Old But Interesting Interview.....
Catch this interview Ioan did following filming of Very Annie Mary...... http://www.cinema.com/articles/449/very-annie-mary-interview-with-ioan-gruffudd.phtml It's interesting to see how much his views have changed in six years:- "I don't think that it is necessary to live in the States, because casting is so international now. And, to be honest, it doesn't really appeal to me anyway. I'd miss the four seasons changing - the wind and the inevitable rain. "There's nothing beneath the surface in Los Angeles, it's flat and a bit like a trailer park. no history. I can't see myself uprooting. I may live in Kilburn with Matthew, but 'home' to me is still Cardiff and my mother and father's place." Aw, bless!

Thanks, StevieT, for this link. This reminds me of some of the "Welsh pride" statements that he later put down to youthful exuberance. We all change as we get older, but most of us don't have everything we say on record forever (for which favor I thank God daily!). I wonder if Ioan still thinks about a home in the hills with a few chickens? Sounds fine to me!

I found this interview quite entertaining, Stevie, and thanks for sharing it with all of us. It's funny how Time makes its mark on all of us,isn't it? Wonder if a "nice place in the hills with some land around it and some chickens to raise" still sounds as good to him now as it did then?

FloMo, Strange how BOTH of us were thinking the same thing with the same quote at the same time, wasn't it?!! :alien: :alien: Maybe we're really in the "Twilight Zone" after all................... I was also thinking how a Certain Lady would like living in that 'nice place' with chicken poo on the bottom of some of the pretty shoes she wears. (I know, Stevie, :tsk tsk: )

Wonderful find, Stevie: thanks for the link. Ah, how people change over the years!

:lol: I need a dictionary!! "... tivvy the place up ..." " ... she got a bit stroppy ... " I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes tidbit with David Warner (Sawyer from Mutiny). I can imagine that "glint" in Warner's eyes. But his statement when comparing himself to Hornblower made me cringe: We hold the same moral values, I think. Being loyal and honourable and gentlemanly is VERY important to me. :roll: I wish he could hold this over himself when dealing with broader Issues in which loyalty should have been a much wider net. He's much cleverer than me, though, ... Yup. 'Tis true.

Another quite old article about Ioan from the BBC website. ********** Gruffudd targets Bond - and cowboys By Tom Bourton BBC News website With Sir Lancelot and Horatio Hornblower already ticked off the list, actor Ioan Gruffudd is being linked with heroic roles ranging from James Bond to Owain Glyndwr. But the role the King Arthur star really fancies would see him take to the saddle, don a Stetson and fire a six-shooter in a Western. "I would love to play a cowboy," he said. "Having been on a horse for six months for King Arthur, there is something very romantic about that idea." Just days after reports that Pierce Brosnan would be hanging up Bond's Walther PPK for good, press speculation about who might take over his holster has been feverish. And Gruffudd, from south Wales, would love the chance to become the next 007. "If I got the call, I would do it in a second," he said. "I love it - I think he's a great character, and you'd be mad to turn it down." But he stressed that, at the moment, it was all just "very flattering rumours" linking him with the role. After a hectic round of King Arthur promotion, he flies back to his Los Angeles home on Sunday, in preparation for filming to start on The Fantastic Four next week. The sci-fi adventure will see him play Mr Fantastic, the leader of a gang of scientists who develop special powers to fight the evil plans of Doctor Doom in the movie based on the comic book. Gruffudd said the role was a change from playing historical characters. "I am aware of the fact I have played predominantly period costume dramas and characters from history or literature," he said. But he is still keen to take these roles on, and identified Owain Glyndwr, a Welsh freedom fighter from the 15th Century, as a particular favourite. "He is one of the heroes of Welsh history and it would be good to do a gritty real version of that - certainly there are many scripts of it around." And he would be keen to recreate the spirit from the set of King Arthur, which opens across the UK on Friday. "We had a good camaraderie on set," he said. "Being in Dublin, it was hard not to socialise. "The leader of the pack was Ray Winstone - I don't know where he gets his energy." As for other projects, Gruffudd went to see his friend and fellow actor Matthew Rhys playing Romeo at the RSC in Stratford this week. He enjoyed the play, but is not sure the stage is for him. "I don't think I could do a run for that long - he is there for a year," he said. "To be honest, I think I would get bored doing it every night." Before travelling back across the Atlantic, Gruffudd may try to make a flying visit to Wales' annual cultural festival, the National Eisteddfod, in Newport. Last year, he received the honour of joining the Gorsedd of the Bards - an elite Welsh language group rewarded for their cultural achievements. But he is getting used to living in Hollywood. "Having lived there for a year, I am enjoying it," he said. "It is quite a rewarding place to live - it is such a lovely way of life and the climate is the biggest factor. "But the reality is I am there because the meetings take place, where the auditions are - it is close to work and I don't have to commute." British actors look after each other too. "Whenever there is an actor in town, you find out about it," Gruffudd said. "I saw Jude Law the other day - he was there for a couple of days promoting something - there's always people having a few quiet drinks." "It is quite a rewarding place to live - it is such a lovely way of life" Ioan Gruffudd on Hollywood Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/wales/3937575.stm Published: 2004/07/29 17:10:45 GMT © BBC MMVII

