Published: 24 September 2011
Actor Marc Warren:
The prized possession that you value above all others...My Tempur mattress. I bought it about eight years ago and have been sleeping pretty soundly ever since. It moulds to your body and they claim NASA helped with the design. Apparently, if you live until 75, you’ll have spent 25 years in bed, so it makes sense to have a decent mattress.
The unqualified regret you wish you could amend...I don’t regret things because I learn from mistakes. If needs be, I always make amends.
The way you would spend your fantasy 24 hours, with no travel restrictions...I don’t like planning because it robs me of freedom, so I’d like a 24 hours that was full of surprises. I love Mallorca, so maybe I would go there with close friends, but travel is not essential.
The temptation you wish you could resist...Buying gadgets from the Apple Store. I love the design and quality of Mac machines and always get thelatest kit. The new iPad is brilliant.
The book that holds an everlasting resonance...The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I first read it when I was 17 and sitting in the back of an old Daimler with my girlfriend as her parents drove. It was snowing heavily and the story was as magical as the landscape. I love the depiction of the world through a child’s eyes.
The priority activity if you were the Invisible Man for a day...I’d love to work with Sir Anthony Hopkins, but if that doesn’t happen, I’d sneak on to a film set and watch him at work. He is a compelling actor.
The life of another with whom you would gladly trade placesThe German spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle. He wrote the book The Power Of Now and I would like to taste the immediacy of life that he experiences.
The film you can watch time and time again...Badlands from 1973, which I watched on video aged 12. Martin Sheen’s performance as a young man on a killing spree left me speechless. And it still does whenever I see it.
The person who has influenced you most...My school drama teacher Rhys Harrison. He was very honest with me about acting. He said: ‘You’ve got to have talent, luck and a thick skin.’ He
was right, and his advice stayed with me – especially the ‘thick skin’ bit!
The figure from history for whom you’d most like to buy a pie and a pint...Buddha. I’d ask him for some tips on the shortcuts to Enlightenment.
The piece of wisdom you would pass on to a child...If you don’t fall off, you’ll never learn how to get back on.
The unlikely interest that engages your curiosity...Snooker. When I was 17, I spent two years as the compere for the World Snooker Doubles tournament circuit, which was screened on television. I introduced all the greats, such as Alex Higgins and Steve Davis. I love watching the game and playing it, although I’m not very good.
The treasured item you lost and wish you could have again...When I was about seven, I had an air-pressure bazooka gun that fired plastic balls. I can’t remember how I lost it, but I was devastated. It was the best bazooka a boy could ever wish for.
The unending quest that drives you on...Enlightenment. When I finally give up looking, I will find it.
The poem that touches your soul...The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. It is about individualism. I took the other road and that has made all the difference in my life.
The misapprehension about yourself you wish you could erase...Acting opens up a world of misapprehension. I sometimes get odd looks in shops or the bank. Maybe, because of Hustle, people expect me to be a conman!
The event that altered the course of your life and character...I stopped drinking alcohol in 2004. Everything changed – for the better.
The crime you would commit knowing you could get away with it...Impersonating someone who looked like they knew what they were talking about.
The song that means most to you...The White Horses by Jackie Lee, the theme tune to the TV series of the
same name, which I loved in the early Seventies. It reminds me of happy
times growing up in Northampton.
The happiest moment you will cherish forever...The day I heard I had got into drama school when I was 19. I danced around my living room to Rebel Rebel by David Bowie.
The saddest time that shook your world...A grandparent died when I was five. Aside from the upset, I had the sudden, irreversible insight that one day I wouldn’t be around any more, either.
The unfulfilled ambition that continues to haunt you...It would be nice to have a film career.
The philosophy underpinning your life...This is it.
The order of service at your funeral...In my more dramatic moments, I always fancied Joni Mitchell singing
Woodstock. I might be able to top that with Suzanne by Leonard Cohen.
The way you want to be remembered...As someone who treated people decently and was never one to judge
The plug...Marc is starring in Cool Hand Luke at the Aldwych Theatre, London. Visit www.coolhandluke. co.uk for details.
Copyright: Rob McGibbon/Accessinterviews.com 2011 (2014). All rights reserved