Thanks Muvidlover. I agree Frances, its nice to hear that he's continuing to support Welsh cultural events. Hopefully, his schedule will permit him to be there for a part of the festival.

Thanks Annee and Fran. great stories!!!!!

Hi, Really nice to hear of Boy-o's support for the film festival in his homeland. Have no doubts that he will attend,if not this year,then very soon thereafter. He's always spoken so fondly of his home country, it would seem natural for him to want to support such an event, if his schedule allows.

I'm afraid - apart from afew words at the Welsh Baftas - I have to reluctantly agree with you, Havoc :hmm: but I suppose he was missing it a lot in the early days; now that he's more settled in the US, maybe he doesn't feel the need to talk about it. Like many of us who live far away from where we grew up, I'm guessing it holds a special place in his heart, yet.

He has mentioned it several times just in the last few months. Off the top of my head besides the Film Festival: He got up early with other Welsh expatriates to watch Wales rugby win Six Nations and watched some of it with Sean Connery while in N.Y. He filmed the Congratulations videotape for the rugby team with Matthew Rhys and Ioan spoke in Welsh throughout the message. He flew back to Wales just about a month and a half ago to accept an award from the Welsh BAFTA's and it was commented that he inspired Welsh pride by giving his acceptance speech in Welsh (either the only or one of the few.) There may be others, but I don't have the time to look it up right now.

Blimey, you're right, GG! (heels forehead) How could I skip over that beatiful Welsh speech??????? Oh, the shame of it! (skulks away.)

I think that sometimes you don´t need to name your country all the time to let people know that you are proud of it. Personally I don´t try to say ARGENTINA all the time, cos it will be annoying to say ARGENTINA if I don´t have the need to say ARGENTINA if we are not talking about ARGENTINA...... right? PS: ARGENTINA!

Personaly I've always been a little bit "mad" at him for having left Wales. :angry2: I feel it's like a treason to leave your country for another one. I'm sorry, that's me. :mrgreen: Everyone has the right to have his own ideas and live his own life. :) But to me, Ioan just doesn't "care" about Wales. Or doesn't care ANYMORE. But it's OK, as I just said. :)

The problem with that is - if he never left Wales, he never would have gone to RADA and might still be doing TV only in Wales in Welsh. The Welsh I'm sure would be very happy, but we would be missing out on a lot. Should we never leave our birthplace? If that were the case, I should be in Texas, a state I lived in for two weeks or Indiana where my parents grew up. I have great fondness for Indiana and visit relatives there when I can, but living there would have meant a totally different career and life. I also love California after having lived there nearly forty years. I still root for the Angels and like to visit when I can. But would I have missed the opportunity to come live where I am now. Not for a single moment! I've moved 33 times in my life. Believe me, moving to a new place doesn't mean you forget the old, in fact I think it makes you to cherish certain things about the old place even more. Sorry, I hope that doesn't sound too much like a lecture, but from everything Ioan has said, he loves Wales. He may not carry his Welsh flag anymore or talk about it all the time, but he has also grown up and likely become more secure in his idenity, so he doesn't feel the need to do either of those anymore. I do believe there is an interview where he talks about some of the things he said when he was younger.

I understand what you mean, GG, and I agree with you. It is obvious that much depends on what you want to do with your life, but refusing to leave the place you were born or grew up in can have you miss interesting opportunities. And who said your forget your origins, if you move somewhere else? Had Ioan never left Wales, we would very likely never known he exists, wouldn't we? (Can you imagine it? No Ioan as Hornblower or Lancelot?)

But what is the problem with having a positive attitude and enjoying where you are currently located? I'm sure there are things about L.A. that he doesn't like,(I could name a few) but why concentrate on that and end up miserable. Most people (actors included) talk about what is currently happening for them. When he relates an anecdote that happened in Wales or London from ten years ago, people complain that they've heard it before and differently. So instead, he talks about where he is currently. A while back, he mentions a beach named Cardiff by the Sea that reminded him of Wales and how beautiful it was. And then, he made the sin of saying it was nicer than the beaches in Cardiff, Wales. That got blown up into - he doesn't like Wales any more. He was just being honest about one of the advantages of living in California. Cardiff and the surrounding area has gorgeous beaches, the water is relatively warm and the weather great for a large portion of the year. When did it become a crime to say that there are advantages to one place over your hometown? It doesn't mean you like the former location any less.

And perhaps it has also to do with what he is being asked. I have a lot of foreign friends who say they keep being asked how they like it here before being asked to tell about the country they are originally from and I lost count of the times this happened to me when abroad.

Somehow,I've got a hunch that Ioan is just as patriotic and endearing of his home country as he ever has been;but,since he has chosen to live here in the US,he adopts this country fondly as well. He hasn't abandoned his roots! I don't think anyone ever really totally does that. He's most likely embracing the idea of 'you can take the boy out of Wales;but,you can't take the Wales out of the boy.' Unless he someday goes out of his mind,he's going to remember his foundations and upbringing in his homeland. I'm sure glad he's in the US,but know that he seems to still regard his native country with affection and pride, much as I would do,if I chose to go to Wales to live, for whatever reason(s).