Go to Part One of the Nicola Bryant Interview

WHAT DOES YOUR HUSBAND THINK ABOUT THE ATTENTION YOU RECEIVE FROM DOCTOR WHO?

He’d never seen it because he’s Canadian, although he had heard of it. But he has watched quite a few of the stories now and he quite likes it. But he doesn’t mind and he helps me to organise a lot of my public appearances now, so he’s got used to people asking me for autographs etc.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH ROWAN ATKINSON ON BLACKADDER’S CHRISTMAS CAROL AND HOW DID THAT LAUGH COME ABOUT?

Rowan is a very serious and very quiet, and when he wasn’t involved in a scene he just went off and sat down and did a crossword. He’s a very, very sweet man. Very quiet, not at all as I had expected. But it’s often the case with a lot of comedians, they’re very quiet people. Tony Robinson was the team cheerleader, he gets everybody together and gets everything going. Ben Elton with Richard Curtis, were the driving force behind that team. Things were constantly being changed in rehearsal. Originally, the laugh was in the script, but it wasn’t nearly as big an issue as it became. Ben (Elton) came up to me and said “Now, how hideous can you make this laugh?”, and I said “Well, how hideous do you want it?” And he said “Well, just go off and practice it in a corridor somewhere.” So I came back with this laugh that sounded a bit like a staccato machine gun (laughter) It was from that that they started doing all this putting cotton balls in our ears, and Tony had toilet paper hanging out the end of his, and all that stuff about the ornaments breaking came afterwards. It was never actually in the original script. Something else I remember was that Rowan had a stutter especially when it comes to pronouncing the letter “B”, I think it was very cruel for the writers to give him a sidekick called Baldric (laughs). I seem to remember that there was one particularly line that he had to do about 10 or 12 takes of because he just couldn’t get this line right

DO YOU ALWAYS WATCH WHAT YOU’VE DONE?

Yes, ultimately. We’re all off to watch Parting Shots tomorrow so that should be a laugh.(LAUGHS)

PARTING SHOTS HAS HAD SOME BAD REVIEWS?

Well of course. I wouldn’t have expected anything else.

I’VE HEARD THAT THE DIRECTOR MICHAEL WINNER ISN’T THE EASIEST PERSON TO WORK WITH, DID YOU FIND THAT?

Yes (Laughter)

WOULD YOU LIKE TO EXPAND ON THAT A LITTLE?

He’s not an easy person to audition for or any of those things.I watched him the other night on the Jack Docherty Show doing an interview and he comes over as being very genial, and in some respects he is! But it’s almost as though he has an image to keep up and he loves to play up to it. I must say he was nothing but charming to me, he actually apologised for keeping me waiting on set, and told me how lovely I looked and then he put me in the most awkward position in the most unbelievable situation and I said to him: “wouldn’t it be better if I did this?” and all of a sudden there was a hush on the set and everyone looked round and you could tell they were all thinking: “oh no don’t do that” (laughter). Luckily he didn’t have a go at me or anything. I was expecting him to say (puts on Michael Winner voice) “look you act, I’ll direct!!!”. (laughter) Not that he did much of the latter anyway! He was fine to me, but creatively it was a very sterile situation. I think that a lot of creativity was screamed out of people.

IT DOES BOAST AN AMAZING CAST?

That’s really why I agreed to do it in the end. I got the script and I rang up the casting agent and said: “You’ve got to be joking, I don’t want to do this.” And he was begging me: “I can’t find anyone that Michael likes!!”

WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN GRIEVANCE OTHER THAN THE DIRECTION WITH THE FILM?

The script was just totally unrealistic, I don’t think the story had been thought through. I think that’s why its taken two years to edit. I just don’t think it’s very good, I don’t think the story’s strong. I don’t think its very well directed. I haven’t seen it yet, but I only had a very tiny part in it. Most people on the set were absolutely terrified of him (Michael Winner). Even when people realised there was something wrong with a scene, no one wanted to say anything. Everyone’s attitude was “well you tell him!, - no you tell him!!” In the end people were just saying: “Oh, well let’s just shoot it wrong anyway”. From that respect it wasn’t a great shoot to be on. Even if he’d had a great script I still wonder how I would have felt working on it with him, whether I would just feel that all the opportunity would be lost. It might be completely different, he was a strange man to fathom out really. I walked away just laughing my head off because I thought he was just playing a part. At one point he was just screaming and screaming at one of the actresses and then he was screaming at this taxi driver who wasn’t an actor he was just a real taxi driver whom Michael got to play the part.

