the less there is to fight over and the more pressure to be as inventive and creative as possible.

7. Jenna asks: Is it true you’ve started eating meat again?

REG – Stopped over night when they announced mad cows disease a dozen years ago. Have recently eaten some beasts I have to admit, but mainly eat fish and fruit. Sorry!

8. Little Jen asks: So often in Hollywood, British actors can find themselves in roles that often play upon the stereotypes of the English (i.e. butlers, snobs, villains, etc). It seems Gosford Park was no exception, however the American actors were also made to play upon their stereotypes and came across as arrogant and self indulgent. Have you ever felt at any time that you were type cast based on scripts that you were offered, and how do you feel about the way many incredible English actors are treated by big Hollywood studios?

REG – Your looks, nationality and personality traits inevitably combine to “type” you and short of spending your life in prosthetic disguises, it is hard not to be “type cast”. The insane cost of making films means that it is an economic necessity to cast people to type rather than take the financial risk of giving say Clint Eastwood the opportunity to play a mentally fragile, brow beaten gas station attendant, assuming of course he wanted to in the first place. Very often when actors are cast against type, the viewing public are very unforgiving.

9. Joann asks: Have you managed to keep the promise that you made to Joan when you were married? That is to never be apart for longer than 6 weeks?

REG – So far, so good. However, were I to get a part shooting in China, that might be put to the test! but there is always a way…….

10. Pat asks: Now that you have a teenage daughter, how do you think your relationship might change?

REG – My daughter has just turned 14, so we are enjoying our time with her hugely, but knowing that it won’t be that long before she leaves home, though the reality of that has not even begun to sink in.

11. Paula asks: How often (if ever),do you stop and pinch yourself when you look back and realise just what a success you are, cause you make it clear in “With Nails” that you were determined to make it and desperate to as well.

REG – Just pinched myself when I read your question and it made me feel a lot better, because there are times when I feel that I haven’t achieved enough or fulfilled whatever potential I have and all the usual doubts that crowd in now and again. There is always someone doing better than you are and it’s a challenge not to let that get you down. Most actors I know live in a perpetual state of what if/maybe/if only and your self esteem is directly linked to whether you are working or not. Tend not to look back much, but thanks for making me do so!

12. Jane asks: Do you have to buy your clothes in specialist shops, being very tall?

REG – Your question made me laugh. I am only six foot two, so not that tall and so far I have been able to buy regular clothes in regular shops. But I’ll let you know if I have to change over.

13. Scott ponders: REG, baby, you’ve worked over the years with both trained and untrained actors (in this I’m referring to ankle biters and girls of spice, to name but a few). Do you find much difference in the way they approach “The process”? Are there differences for instance in the flexibility they bring to the job, ability to get to the heart of the matter, and so on?

REG – Well Scott, baby, no two actors are the same, so you have to try and keep an open mind. I have without exception found that the people that are the easiest to work with are invariably the most talented – don’t waste time, don’t blather on about it but get on with the job. When they do throw the occasional wobbly it’s because they are being distracted or messed around by peripheral nonsense or intransigent directors. The worst ones are the talkers, who yak on ad nauseam and when it comes to actually acting, they turn into woodentops. I don’t know that it’s possible to teach someone how to act. You either believe them or you don’t. Some actors are incredibly intense and serious and stay in character at all times, whilst others joke and mess around till the last possible moment before ‘switching’ over into their character. There are no hard and fast rules. It’s always painfully clear who has genuinely prepared their work and who hasn’t really bothered. But guess this applies to most professions.

14. Foxie asks: Is it just me or can you see a possible relation between yourself and David Bowie too?

REG – I sported a bowie haircut in 1972- see the “Pinups” album cover, and have since got to know him which is one of the incredible bonus’s of being an actor. He has always struck me as a one-off and followed his own path, despite all the changes of image and re-inventions.

15. Helen asks: Are you aware that you have admirers in Russia and does that surprise you at all?

REG – Big big surprise! I have never been to Russia, but have read a great deal of Russian classics and listen to Russian composers regularly, so very surprised and glad to know that someone between London and Vladivostok knows of my existence.

16. Susan asks: What is the most challenging emotion for you to portray? What was the most difficult scene you have been asked to do as an actor and have there been scenes you have refused to do?

