 |
|
British film star Clive Owen at the BAFTA awards
ceremony |
British film star Clive Owen at the BAFTA awards ceremony
Clive Owen is one of the new generation of British actors who are
making it big in Hollywood.
He has shared the screen with stars like Julia Roberts,
Natalie Portman and Bruce Willis, and has even been tipped as a
future James Bond.
Despite becoming a major star, Clive Owen still finds time to
communicate directly with his fans. In July 2005 he conducted a Q and A
session at a screening of his latest film, Sin City. The following
excerpts were recorded at that session.
Asked about why he became an actor, Clive had this to say: “I
did a school play when I was a kid and from then on always
wanted to be an actor. I’ve done a lot of theatre. My first love is film. I
think there’s a slight snobbery about theatre – people say if
you can’t do it on stage, you’re not a proper actor. I don’t really agree with
that.”
He then went on to discuss his reasons for choosing the roles
he has taken: “The reason I tend to play the sort of parts I do is because is
there’s something to do. For me it’s all about playing conflict in some way.
Acting is about subtext. It’s about playing a character who’s
grappling with some sort of issue. If everything is obvious and
clear and straightforward there’s not an awful lot to do apart from say the
lines.”
He also talked about how he prepares for
shooting: “I come prepared. I’m not great at winging
it. I don’t like turning up and hoping some magic’s
going to happen. I do put work in but I’m not quite sure what it is.”
Clive discussed the differences in the film-making process in
the UK and the United States: “I suppose the fundamental differences are in the
British films that I’ve done tend to be smaller budgets which
tends to mean that the directors get left alone a bit more. There’s less
studio intrusion. There’s not producers buzzing
around putting their input in every day.”
However, when asked if he had any plans to live full
time in Hollywood, Clive reassured his fans he would not be moving
overseas: “My family’s here. My family lives in this area so I’ve got absolutely
no intention- I mean, I just have to travel a lot. I have to do a lot of flying
backwards and forwards. But I want to live in London so that’s what I’ll
do.”
