Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Actor best known for playing Sergeant Brody in Homeland (Emmy & Golden Globe winner) and Band of Brothers.
On the island
Eight records
The keepsakes
In conversation
Presenter asks
1:32Are you a ball of sort of kinetic energy who feels you've got to occupy every moment?
Uh No, I'm not, because I fail at that constantly. But I think it's probably part of the way I was brought up, part of my schooling, that one just tries one's best at all times. And giving any less than that is somehow unsatisfying.
Presenter asks
3:03How does your life change when you're not filming? Do you have a period of readjustment, a 're-entry' back into normal home life?
Uh re-entry is a very good word. In fact, it's what we use as well. You have to slot back in with the rhythms of the family. Helen and I are strong, independent people and you become single very quickly again. She quickly feels like a single mum if I'm away for a period of time. I feel like a single man. And it's disconcerting. Once you've become a father and a husband, and your wife and your children aren't there, then what are you? So coming back You're keen and eager for it just to take off exactly where it left off. It never does. It's never that smooth. And there is no shorthand. There's no shortcut.
Presenter asks
6:22Is it true you sat next to President Obama at the White House and had a good old chin wag?
The book
J.M. Roberts
The luxury
I would quite like to take a whittling kit, where I could whittle useless [objects].
Well, it was an unforgettable night. Helen and I were rather amazed to be there in the first place, and were fully expecting to be sat by the revolving door. There were 400 people there, and Helen and I sauntered up through the cherry blossoms, through the White House, behaved like teenage tourists, and had our pictures taken next to the famous portraits of Jackie O and various others. And then I got to the President, and I don't know what possessed me, but I said to him, Sir, Mr. President, we're very keen to keep homeland as current as possible, so if there's any chance of going into Iran, will you let us know? At which point... At which point I saw three security guys either side of me sort of perk up somebody said I ran in the White House. Somebody said I ran. And I sure enough, I had this enormous hand sort of cuff me to one side on my right cheek of my derrier, I hasten to add. And I was sort of shunted along to David Cameron, who was next in line. But he um the President had a great sense of humor. He looked me square in the eye and he he said, I'll be sure to let you know as soon as it happens. And uh it was remarkable. It was remarkable and it remains remarkable in our in our memories.
Presenter asks
10:46Tell me more about your mother. I've read you describe her as strong.
Mum was a fiercely protective, loving, giving woman. Tough love, a generation that was still giving tough love, but probably more likely to say, you know, your father and I love you in a letter than to your face, but really, really loved, gave a lot of time to other people. It was sort of a a family joke that our house just off Abbey Road became a sort of refuge for children, friends of all of ours, who maybe didn't see their parents so much, or when they came to stay in London would always stay at our house. And mum was always there, and as they grew older into their twenties, she was always ready to sit down and give people advice.
Presenter asks
13:31You went to boarding school aged eight. Who were you at boarding school? How were you dealing with the situation?
Um well, I have to you know, I have to say that song is only part of the story because part of my memory of boarding school, certainly early on, it's bucolic surroundings. I have this rather sort of Laurie Lee-esque nostalgia for open fields and being out late at night jumping across the ha and stuff. But I think the other side of it is that, you know, going away at eight is a is a uh A sphincter tightening exercise where y y an eight year old is asked to deal with a with a new situation that I think can be overwhelming and some some swim, some sink. It it it definitely informs who you become later.
Presenter asks
28:08Are you conscious that the things you say will be followed up and reported? Because you're quite a sparky person. Do you feel compromised by fame?
I'm I'd be lying if I said that I it didn't cross my mind. It does cross your mind. But the easiest way to not compromise yourself is to not read The endless stream of drivel There is social media. You know. I tweet occasionally, very rarely, and I had to do it only because someone had assumed my identity and I kept getting in trouble with people. Um but um that's the simplest thing. is don't don't follow yourself. You know, say what you want to say and then don't read all the all the rubbish. That might come out in response to it.
“You have to slot back in with the rhythms of the family. Helen and I are strong, independent people and you become single very quickly again. She quickly feels like a single mum if I'm away for a period of time. I feel like a single man. And it's disconcerting. Once you've become a father and a husband, and your wife and your children aren't there, then what are you?”
“Well, it was an unforgettable night. Helen and I were rather amazed to be there in the first place, and were fully expecting to be sat by the revolving door. There were 400 people there, and Helen and I sauntered up through the cherry blossoms, through the White House, behaved like teenage tourists, and had our pictures taken next to the famous portraits of Jackie O and various others. And then I got to the President, and I don't know what possessed me, but I said to him, Sir, Mr. President, we're very keen to keep homeland as current as possible, so if there's any chance of going into Iran, will you let us know? At which point... At which point I saw three security guys either side of me sort of perk up somebody said I ran in the White House. Somebody said I ran. And I sure enough, I had this enormous hand sort of cuff me to one side on my right cheek of my derrier, I hasten to add. And I was sort of shunted along to David Cameron, who was next in line. But he um the President had a great sense of humor. He looked me square in the eye and he he said, I'll be sure to let you know as soon as it happens. And uh it was remarkable. It was remarkable and it remains remarkable in our in our memories.”
“Um well, I have to you know, I have to say that song is only part of the story because part of my memory of boarding school, certainly early on, it's bucolic surroundings. I have this rather sort of Laurie Lee-esque nostalgia for open fields and being out late at night jumping across the ha and stuff. But I think the other side of it is that, you know, going away at eight is a is a uh A sphincter tightening exercise where y y an eight year old is asked to deal with a with a new situation that I think can be overwhelming and some some swim, some sink. It it it definitely informs who you become later.”
“It was something that was absolutely instinctive, and I felt it was a place where one sort of swam. It's the feeling that people who love swimming feel in water. And because I'm not a brilliant swimmer, I never quite feel it in water, but I feel it there on stage. It's one of the reasons I still love playing football, for the athleticism of it and the challenge to oneself physically, but also just because for 90 minutes you forget about everything except the ball and your relation geometric relation to other players on the pitch. So and that's not dissimilar to being on stage and being aware that you're playing for an audience and also creating a credible and interesting character from your imagination. Just for me, it's just a l a lovely place to be.”
“I'm I'd be lying if I said that I it didn't cross my mind. It does cross your mind. But the easiest way to not compromise yourself is to not read The endless stream of drivel There is social media. You know. I tweet occasionally, very rarely, and I had to do it only because someone had assumed my identity and I kept getting in trouble with people. Um but um that's the simplest thing. is don't don't follow yourself. You know, say what you want to say and then don't read all the all the rubbish. That might come out in response to it.”