Schindler's List. The English Patient. Red Dragon. The usually press-shy Ralph Fiennes should have plenty to shout about. But its a low budget thriller from David Cronenberg that's bringing him out of his shell...
Ralph fiennes dosesn't do interviews. At least, not many. A private man who likes to let his work do the squawking, he's never been one to jump through media hoops. Don't get us wrong: he'll crawl through them if need be, gritting his teeth in the name of professionalism, but his answers aren't just the usual PR gush. They're often hesitant, always thoughtful, and his deliberate mutterings are punctuated by pause after pause after pause...
Ah, but Total film has an ace up its sleeve. Perched on a decorative sofa in Claridge's, London, we've been informed by a friendly press officer that Mr Ralph is mighty proud of Spider, out in January. And so he should be: his portrait of a schizophrenic in David Cronenberg's study of mental illness is minutely observed and painstakingly textured.
Thing is, Fiennes is in the middle of promoting Red Dragon, in which he plays psycho Francis Dolarhyde. He's been talking about him all week. Hannibal Lecter this, Tooth Fairy that. Silence Of the Lambs here, Manhunter there. He must have had his fill. Which is perhaps why the press officer chose this moment to gab some pertinent advice - the normally reticent Fiennes is bursting to talk about Spider. He wants to "raise its profile."
Entering the room with a gentle handshake and a murmered, "Nice to meet you, " Fiennes politely requests a platter of sarnies before slumping into the facing sofa. Total film explains we're here to cover all of his career, from the ups of Schindler's List and the English Patient to the downs of The Avengers and Strange Days; from his treasured stage work to more personal movies like Onegin. And that, yes, we'd like to chat about his smash hit Red Dragon, but what we really want to start with is a movie set in a timeless, tattered London, along the squalid banks of canals and among the tangles weeds of allotments. A movie called Spider.
Fiennes' grin becomes broader and he shifts to the very edge of his seat....
Total Film: There couldn't have been much on the page to attract you to the role of Spider. He barely talks and much of his personality emerges through body language.
Ralph Fiennes: No, there wasn't much down on the page. What drew me to Spider was the tragic circumstances. He's done something wrong as a child but that dosen't make him evil, it makes him disturbed and fearful. And that's tragic. Also, I haven't been offered this kind of role before - he really isn't like anyone else. He has his own way of looking at things.
It's the kind of role where you have to put a great deal of trust in the director...
Yeah, David Cronenberg was fantastic. Whatever he does is better than you can anticipate. David took out a lot of the voiceover from the screenplay, insted choosing to convey Spider's inner world through the way he shot it - through camera positioning and lighting.
Did you visit any psychiatric ward to research the role?
Actors or writers observing patients in psychiatric hospitals is a delicate issue. Rightly so. And this was particularly sensitive because of Spider's past - we didn't want the authorities thinking we were demonising all schizophrenics. But I was able to meet various people with schizophrenia. They're normal people of course, and you meet them and realise it isn't them and us, but some happen to have this problem. They're courageous people.
It must have been hard to break out of character between takes. Robert de Niro, for example, couldn't stop twitching after filming Awakenings...
You're right. Spider dosen't have many words, so I had to become Spider, exist as Spider. I've now managed to leave him behind but I sense that I could find him again. He's in me somewhere.
When you say you had to "exist "as Spider, do you mean you took to method acting?
Method acting, as I understand it, is all about exploring your own emotions and bringing them to bear on the role. I like to think I'm "inside" a part 100 per cent whatever the role, but I don't think I'm a Method actor. I just tend to follow my instincts. I don't think there's something called Method acting and no-Method acting. There's just good acting.
It's interesting that you've also just played Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon. There are some interesting parallels to Spider: the mental illness, the familial abuse...
Dolarhyde was another part without many words. But this time I was drawn to the showy element - the tattoo, the eating of the painting and so on... There's an outrageous, high key element to it, but then there's also the shy boy trying to have a relationship with Emily Watson's character. There was a lot to find. Take the scenes with Emily: she has a rhythm of talking, she's very practical, she's totally confident. He's not practised in social intercourse and the way he responds is all about awkardness. Yet when he chooses to be the Dragon, its very different...
Your Dolarhyde is more "normal" than Tom Noonan's in Manhunter. He's less disfigured, less physically imposing and less ostensibly monstrous.
I didn't see Manhunter until after we'd made Red Dragon, but I thought Tom Noonan was excellent. When I came to play Dolarhyde, I was aware of the cliches. And I was aware that it would be easy to go over the top - especially in the scene where Phillip Seymour Hoffman is strapped to a wheelchair. We've seen it in a million horror movies. Still, I think we did it well. and I love the scenes with Emily and the scene where I got to eat the painting.