WAS IT A LONG SHOOT?

No, it was a very short shoot. I think even those people playing larger parts were only there for about a week. It was shot incredible quickly and I think we all felt that the film had been thrown away because it was filmed about 2 years ago and its only just been released. I have to say one thing in his favour, in that he is doing lots of publicity for it. He’s out there selling it. He paid everyone a complete pittance so no doubt if there is any profit he will do very well out of it. Its a shame because there aren’t that many British films, unless you’re part of the new British brat pack, that actually make it to the screen. For example when was the last film you saw Joanne Lumley in or Felicity Kendall ? They’re very big names to us, but how many films do they get an opportunity to appear in.

WHEN YOU ARE OFFERED PARTS DO YOU USUALLY LOOK FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU’VE DONE BEFORE?

Yes, I try to do that. My last stage role I was playing a social worker who was a complete frump and I wore this baggy beige cardigan. And it is nice to do that. It’s one of the exciting things about being in this business. And I’m lucky enough that I do get that. But if I got another strong American role after this one I certainly wouldn’t say no.

IS IT FAIR TO SAY THAT MOST OF YOUR TV WORK AND STAGE WORK THE CHARACTERS YOU’VE PLAYED HAVE ALL HAD ACCENTS?

Yes, I rarely get to sound like me. (Laughs) You can probably count the amount of times I have used my own voice on one hand. But I like that, that to me is acting. In a way you probably become less famous because you’re less typecast, because people don’t see you again and again playing the same role. I think it would have been quite easy to have fallen into that, because I was offered a lot of screaming teenage American parts for a while after doing Doctor Who. I do love doing American drama and it probably accounts for 50 - 60 per cent of the work I do now. Where at one time about 80 per cent of everything I did was American. But I get the best of both worlds really. At least I have been around long enough now and people do know I can do English roles.

IS THERE A PART YOU’D PARTICULARLY LIKE TO PLAY?

There’s too many to name and because it’s such a difficult question to answer it’s probably my least favourite question, because people are always saying: “What do you want to do?” And I think “you think the list is that short!” (laughs) I’d love to play every good part in the world that I’m remotely suitable for. I often look at roles. For example when I first saw this show (The Ride Down Mount Morgan) in the West End the only role I thought I’d be able to play was Bessie because it was nearer to my age bracket. But I managed to sneak into the Leah age group bracket, and you never know in 20 years time he (Arthur Miller) might have re-written it again and I might be able to play Theo’s part.

THIS VERSION OF RIDE DOWN MOUNT MORGAN IS DIFFERENT FROM THE PRODUCTION THAT WAS RUNNING IN THE WEST END, WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHANGES?

I don’t know who directed that original production, but the direction on this one is much better. It’s a very, very difficult play. Especially as the story involves the characters having to move back in time to events that have yet to happen and as an actor it’s quite a challenge, because everytime you take off in a scene you have to move back and think, “right I have to forget everything I already know and go back to being in this situation”, so with each scene you don’t get that normal build up that you get with most plays that takes you towards the end. It’s very bitty and very difficult to play. What night did you come?

SATURDAY

Oh, thank goodness. That was a much better night. (laughter) If there was a drug that could deal with the amount of nerves I get for press night, I’d take it. On press night I go on and I’m like an oak tree in clothing (Laughter) and everyone else is having a ball. It’s silly really I don’t know why I should get myself so worked up about the Derby Evening Telegraph or anything like that. It’s probably because part of me is thinking that this shouldn’t have anything to do with it. Even the director on the press night said: “you were nervous” (laughs). I was in such a bad way that I felt as though the alien was about to burst through my chest, because the pounding of my heartbeat was so loud and deafening that I could hardly hear my cue (laughter) and I get very nervous and I have to say to myself, “keep your hands still, keep your hands still Nicola” otherwise they’re all over the place. It’s a fine line, because you do live off your nerves and it’s part of that edge that gives you that sparkle when you get out there and perform. But there is a point where the nerves go beyond that and into the red zone. Each night is going to be different and you discover something new and that I really enjoy. I’m going to be really heartbroken when it finishes because it’s only a short run. I think there’s probably still some work that could be done on the script and it would have been marvellous to have Miller over to see it. I think David (the director) has done a wonderful job and I think he’s brought a new feel to the play that just wasn’t there when I saw it in the West End. With those flashbacks, in the West End production, there was no way you went into Africa and there was no way you went into the scene by the sea, it just didn’t blend. The set, the lighting and the design side of it has really come to great fruition and given us something we can work with, not that it isn’t hard. It’s made our jobs a lot better than they could have been and the characters are much more rounded than they were at the west end. I also felt that the whole sexual chemistry wasn’t there in the original production and I think that’s a really important part of it, because without it, it falls flat. The casting has also worked well and we all just sort of rub off each other - you could say - we ping well (laughs).

