» ARCHIVES From the Official Monsignor Renard site     |     1999 What's your background in acting? I've been working professionally since I was 18. I came out of Sixth Form College and went straight into youth theatres in Manchester. An agent who saw me in a play took me on and rang me with an offer from the BBC. I worked for four years on 'Hetty Wainthrop Investigates' as Geoffrey Shawcross. In Monsignor Renard you play Etienne Rollinger. Tell us about your character. He's a cocky 19-year-old lad, popular with the kids and the leader of a gang who just hang out smoking and drinking. But he is deeply affected by the arrival of the German troops and by Helene, who he wants to get together with. When she expresses interest in a German soldier though, he has a series of confrontations with the occupied forces. He's interesting to play because he transforms more than any other character in the piece really. At the start, he's an ordinary young man with everyday problems, but by the end, he's like a rabid dog off his leash. It's my most challenging role to date. Is it hard to maintain the required intensity on a set like Monsignor Renard? I've never brought a person onto a film who has not said 'God, this is so boring' or 'I can't believe it takes so long to do these things'. Obviously I'm used to the fact that in an average day, I might only do 5 minutes work. It's a difficult skill because as a breed of person, actors - and this is a generalisation - are highly energised, so you have to learn to conserve your energy on set. With the emotional scenes, its important to detach yourself from the rest of the cast when nothing's happening. I normally make sure I only have three or four hours sleep the night before so that I'm more emotionally unstable and wound-up. I often bring a few things along that upset me, like a letter my grandmother wrote. I have to really lose it in the final episode, so things like that can help. Does working with famous actors like John Thaw thrill you or can it be intimidating? It's definitely a thrill, but I'm at the point now where it is just a job and you've got to be as professional as possible. When I first met John Thaw, I was a little overawed because here's a man whose been in my living room on TV for years, but you just get on with it. I get more nervous about the enormity of trickier scenes than who I'm acting with. Do you crave acting fame yourself? It used to want it more than anything when I started out, but the more I've worked, the less I want to be recognised. But I've always been a bit cocky and attention seeking, so deep down, I suppose I love the attention. Your next role is as a hobbit in 'Lord Of The Rings' in New Zealand. Are you looking forward to that? Yes, it's my greatest opportunity to do something big so far. I'm contracted in New Zealand until December 2000 for three films which is a huge stretch for an actor. I'll be wearing a wig, I'll be shrunk to 2' 6" and I have to learn how to ride a horse, so it's a real step into the unknown. I'm playing one of the bands of four hobbits. I don't know whether it's something to do with my personality, but I always seem to get cast as a cheeky characters, and 'Merry' is definitely the cockiest of the lot - the one most up for a ruck and a good adventure! [ source: monsignor renard ] [ main | media | archives ] CURRENT PROJECTS • I Sell The Dead (2008) Official Site Character: Arthur Blake • X-Men Origins: Wolverine (05/01/2009) Character: Barnell Bohusk/Beak • Pet (2009) Character: Seth GALLERY UPDATES        FEATURED MEDIA  Mad TV  Date: 26 April 2008  Credit: Lisa  Size: 160.0 mb  [ download ] HOT TOPICS Favourite Piece From Dom's Collection? 5 Questions for Dom Dear Dom... TOP AFFILIATES             SUPPORT  Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation  Help support a cause near and dear to Dom's heart. Volunteer, donate or even adopt an orangutan! EMAIL Username :: Password :: [ sign up | password ] SEARCH FOR DOM :: Amazon.com :: AllPosters.com :: eBay.com SITE Since: 14 January 2004 Online: LiveJournal: stardom_lj Part of: Cerebralmunky Hosted by: Fan-Sites.org Designed by: Janine Mischor © starDom 2004-2008