Proving mettle in challenging roles
LEKHA J. SHANKAR
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Jeremy Irons, the charismatic actor, feels new roles are like exploring a country.
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ARTISTE OF MANY PARTS: Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons is the artiste of many parts, the actor who has set the stage and screen on fire with his deep voice, brooding eyes and inimitable charisma.
Irons has won everything, from the Oscar to the Golden Globe, Emmy, Tony and European Awards. The citation for the Lifetime Achievement Award he was given by the European Film Academy described him as "A person whose lifework has made a special contribution to world cinema."
Irons has resurrected on screen, Nabokov's "Lolita," Alexander Dumas' "Man in the Iron Mask," John Fowles' "French Lieutenant's Woman," and recently, Somerset Maugham's "Being Julia," which was nominated for the Oscars.
He makes his presence felt in Michael Radford's "Merchant of Venice" and Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven."
Irons was in Bangkok recently for the Bangkok International Film Festival, where this writer had an exclusive chat with him.
The reclusive star, who lives in a castle in Ireland, was warm, friendly and animated, as he spoke of his `privileged' life as a theatre and movie star, who can "afford to choose my roles and my time." Excerpts:
On how he chooses roles
I choose roles that I don't know anything about. It takes me outside myself, and then I come back and see myself more clearly. It is like going to a new country and exploring it. I like to be tested and look for risks. It is harder to get such roles, because you always get what people think you `can' do. I need `new' roles to keep my juices flowing, or I would get jaded.
I didn't opt for "Evita" because as I told Madonna, it was about Evita. I chose "Being Julia" because I was relatively free at that time. I do films because cinema is a profession where you can work hard for short spells, get big money, and then, do whatever you want to do. As for theatre, I did a play in New York last year, after a long time, and it was wonderful. Theatre bonds you in a way Cinema can never do. I'm very privileged that I've done both.
On his theatre-training
I went to theatre school for two years and was on the stage for ten years. I remember looking at actors who had no training and thinking that there was no `rock' in them. Classical training gives you the strength and confidence to face success and failure. That is what I tell my sons, especially my younger one, who wants to become an actor.
On his favourite and not so-favourite Directors
I've worked with old and new directors and have had fun and problems. I did not enjoy Louis Malle ("Damage") too much, because he is an auteur and I don't like working with auteurs. I like to `work together' with a director.
I thoroughly enjoyed working with Schroeder in "Reversal of Fortune"(where Irons won the Academy and Golden Globe Awards). Doing "Kingdom of Heaven" (to be released soon) with Scott Ridley, was great, because he is a wonderful mixture of heart, intellect and spectacle. The film centres round the Crusades, and deals with Christian-Islamic relations, which is right on the button today.
On his favourite and not-so-favourite roles
I loved doing "Merchant of Venice." It is great to do Shakespeare on camera, because it enables you to free yourself and throw it at a bigger audience. You can use all the tricks you have and do it naturalistically. I played a character (Antonio) who was completely within his time and also a liberal.
As for "Madam Butterfly," I met the real-life person in Bucharest and it was extraordinary. A biography on him came out after the film, and if we had followed it, I was totally mis-cast!
I did the role in "Dungeons and Dragons" purely for the money! I was restoring a 16 century castle in Ireland which cost a huge amount and when I heard how much they were offering me in that film, I realised I could run that castle for 6 months with that sum!
On the Oscar-nominated "Being Julia"
It is Annette Bening's film and she marvellously shows the many masks an artiste wears. It is an old-fashioned story and not easy to sell. But I was excited by the strong reactions it produced in America and the UK. I guess it is because the film deals with the theme of getting old which many middle-aged people can relate to, especially women. I'm curious to see how the Asians respond to the film.
On the castle he stays in
Yes, I live in the castle that I restored. I painted it ochre, the colour is good in Ireland where the weather is grim. I wish that monuments are protected around the world. I loved the monuments of Ayuthya in Thailand.
On his trip to Thailand
What impressed me most in Thailand, was the calm attitude of the people after the tsunami. We, in the West, take tragedy too seriously, and the Thais taught me a lot about getting on with life.
I would have loved to travel around Bangkok in a motorcycle, eat on the pavements like I did in Beijing, because I like to discover a new country like a local and not like a tourist. What I enjoyed most, was a ride I took on a tiny fishing boat, which was pure magic. That was when I began to get a feel of Bangkok atlast! I plan to visit Cambodia from here.
On India
I'm afraid I haven't seen too many Indian films, but I've been to India twice, and visited Kerala and Rajasthan.I stayed in a house-boat in Kerala and visited the palaces of Rajasthan. I'd love to go there again. This time, I want to discover Gujarat.
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