REG – So far, have not refused to do any scenes that I can think of…..one of the most difficult was seeing my “dead wife” played by Imogen Stubbs in “Jack And Sarah” as it was incredibly emotional and even though you are acting, there is no way of avoiding what it might feel like if this tragedy actually struck. Grief then I reckon is the most difficult in that there is a terrible temptation just to blub away, whereas every time you see bereaved people, they do everything in their power not to fall apart, which makes it all the more heart breaking. Because of the repetitive nature of filming, you end up having to cry or be in some state of breakdown for hours on end, which takes its toll by the end of the day. The most intense experience like this was on “How To Get Ahead In Advertising” where I spent about ten weeks going off my head, trying to maintain a level of manic insanity to satisfy the demands of director/writer Bruce Robinson.

17. Debbie asks: As a writer myself, I know how difficult it is to have your words cuts even when necessary. How did it feel to have ” With Nails” abridged for the audio book? What was the difference in reading your own words and the other audio books you have read?

REG – I had a brilliant editor in Georgia Garrett who I am deeply indebted to. My book needed to be sliced in half and she did it with great care and attention to detail. Likewise, a film editor can make or break your performance, so I am always willing to give the editor the benefit of my doubts. It’s near impossible to edit yourself with the clarity and ruthlessness that makes your work sharper and clearer. Reading your own words means you don’t have to spend as much time in the preparation! it’s also easier as they are your own words, so they pop out of your mouth with the right rhythm and intonation effortlessly.

18. Elaine asks: What’s the news on Wah Wah? Have you chosen the cast yet or who you want to play the principal roles?

REG – This is an on-going and epic saga, about which I intend to write a book. Until I have everything contracted and set, I cannot say a word, other than that I have a wish list of whom I’d like to play each role, alongside a list of who is available, who is most likely/ unlikely etc, but until a start date is set, everything is in a state of flux. Watch this space, but don’t hold your breath!

19. Steve asks: What was your first ever memory and your first ambition?

REG – The smell of apple puree which I still love to eat and cook. Ambition to be a doctor, then an astronaut, then an actor, all this by the age of twelve though. But as I was hopeless at maths, terrified of blood, does not take rocket science to see which one opted for and why.

20. Rosemary asks: Have you ever written poetry?

REG – Piles at school and won a competition, but don’t write poetry anymore, though read it – currently reading T.S. Elliot’s quartets.

21. Jo asks: What agency did you originally start out with in the U.K.?

REG – A married couple based in Hammersmith who have now retired.

22. Bek asks: From an acting perspective, do you approach a role from a physical or an intellectual/emotional standpoint (Do the mannerisms or the thought processes come first?)?

REG – The script, plot and dialogue provide everything. Once all the “actions” have been thought/felt through and decided upon, it’s time to get on your feet and do it. The words provide/guide the thoughts which in turn dictate the movement and action. Always try and work moment to moment, act and react or vice versa and hopefully avoid generalised emotions. Try and keep everything very specific. For example, if a scene ends sadly, don’t act sad from the start, else there is no “journey” to go on or follow.

23. Gary asks: Have you read “Mr Nice”, by Howard Marks and if so do you think it would make a good movie? Do you think you would be ideal for the lead part (ego aside)? If not who would would recommend?

REG – Yes, yes and yes again.

24. Joan asks: What was your favourite gift given to you? Do you ever look up at the moon and make a wish and do you see a face in the moon?

REG – A healthy baby daughter 14 years ago. There is no greater gift a human could wish for. Actual gifts are obviously always wonderful to receive, but more importantly, the friend who gave it and the friendship that “giving” implies, is lifelong and priceless.

25. Kate asks: I wonder if you could add a list of what you’ve read lately, and/or films you’ve seen. Do you watch films often?

REG – Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux – a solo travelogue from Cairo to Cape Town.
Cecil Beaton – The Unexpurgated Diaries 1970-1980 edited by Hugo Vickers
Vanity Fair by Thakeray
The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker
The Master Of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stephenson
Moab Is My Washpot by Stephen Fry
The Complete Peter Cook
Cat’s Eye by Margaret Attwood

Films in the past month include:

Gangs Of New York, Chicago, Adaptation, The Hours, About A Boy, Punch Drunk Love, The Pianist, Talk To Her, City Of Gold, Spider, Rabbit Proof Fence and The Quiet American.

I liked “The Pianist” head and shoulders above everything else. So yes I watch as many movies as I can and have never lost my appetite for them. I’d happily watch a double bill every day.

Thanks once again Richard for answering these questions. Enjoy the rest of your holiday break.

REG – Not a problem. Til next time, chin chin.

Well that’s it for another session. I currently have enough questions for the next one but feel free to submit any questions you want answered for the session after that one (Number Seven)