YOU ALSO WRITE MUSIC, WHAT SORT OF MUSIC DO YOU WRITE?

My friends describe it as very Beverley Craven, the problem is that you have to be devoted to one particular thing and I’m not very good at that because just as you get started on something, something else comes along. But I do try.

HAVE YOU ANY INTEREST IN EITHER DIRECTING OR PRODUCING?

I have no desire to direct. Perhaps I’m too selfish as an actor, as a writer I can sit and think about the characters and I can be a 100 per cent into each one of them. Directing does not appeal to me at all, producing (pause) possibly, but I really just love my role as an actor. In 10 or 20 years time I may of course feel completely different about it. I like the idea of writing, but I don’t like the idea of writing, directing and producing and taking over the whole thing. I’m one of those people that needs everyone else’s opinions if only for me to then say “I totally disagree” (laughs). I like to hear a lot of feedback and things from other people because it does help to focus your mind and I enjoy that side of the business.

ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO ANY MORE WORK WITH BILL BAGGS?

I doubt if he’s going to ask me. (pause - then laughs)

I SEE

Well, he hasn’t.

WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IF HE DID APPROACH YOU?

Possibly if the script was right and everything was sorted and upfront, but I think he’s used Colin and I and moved on.

THAT’S A SHAME ISN’T IT REALLY, I KNOW YOU WERE WORKING IN L.A. FOR A WHILE BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO SEE ANOTHER STRANGER OR AIRZONE ADVENTURE

Yes, it’s always a timing thing, but I’d actually rather move on and do other projects now but I would so love to work with Colin again because we get on so well. We have a very good chemistry and I’d love to work on stage with him. We were discussing it only recently at a convention. It’s only after you’ve worked with a lot of other people that you can actually think back and think, those were the good days. And Colin was somebody I could really, really work with. We always found each other mentally stimulating and we could always have a good argument on how we felt this should be and we’d always agree. And we’d fight the good fight against whatever we felt was wrong. It would be nice to do some more work with him and that was one of the joys about doing The Stranger videos.

WHAT PLANS HAVE YOU GOT FOR THE FUTURE?

I was desperately caught up in a writing project before I did this. Which I’m loathe to talk about in any depth. But its something I really want to do.

IS THAT FOR TELEVISION OR THEATRE

I’ve got one television idea which I’m working on the pilot for and I don’t really want to write anymore than that. In fact I’d probably prefer not to even write the pilot. (laughs) I also have two thrillers and a romantic comedy I’m developing. I’ve given out the synopsis for film for which I’ve had quite a lot of interest. I’d now like the time to sit down to write those, it’d be great if I could take out 6 months to get a good stab at one of them. I’ve walked around with these ideas in my head for ages and never done anything with it and then the opportunity just comes up and somebody who’s in the right position says give me your ideas.

IT’S VERY DIFFICULT FOR EVEN AN ESTABLISHED WRITER TO SELL A PILOT NOW ISN’T IT?

Yes, now its so in house. They either get a writer they’ve used a hundred times before or its an in house producer who comes up with the idea and they sell it to another writer. I read Sid Fields book and several others on screen play writing and they basically said “don’t even try to write a television series”. I thought this is encouraging (laughter) - chapter two!! (laughter) Even if it does all turn out to be a dead end exercise because I can’t find the right person to take it, its still an incredibly exciting thing to do. But it is a case of just fitting it in and then Ride Down Mount Morgan came along and I thought I do so love American drama and I do so want to do an Arthur Miller, so I thought I’m just going to have to take the time out. But it is something I’m planning to pursue.

NICOLA BRYANT. THANK YOU.

INTERVIEW CONDUCTED AND TRANSCRIBED BY GARY FINNEY. THANKS TO JONATHAN SAVILLE AND THE STAFF OF DERBY PLAYHOUSE AND TO NICOLA BRYANT. INTERVIEW COPYRIGHT SENTINEL 451 LIMITED. 1999