The Lady
1st-7th January 2000
For me, the best
thing in the world is my relationship with my son and his children. Being a
grandfather is wonderful. My grandson has a way of taking me to one side and talking
to me quietly and confidentially. He’s four but we already talk man-to-man. My
granddaughter is two. I look forward to in-depth talks with her.
Food and drink
play an important part in my life, too: garlic sizzling in the pan; the first
glass of white Burgundy at the end of a show; pasta with tomatoes and olives; a
long lunch in a restaurant with nothing to do in the afternoon. I also enjoy
cooking for friends.
I love Italy and
France. A retired friend of mine lives in the south of France. He goes to the
market every morning and he always cooks fresh food. I often wonder if I could
live there and continue to work. But I love England and when I’m away, my
nostalgia for it is very deep-rooted.
A few years ago,
I was working in Chicago directing Twelfth Night,
and I went to see the movie of Sense and Sensibility. It was full of grey-green
Dorset landscapes, with dripping leaves – all terrible weather, really, showing
those half-tones of colour that are very English. I sat in the cinema, weeping.
If I left, I would miss not just the scenery, but the humour and the language,
too.
London is very
central to my work. I tried to be a countryman – the last decade was devoted to
living in the country and it took me a while to realise that I was deceiving
myself. It was too quiet at night and I missed going to the cinema.
I like touring –
most of mine was done with the English Shakespeare Company. It was a very
positive and enjoyable time. The pleasure of travelling was maximised by
knowing it was my company and I had a real input.
The downside was
that, because I had such a heavy workload, getting the show organised, dealing
with people’s neuroses, checking everything was on course, and being the centre
of everyone’s resentment, I couldn’t do as much visiting, or eating, as I
wanted to do.
As I don’t like
the sun very much, one of my favourite things is to look at a sunny beach or
landscape, as long as I am under a shady tree, with a fan. I enjoy cold places
– I have been to Iceland and done the Norwegian fjords cruise – and I would
like to go on the trans-Siberian railway.
I’m having a lot
of fun writing a book on Chekhov – it’s a kind of diary. Now I’ve been writing
for some years, I begin to see myself as a proper writer and feel I have a
right to the neuroses writers have – the ghastly solitude, the empty sheet of
paper, the loneliness, the writer’s block.
I work with a
computer – the joy of erasing the rubbish with a single stroke of the cursor is
a favourite thing.
The writing
complements the acting and vice versa. I love rehearsing with other people and
being part of an ensemble.
Directing is
interesting, but I don’t seek it out because it’s very solitary. I prefer being
in the playground with all the other children!
My favourite
time is very early in the morning. When I’m in the theatre, we have late
nights, so it’s impossible. But at other times, I love to get up and look at
the view I have of terraced houses in that false light – a mixture of daylight
and street lamps. All is complete stillness, except for maybe a fox on the
lawn.
Chekhov said it
was bliss to be in your garden at five in the morning, knowing you don’t have
to go anywhere and no one is coming to see you. That’s how I see it. I love the
morning when it’s waiting to begin.