In honor of the release today of the DVD of “Amazing Grace,” I was trilled to spend some time chatting on the phone with Ioan Gruffudd (pronounced Yo-an Griffith) who plays William Wilberforce in the film. (If you know nothing about this film, I recommend jumping down to the previous blog of the review and reading that first.)
On the DVD’s commentary, director Michael Apted likened Wilberforce and the young Prime Minister Pitt taking on the senior members of Parliament to Gruffudd and his young co-stars taking on seriously tenured actors Ciaran Hinds, Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon, and even Albert Finney in this film. But I hardly think that Gruffudd can be classified as a young upstart.
Since I first noticed Gruffudd as the bright-eyed young lover in “The Forsyte Saga,” I’ve always been thrilled to stumble on him in a film here and there (okay, and consciously rented every movie I’d missed). His star has definitely been rising.
Possibly most-widely known for his cinematic role as the rubbery leader of the "Fantastic Four," Gruffudd is no newcomer to playing dramatic leading parts—or working with highly tenured co-stars. As Lancelot to Clive Owen’s King Arthur, conquering the high seas as Horatio Hornblower, or carrying a television production of “Great Expectations” as Pip (which was nominated for an Emmy as Outstanding Miniseries), Gruffudd has still somehow not really earned the credit or face-recognition he deserves.
But Apted knew his work, and Gruffudd was on the short list for Wilberforce from early on. And he did not hesitate to jump at the opportunity. It was a “no-brainer” he says.
Gruffudd says he could tell from the script that this was a chance to play a truly heroic character. “He was somebody who was larger than life—against all odds had prevailed in this quest to abolish the slave trade.” But he also admits that as excited as he was to play the role, it was a very humbling experience because Wilberforce achieved so much in his life.
“It would take me 20 lifetimes to achieve what he did,” Gruffudd admits. “And he was such a self-less person as well. He was doing this on behalf of other people. As an actor, I have to admit I’m selfishly going after a career—quite driven and ambitious with a goal orientated toward self. But here was a character that did everything for the sake of others.”
But Gruffudd does feel that some of his own qualities, including being a bit eccentric, helped him to play Wilberforce.
“I suppose what I was able to bring to it was who I am as a person. It is me representing this person, so I suppose that the way I was brought up and my outlook on life and the way that I am as a person towards other people, I think, lends itself to playing this sort of character—the qualities that were needed—being somewhat eccentric and still compassionate and open.”
“I certainly have a reverence towards him and towards anybody that sort of stands up against any sort of injustice. It just reiterates the fact of how brave he was in that period of time to stand up against his own country and his own Parliament and his own economy. I mean, he’s asking Britain to be on its knees, really, by trying to abolish the trade which obviously made Britain the country that it is now. The whole empire was built on the back of the slave trade.”
But succeed Wilberforce did, and without a war or any of the political drama that the United States required to give men freedom.
Gruffudd was also thrilled to have Evangelical Christians support the film, a group among whom Wilberforce counted himself a member, and the hearty endorsement of Wilberforce’s descendants who attended the premier. It can be tricky playing a legend, but the encouragement from these two fronts was wonderful.
He jokes that Wilberforce’s family looks remarkably like him—have almost eerily similar features—so it was like having him present and watching right at the premier. “They were over the moon,” he says, “and very proud.”
Along with having to live up to the legend of the man, Gruffudd also found himself toe to toe with some of Britain’s leading and most well-respected actors. He equates it with the chance to play soccer with Pele or play tennis against McEnroe. And he humbly admits that he took many lessons away from the experience.
“You sort of raise your game because you’re in the presence of such greatness,” he says. “And what’s wonderful about it is that it wasn’t just a lesson in acting, it was a lesson in humanity. The reason these guys are fantastic is because they’re such great people themselves. They’re just extraordinary people in their own right and that’s what comes across when they’re performing on the stage or on the screen.”
“This whole experience was such a pleasurable one and one of the happiest experiences I’ve had as an actor on the set.” From the director to the script to the wonderful co-stars—“across the board it was the most satisfying thing I’ve ever done,” he says.
And that joy and satisfaction comes across on the screen and gives Gruffudd’s performance a naturalness and, well, a grace that is rare to find and that unfortunately went pretty well unrecognized by the “powers that be.” If you’ve missed some of the movies I mentioned earlier, it is well worth the time to rent them and enjoy.
And be sure to rent "Amazing Grace," or better yet buy it, on DVD today. This film is sure to be a classic and is one not to be missed.
http://megwelchdendlercs.blogspot.com/2007/11/ioan-gruffudd-interview-on-amazing.html