and I left on the Friday and started on the
Monday at the theatre in Exeter. I started
off doing a season there and ended up
staying for three and half years, I did
loads of plays, fabulous plays. There were
all sorts of very good people down there
David Suchet and Robert Lindsay both
started off down there… then there was
also Bob Peck who died very sadly too
young… Bob Hoskins…I used to think
one of the reasons I wasn’t getting on in
life was because my name wasn’t Bob
at one time! It was a tricky place to start
and then one of the plays there called The
Pope’s Wedding by Edward Bond (which
had never been done fully), transferred to
the Bush Theatre in London just for two
weeks and that was my big opportunity.
I had the main part and Alison Steadman
was my wife.
Bob Peck, who was a terrific actor, was
in it as well and it was my big opportunity.
When we went up there I did everything I
could to get an agent to come along and
I couldn’t get anybody to come along
because they were all at the Edinburgh
Festival - I rang them up but had no joy,
it was so depressing.
Anyway I asked my friend Leon if he
could get his agent along - he had a
very good agent and it was big, big ask
because no one wants to ask their agent
to do that. Anyway he said he would try
and if they were coming, it would be on
the first Wednesday of the show, but they
didn’t turn up. I asked what happened
and he said ‘I’m so sorry’ and said they
were going to come the next Wednesday
so the next Wednesday came and they
didn’t turn up. On the last Saturday I did
the show and I got fabulous reviews in
The Times and I was really depressed you
know, and I came out afterwards and he
was standing there with his agent, they
had seen the show on the last night. The
agent came up to me and said here’s
my card come and see me on Monday
morning before asking if I wanted a drink
and that changed my life you know. My
first television job was something like Z
Cars and then I carried on straight into
television really. I had a terrific time in the
‘70s going from one series to another. I
did a series called Beryl’s Lot which was
big in those days and then I got Grange
Hill which was then a very new series. So
that was my ‘70s - and if you like my mate
got me that break…
And that was the best break I’ve ever had
because then you have to have a series of
breaks - you’re never fully established - it
dies away and then it comes back - and
I’ve had a lovely life and a comfortable
living and my life’s been very exciting
since then. It’s been quite complex.
The lovely thing about getting the role
of Mr Hopwood in Grange Hill was that I
ended up playing him for four years but
my agent made me give up. I didn’t want
to because I had young children, it was a
perfect job – a fantastic job.
My stomach turned when they asked me
to give it up but you run the risk of being
typecast as a nice, young teacher for the
rest of your life and we know that about
20 years later they were worrying about
typecasting me as a psychopath!
Who was the biggest influence on you
when you started out?
I mean I used to go to the th eatre a lot so
it’s very difficult to say who you looked up
to really. In films I suppose it was James
Dean, Al Pacino and those kinds of
actors. I suppose I was very influenced by
American film stars because that was the
style of acting that attracted you to the
industry. But I think I was too wrapped up
in the theatre and I don’t think I’ve been a
great one for influences. Now I would say
that my favourite actor is Mark Rylance,
I’ve been watching him for the last 15
years or so - he’s one exciting crazy actor
you know…a wonderful man who does
not give a toss about money or ego.
One thing we were told at drama school
on our first day is if you are here for
money or fame then you can walk out the
door now. That’s a good ethos because
really I think true actors - all they care
about is acting - it’s just like a drug and
that’s all you want to do - you don’t care
if you do it for nothing. I do it for nothing
sometimes. Last year I did a play at the
Emporium for practically nothing because
who cares?
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