Speaking of being "physical", you’re naked a lot in this film.
Speaking of being “physical”, you’re naked a lot in this film. Tell me about filming the skinny-dipping scene in the ocean with Colin Firth – was it fun or complete hell and freezing?
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Share(laughing) I didn’t realize but everybody keeps bringing up this nudity thing. I always think there’s loads of nudity in most things you see. I feel like doing press for this film that I am the first person who has ever slightly bared his flesh. I’m going to get a bad reputation for it (laughing)! The ocean scene, it’s not too awkward at the time because you’re in the moment, you’re in character and you have their thoughts and feelings about it. Tom explained everything very clearly and I understood it all very well, so it wasn’t awkward then. It is mostly when “cut!” gets called and then you’re stuck there, at work, in the buff, which I think is a lot of people’s worst nightmare. The ocean, I think it was quite liberating in a way because even though it was obviously very contrived, it wasn’t one of those spontaneous things, you had to get into that headspace and have fun. The second you’re in the water and freezing cold and come out and they say “we better do it again” you kind of go “I don’t know…it wasn’t that bad the first time. No, I don’t want to go back in there again.” We had to do it three times. There were fires at the time and there was ash in the air and I got ash in my eye and we had to stop after three, which Colin was very thankful for (laughing)! We got along very well. He’s very relaxed and calm and certainly a fantastic actor, so he’s very present in the moment when you’re doing a scene with him. It makes it very easy on you.
So I did a little bit of online research on what you’ve been up to and is it true you’ve recently gone to college?
No.
(laughing) I guess you really can’t believe everything you read on the internet!
I found out yesterday that I’ve got a fake Twitter!
Everybody’s got a fake Twitter these days…
I know! I would never have thought it. They looked it up during this interview and I was like “well what am I saying then?” and it was stuff like “I’m exhausted, going to work” or “I’ve just finished filming” at twelve o’clock at night. I thought, wow, this person really believes they are me. They weren’t saying anything that bad, so as long as they’re not saying anything malicious or taking advantage of people…
My writing for PopMatters usually centers on actresses, so I want to ask a few questions about you’re a few of your co-stars, if you don’t mind.
Who’s your favorite actress?
Of all time? Jessica Lange. What about you?
I was reading a bit about Marilyn Monroe the other day. I read a script about her and think she’s a very fascinating character. She’s not necessarily my favorite but I find her intriguing. She did bring a great sense of life to the screen. Which sometimes within a film can be rough, you know, because you’re doing things over and over again and you’re trying to get it right for the camera or whatever and I think a lot of the time, it can become quite contrived and there’s no spark. Who else? Charlize Theron’s up there, always. Penelope Cruz is always really good and I am looking forward to seeing Nine. What a cast they got together for that one! I would have liked to have been in that one…
Do you sing?
No, I don’t sing very well. I’ve got this chronic disease where I think that I sound like whoever sings the song. If I ever actually hear myself back I think “wow, that’s incredible! I sounded like The Beatles, or Eminem or whoever it was. Chris Martin.” Then I play it back again and think oh, it’s just me howling like the wind.
What other kinds of roles are you looking to play right now? What would really challenge you? Or maybe you don’t want to be challenged and want to run around with a laser gun shooting aliens or something…
It’s difficult. I’d like to do a mixture of different genres – really mix it up. I’d like to do comedy, drama, action, really try and keep it fresh. I just did a small role in Clash of the Titans and that was fascinating to see how those epic, grand scale epics work. The original is brilliant. The scale of it was unbelievable. It’s a very different kind of experience and a very different kind of acting. It’s about finding new challenges. By no means do I think I’ve cracked anything or become wonderful at anything but I keep on my toes and try and learn from everything and get better. I never want to do anything where my heart’s not in it all the time. I don’t want to be on a film set just to make a few quid to pay a few bills. Knowing on the other end, that if I have any fans, if they’re going to see it, because of the fact I’m in it, I don’t want to feel as though anybody’s being mugged off!
Back to actresses! You’re a lucky, lucky guy because in the film Wah Wah you worked with two of my favorite underrated actresses of all time, Miranda Richardson and Emily Watson – what was that experience for you because it sounds like absolute heaven to hang out with those two in Africa, at least to me.
And Julie Walters! They were fucking fantastic! Why didn’t I think of that?! I should have just said “the actresses I’ve worked with (laughing)”. It was splendid. I was quite young doing that one, like 14 or so. It was a lot of fun and Swaziland was beautiful. [Director] Richard E. Grant assembled the cream of the crop, acting-wise, for that film, so I was very lucky to be in it. Emily’s incredible and incredibly underrated. I think actresses get it very tough in this business. She’s hugely underrated.
But how unlucky for you to be in a movie that co-stars Julianne Moore but to not share a scene with her!
I know! It’s terrible!
She’s really one of the best working actresses we have, don’t you think? What do you like about her turn in A Single Man?
I met Julianne for the first time at the Venice Film Festival. She was just fantastic, the best lady, so intelligent. I just love listening to her talk, at Q&As and stuff, about how she works. She’s got a really great understanding of film. [In A Single Man] She’s the light in George’s life and whenever he thinks about her, she’s in raging Technicolor. The scene where George goes around to Charley’s house for dinner, it’s almost like a short film within the film. You just get taken away and it’s fantastic! I think it was about 17 pages, that section of the film and it’s a joy to watch. It’s funny and charming so real. It’s a fantastic character.
So, I’m sure everybody asks you about About a Boy, which was your big breakout hit. You played opposite a wonderful cast which included Hugh Grant, Rachel Weisz and Toni Collette – all amazing, talented people. When you were filmed this one you were relatively young but had been acting a long time already. When you look back at this experience – how did holding your own with such a heavyweight cast on this film influence you?
I suppose that when you’re that young you don’t really worry about holding your own. You just have a laugh, hit your marks and sort of think “well, this is fun, I’m having a good time.” I just had an incredible time and remember everybody was looking after me. Hugh was a wonderful role model. I was very lucky that on my first thing that was kind of high profile to see how the industry works and how to behave – how to conduct yourself on set, to create a good environment for everyone to do their best. It was the same with A Single Man. Tom and Colin and everyone gave us a perfect environment to create a good film. I think the best training is on the job, as you go along. When you meet Tom and realize how personal A Single Man is to him, and you see how much he’s put into it, that puts more pressure onto you because you don’t want to muck it up for someone. I felt the same with Wah Wah as well. When people put so much time and their lives into making these films, and they’re so personal, then you feel a bit more pressure because you don’t want to let them down when it means so much to them.
What do you think happens to Kenny after A Single Man ends?
(laughing) In the works: A Single Man 2!
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A Single Man is now playing in select theaters.
