Post by topaz on Jan 26, 2009 12:41:03 GMT -5
"I am nervous. Nobody enjoys seeing themselves" - Tom Hollander We spoke to award-winning actor Tom Hollander about his role as a diehard Nazi henchman in the thriller Valkyrie.
The Cambridge-educated star has impressed in movies ranging from Gosford Park to Pride & Prejudice...
Sky Movies: What was the experience of filming Valkyrie like for you?
Tom Hollander: It was fascinating being in Germany. I hadn’t spent that much time there – just bits and pieces. We had a protracted amount of time in Berlin which was cool. It’s a very hip place – the architecture, the classical music.
They are terribly, terribly nice and they all speak English much better than we do.
SM: How would you describe Valkyrie:
TH: We were making one of those films – slightly Guns of Navarone, a war film. It’s modern in that it’s trying to show that some of the heroes were German. But, generally speaking, we the Allied powers who won the war are still making films about the war. They (the Germans) have really tried quite hard to move on. They lost the war and were obviously very embarrassed about.
SM: What was it like filming in German uniform over there?
TH: Yes, that was thrilling. They did bat an eyelid because I think it was illegal to show the swastika out in public. I think we had to have some sort of dispensation from the council. The first day I was on set and there was the flags out and we were wearing the stuff.
It was also very hot. Remember it was supposed to be the Eastern Front and winter so we were acting cold. We were literally passing out with 40 degree heat.
SM: Who was the funniest character on set?
TH: Eddie Izzard – he’s funny and sometimes comedians are not funny because they are tortured and serious. But he’s just joyous to be around.
SM: You haven’t seen the film yet – are you nervous?
TH: I am nervous. Nobody enjoys seeing themselves. I should be able to get over that, obviously.
SM: It must be quite odd between takes to hang out with David Bamber who played Hitler?
TH: Easier for us than him. Amusing for us. You’ve got the headmaster from Chalk playing Hitler. It’s the ultimate revenge of fate – to consign him forever to have him played by an actor in costume being told what to do. The man who would dictate to all becomes someone who just gets bossed around.
SM: What have you got in the offing?
I’ve got The Soloist with Robert Downey Jr and directed by Joe Wright. That was fascinating – I had to learn the cello with a woman who was brilliant. That was an acting gift – one of those things you can’t predict.
There’s also In The Loop which is Armando Iannucci’s first film as a director. That’s a film version of The Thick of It
SM: Has the lot of the British actor in Hollywood changed over the years?
TH: It’s expanded. When I started you were in the theatre and there were about five or six people who did all the films - Helena Bonham Carter, Hugh Grant, Julian Sands, Tim Roth, Gary Oldman and Daniel Day-Lewis. Then the lottery made a big difference. After Trainspotting everyone suddenly got to be in a film. Now you meet people who have only ever been in films. Young actors who don’t know how lucky they are.
SM: Theatre versus film?
TH: I tend to prefer the one that I’m not in.
The Cambridge-educated star has impressed in movies ranging from Gosford Park to Pride & Prejudice...
Sky Movies: What was the experience of filming Valkyrie like for you?
Tom Hollander: It was fascinating being in Germany. I hadn’t spent that much time there – just bits and pieces. We had a protracted amount of time in Berlin which was cool. It’s a very hip place – the architecture, the classical music.
They are terribly, terribly nice and they all speak English much better than we do.
SM: How would you describe Valkyrie:
TH: We were making one of those films – slightly Guns of Navarone, a war film. It’s modern in that it’s trying to show that some of the heroes were German. But, generally speaking, we the Allied powers who won the war are still making films about the war. They (the Germans) have really tried quite hard to move on. They lost the war and were obviously very embarrassed about.
SM: What was it like filming in German uniform over there?
TH: Yes, that was thrilling. They did bat an eyelid because I think it was illegal to show the swastika out in public. I think we had to have some sort of dispensation from the council. The first day I was on set and there was the flags out and we were wearing the stuff.
It was also very hot. Remember it was supposed to be the Eastern Front and winter so we were acting cold. We were literally passing out with 40 degree heat.
SM: Who was the funniest character on set?
TH: Eddie Izzard – he’s funny and sometimes comedians are not funny because they are tortured and serious. But he’s just joyous to be around.
SM: You haven’t seen the film yet – are you nervous?
TH: I am nervous. Nobody enjoys seeing themselves. I should be able to get over that, obviously.
SM: It must be quite odd between takes to hang out with David Bamber who played Hitler?
TH: Easier for us than him. Amusing for us. You’ve got the headmaster from Chalk playing Hitler. It’s the ultimate revenge of fate – to consign him forever to have him played by an actor in costume being told what to do. The man who would dictate to all becomes someone who just gets bossed around.
SM: What have you got in the offing?
I’ve got The Soloist with Robert Downey Jr and directed by Joe Wright. That was fascinating – I had to learn the cello with a woman who was brilliant. That was an acting gift – one of those things you can’t predict.
There’s also In The Loop which is Armando Iannucci’s first film as a director. That’s a film version of The Thick of It
SM: Has the lot of the British actor in Hollywood changed over the years?
TH: It’s expanded. When I started you were in the theatre and there were about five or six people who did all the films - Helena Bonham Carter, Hugh Grant, Julian Sands, Tim Roth, Gary Oldman and Daniel Day-Lewis. Then the lottery made a big difference. After Trainspotting everyone suddenly got to be in a film. Now you meet people who have only ever been in films. Young actors who don’t know how lucky they are.
SM: Theatre versus film?
TH: I tend to prefer the one that I’m not in.