"MY LONDON"
Evening Standard (UK), By Alice B-B
April 21st, 2006
Source

The actor fills up his little black book from Smythson and demolishes the seafood platter at The Cow.

Where do you live and why?
Notting Hill. My flat's on the 18th floor, so it's got the best view of London that I've ever seen. From my window, I can see the Albert Hall, Battersea Power Station, the Gherkin and the London Eye.

How long have you lived there?
Two and a half years. Before that I lived in Battersea.

What are your most memorable London meals?
The year I bought my flat, I cooked fish pie on New Year's Eve for about ten people. At midnight we got a ten-minute, city-wide fireworks display. I also eat at Black's (a private members' club on Dean Street).

What do you miss when you're out of London?
Walking in Hyde Park. I always head towards the Serpentine. I've even swum in it a few times.

What is your earliest London memory?
Going to the Natural History Museum to see the brontosaurus. Actually no, my first London memory was being a pageboy at my godfather's wedding when I was about five. I wore a satin shirt with little satin buttons that my mother made.

What are your favourite home comforts?
Books and I buy them everywhere, the whole time.

What are your extravagances?
Eating out. Every so often I get pangs of guilt, stock the fridge and then watch it all go bad.

What would you do if you were Mayor for a day?
Be suspended I should think. Actually I'd do something to make the theatre less expensive.

What is your life philosophy?
If you don't find yourself ridiculous, then somebody else will do it for you.

Do you have a favourite pub?
The Uxbridge Arms because it's about 30 seconds from my home.

Which clothes shops would you like to be let loose in?
Maybe Martin Margiela or Missoni. On the whole I would rather be let out of clothes shops.

Your most disastrous fashion moment?
I bought a Monopoly tie when I was at school, which seemed amusingly charming at the time.

What are your current projects?
Shooting Dogs, about the 1994 Rwandan genocide. I'm hoping to go back to Rwanda for a screening.

Where do you go for a long, lazy weekend lunch?
The Cow, maybe if you can find someone to help with a seafood platter and a few pints of Guinness. Or in the winter, Maggie Jones.

Who is your playwright of choice?
Brian Friel. He wrote a play called Faith Healer, which was the first modern play I got to know.

What were the last books you bought?
Author Author by David Lodge and Arthur George by Julian Barnes. I bought them both at a train station.

Where were the last three places you went on holiday?
I went to Capri for a film festival on New Year's Eve. The Maldives; it's the only beach holiday I've ever been on. There were huts on stilts and fish and turtles. Also Wales, where my grandparents have a bungalow.

What was the last play you saw in London?
Mary Stuart. I enjoyed it very much. I'd just been in Elizabeth I, so it was great watching another actress play Elizabeth.

Who is your favourite director?
The late Elia Kazan (On the Waterfront, the original Death of a Salesman, Splendour in the Grass with Warren Beatty). He manages to portray real life but with poetry.

What was the last CD you bought?
The Magic Numbers it's a very catchy record. I go to the CD exchange shops on Notting Hill Gate. They're owned by the same people who have a second-hand clothes shop called Retro Man. I sold some stuff there the other day.

Which items are in your spring wardrobe?
Pretty much the same as last spring. Though when I worked with John Hurt on Shooting Dogs, he had six pairs of white linen trousers and six linen shirts, and that's all he ever wore. I might go down that route. However, I have bought an old fifties-style cardigan with some kind of college insignia from a makeshift stall on a street corner in New York, a black long-sleeved T-shirt from Agnes B and brogues from Burberry.

What advice would you give to a tourist?
Follow the Thames. Go to the South Bank and walk all the way along the river; it's the best way to understand the city. Oh, and use public transport.

Who is in your secret address book?
Tylers, the DIY shop on Notting Hill Gate, which sells everything. It probably even sells rare animals. If I've got time on my hands, I start inventing things I need just to go in there. They might start giving me airmiles. And I'm a bit of a sucker for Smythson; I like the black notebooks. Not the ones that say 'blonde, brunette, or red head,' just the plain ones. I write lists of things to do and then ignore them.

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