READING
A Brief History of Britain 1066-1485, by Nicholas Vincent, because I’m getting ready to be
in Shakespeare’s “Richard II.” I learned that he was married to a 6-year-old, which was a revelation,
and there’s some question of whether or not he was gay. It can be a good reason for not researching anything and just
using the script because you can’t bend the character to the historical accuracy of his life, necessarily. It can be
a bit distracting but equally regularly it can enliven something and make something make more sense or give you a new way
into something.
What I
keep returning to when I have a bit of free reading time is Hunter Davies’s book about the Beatles. The Beatles
are a relatively recent passion of mine. So I have been gradually swotting up and becoming all the more fascinated by them
as a creative force and as four individuals. I think it’s always interesting to set those two things against each other
— try and find where among four ordinary blokes the overlap creates genius.
LISTENING
Johnny Marr’s The
Messenger. He was the guitarist in The Smiths. He’s always been sort of regarded as the king of a certain
type of credible indie-pop. On this album, he’s kind of let loose. It feels like he’s allowed himself not to be
pretentious.
Also Desert Island Discs is a BBC radio show, which invites people who
are forerunners in their fields to talk about eight records that they’d take to a desert island. People reveal all sorts
of things about themselves that they don’t elsewhere. You get an insight into a variety of high-achieving people, I
suppose, and what makes them tick.
WATCHING
Vicious is
a sitcom with Ian McKellen and David Jacobi playing an old gay couple, who have been together for 45 years. It’s wildly
camp, very over-the-top and borderline offensive. Maybe it’s because I grew up watching McKellen and Jacobi play every
great Shakespearean role, there’s something delicious about watching them playing a couple of old queens.
And 10 O’Clock
Live. It’s like The Daily Show. It’s a current affairs comedy show that’s only
on once a week. It has just some of the sharpest performers and writers deconstructing the week’s events fairly acidly.
PLAYING
I recently started piano lessons.
I took piano lessons when I was about 10 for six months. And inevitably because I was 10, I gave them up and ever since I’ve
thought I should get back to that. And recently I did but then I had to go away filming so I’ve had three lessons and
I don’t know when I’m going to have the next one, but I’m determined. It’s gonna happen.
EATING
I’m
about to sit down to some Peri-Peri chicken, which is a common weekend favorite in our house from the local Nando’s.
Peri-Peri chicken. Do you know it? It’s just a way of grilling chicken but in quite a spicy marinade.
