Charles Dance kicks off Sky Atlantic's new series of short plays
— which also star Jessica Hynes, Katy Brand, Rufus Jones, Brendan
Coyle, Johnny Vegas and Josie Lawrence — by playing a role very
different from the normal smoothie we see him portraying on TV. Charles
tells TV Choice more...
So how did you react to the idea of playing retired rock tour manager Floyd?I
just went for it. In this business you are what you’re seen to be, and
I’m seen to be most of the time po-faced and villainous and rather
well-dressed, and all that kind of nonsense. I don’t very often get
asked to do comedy. The last comedy I did was in the theatre 15 or more
years ago. So when something like this comes along, absolutely, Christ
yes.
Would you have liked a career in sitcoms?
I
wouldn’t mind doing a sitcom — I think there’s mileage in this, to be
frank with you. I think there’s endless storylines we could weave around
this particular character. There are endless places he could go.
Floyd
gets invited to a school to talk about his tour manager days. Have you
had to do these school appearances for real, to talk about your career?
God,
no. Why would I want to do that? Floyd wanted to do it because he was
kind of flattered by it. I mean, he’s an ex-tour manager and I know a
bunch of roadies who have been working with the Rolling Stones for a
long time, and they’re all would-be rock 'n’ roll stars themselves, you
know. They’re not actually musicians, they’re tour managers, they’re
pretty close. But Floyd’s quite flattered he’s been asked to talk about
his early days.
Has this given you a thirst to do more comedy?I
think all actors like to do comedy, sure. But we all have to earn a
living, and as much as we try to avoid typecasting most of us kind of
get bracketed one way or another, although we try to avoid it. It
depends how much money you’ve got in the bank, if you’ve got enough
money to say no to something. I mean, I would jump at the chance to do
more comedy, provided it was well-written, which this is.
Is Floyd closer to who you really are?
Only
in as much as there is nothing aristocratic about me, despite my being
asked to play toffee-nosed people, just because of the way my face is
put together. But that’s not the kind of background I come from. But I
don’t know that I’m particularly close to somebody like Floyd!
Is it a challenge to do a drama that's only 10 minutes long?
Yes,
a bit. You have to be well-prepared, because there’s no buggering
about, and if you’ve got lines you’d better know your lines, because
nobody has enough time — the cinematographer doesn’t have enough time,
the make-up lady doesn’t have enough time. Preparation is all. And I
have that kind of attitude with most things I do. I’ve never been able
to kind of busk it. I mean, the best improvisation is very
well-rehearsed — you go in so that you can do it standing on your head.
Do you get asked for advice a lot by younger actors?
I
don’t think I’m a natural teacher. I did a day once at the Actors’
Centre, and I reeled out of there with a migraine! I was in this room
with no windows, and it was air-conditioned, and I just got the most
terrible headache from it. And I had half a dozen people and I just
thought they all seemed bloody good, there didn’t seem to be very much I
could teach ‘em, actually. I don’t know that you can, you can only talk
about technique, and even if someone has the most iron-like technique,
if they don’t have any talent there’s not much you do, really.
What do you like to watch on TV?It
sounds a terrible cliché, but dear old David Attenborough is just
compelling, because he takes great pains to make sure that people
understand what he’s talking about. The only kind of reality television I
think is worth watching is Gareth Malone’s choirs, I think he’s
extraordinary. And I like cookery programmes, because I quite like
cooking, and I have a reasonable repertoire. I think Jamie Oliver is
inspirational, you can’t help but admire that kind of fervour, and
integrity, and what he’s done in schools. I’ve been to a couple of his
restaurants and they’re bloody good. But there’s an awful lot of rubbish
on television, which I try to avoid. I think the X Factor is
the pits because it’s encouraging this cult of celebrity that’s nothing
to do with developing and honing a talent and a craft, and I think
that’s a great shame, and could be quite damaging.
Do you think it encourages cruelty?I
don’t think cruelty needs encouraging. I think people will be cruel,
but I think it’s a very risky business, to put people in that position
where they are victims of it. I think it’s kind of unscrupulous. I don’t
like it. And a lot of the time you’re not looking at talent, you’re
looking at kids imitating other people, they all make the same kind of
noise, you know?
Sky Atlantic, Monday, Martina Fowlerhttp://www.tvchoicemagazine.co.uk/interviewextra/charles-dance-common-ground