:lol: It is, indeed, hard to imagine Ioan telling the same story without changing a word of it day in day out for a year. :wink: Jokes apart, though it can be a good school for actors, as they are confronted at once with the audience's response to their job (while 'screen actors' are not confronted with it till months after they're done filming), the stage probably involves a higher degree of repetitiveness than cinema, IMHO.

With the stage, you also have to maintain a heavy amount of concentration for a sustanted period. If you lose it, you lose your audience and there are no do-overs until the next night. If you bore easily, it is extremely hard to keep your lines from becoming rote. At least Ioan seems to know where his strengths lie in terms of acting and can still admire Matthew for his versatility.

With the stage, we could say that there no do-overs at all because you perform each night in front of different people. Honestly, if I were an actress, I'd also prefer cinema over the stage and I appreciate Ioan for seemingly knowing where his strengths lies acting-wise and still being able to admire Matthew's versatility.

I think I would prefer the stage (at least thats what I thought at drama school) for the very reason that your performance has to be sustained. A good actor will find new depths in each performance and variances that will keep him on his toes. The whole system of rehearsals, line-learning and not much room for mistakes might have been a challenge for Ioan, who is an excellent screen actor, because of the nuances of his face. I sometimes wonder (no offence, Welshboy) if he would have the discipline of body language for stage acting, if only because alot of his characters, though very different, seem to have the same mannerisms. I could be totally wrong - he passed the audition for RADA, after all. just thinking out loud......I'm willing to be shot down in flames by a fine stage performance, Ioan, preferably Shakespeare - how about the Globe? your mate had the RSC covered :wink:

In fact, I've heard of many actors whose main work is in feature films or TV series but who occasionally work on the stage as well and are proud of it or are set on working on the stage because they feel the discipline necessary to sustain their performances, the little room for mistakes, and the immediate feedback that they get from their audiences can help them improve their performances on screen. I've also sensed that there's more prestige in stage work than screen work.

I've gotten to act in some (very small) stage productions again the last few years, after many years in the background and I've had a few chances to work on film/ video. Personally, I enjoy the immediate feedback of stage work, even though it's more nervewracking. Stevie, I agree with you that stage work takes a lot more discipline and can elevate your craft level much faster. And I feel that some actors are more suited to a particular medium. As you said, much of Ioan's appeal does come from the emotional nuances on his face and they don't always play as well on a big stage. He seems to carry a lot of tension in his body language which could show more on stage. Since he's taken body courses at RADA and he was willing to go back for coaching for aspects of AG and perhaps other projects. I would guess he would work very diligently on those mannerisms if he did a stage project. And of course, his first job after RADA was three months at the Gate, so he probably just realized he didn't like the repetition. I don't know about you, but I never did more than 8 performances of any production I was in, so I don't know if I'd like it long term. I think it could just become a job. I've also sensed that there's more prestige in stage work than screen work. That was the impression I always got in both the Theater and the Film Departments.

I vaguely remember Matthew saying something about the fact that things are different every time, because the audience is different, the vibe is different, things can go wrong, go right when you don't expect it and you have to be able to improvise, which doesn't seem to be one Ioan's fortes either, looking at how he handles interviews. This is not sarcastically meant. It seems to me that Ioan is trying too hard. He is not himself.