Hopefully you didn't need to many takes...
Actually, I did quite a few. But I didn't swallow (laughs).
Dolarhyde's physique is a vital part of his mental make up. did you spend months working out?
I was down to the gym a lot. I wanted to look as strong as I could. I didn't have much time and I'm not built in a way that I can put on weight easily, so it was hard work. I had a great trainer who said the only way to build up is to lift heavy weights and eat a lot. But not too much shit. I put on a lot of weight and then some more. It gets obsessive. But then that's the part..
How long did it take to have the Red Dragon tattoo etched on your back?
It took around seven or eight hours, but they only put it on twice. It wasn't painful. I just zoned out while they did it.
Are you aware that your director, Brett Ratner, describes you as "a complete unknown" in the films production notes?
[laughs] I saw that! I thought he must have been misquoted. Complete unknown? Relative unknown maybe, but complete unknown sounds a bit rich to me.
Your career's had highs and lows. Have you consciously turned away from stardom or has it been down to bad choices and unlucky circumstances?
Strange Days was a movie that I loved. I thought it would do really well but it didn't and I don't know why. Then there was the Avengers, which was obviously a disaster. I haven't been in a big hit.
The English Patient?
I meant since I made The English Patient.
Is that something that bothers you or do you prefer to do smaller, more personal projects?
It bothers me because films like Spider and The End of the Affair - which I thought was a very good film - are hard to finance, and being a star would help. Still, at least the smaller movies aren't expected to make money. They do well critically but not commercially. A Hollywood film, on the other hand, is expected to make money. If it dosen't, then its failure rubs off on you. Sure, I've felt certain levels of disappointment but I've been able to do films like Onegin, Oscar and Lucinda and Sunshine. Obviously, the material that makes for a big Hollywood success isn't going to be as good as things like Sunshine.
Schindler's List and The English Patient didn't do too badly, commercially or critically. How did you find the promotional merry-g-round of Oscar campaigning?
I did stuff because you have to do your bit - its good for the film. And all you can do is try and enjoy it. As for the awards themselves, it's gratifying to be nominated, but then everyone talks it up and its quite unhealthy to be around that kind of hype.
Were you disappointed to lose out on the night? Many people thought you were going to win for your portrayal of the Nazi Amon Goeth in Schindler's List.
I was naive enough to buy into the flattery on Schindler's List. I thought I was in with a chance. But that taught me to be more at ease the second time around. I actually thought Geoffrey Rush would win, and I voted for him myself. What makes it tough is the way people react when you don't win: they don't know what to say to you and they don't want to catch your eye.
How about reviews? Do they affect you? The Avengers, in particular was savaged...
I'm as sensitive as the next person. In fact, I have a messy approach to dealing with reviews. I'm curious and want to get good press, but if I don't, I'll obsess and magnify what may have been a small gripe into a hatchet job. I take it to heart and wonder what I'm doing wrong. Some reviews for Red Dragon have been good and some not so good. I suppose that shows you can't take any of them to heart, because there are so many opinions.
You're obviously part of a large artistic family. Is it a supportive set up or are there rivalries?
People ask if Joseph and I are rivals, but I never feel that. We've made different choices and there's also an age difference. We tend to support each other.
How about your sister, Martha? She directed you in Onegin. Wasn't that a little bit bizarre?
Being directed by her was fine. She offered up many ideas, which I always like. It was my position as prouducer that caused a few concerns. I wouldn't go as far as saying there were disagreements, but I had one veiwpoint and she had another.
You mentioned that doing theatre is important to you. Is it something you'll always keep up?
Yeah, I love the theatre. I like being in front of an audience and the feel of telling a story in a continuous movement. Its three films since I did a play and I'm really looking forward to being in rehearsal again [Fiennes is about to star in Christopher Hampton's The Talking cure]. Sometimes in film, you build up a head of steam and then have to redo it bacause the technological side isn't quite there. I've found that I'm a third or fourth take actor; after that it goes away and its hard to be creative or spontaneous. The theatre is more about concentrating on the moment, not worrying about what you've just done.
Can you tell me about your next movie, Maid In Manhattan, with Jennifer Lopez?
Its a classic romantic comedy, very much like the ones in the '40's and '50's: young, poor single mother, working in a big hotel, meets a well heeled Republican American, but they meet when she's trying on a very hot Dolce & Gabbana suit as a dare... naturally certain complications arise. Stanley Tucci plays my campaign manager and Bob Hoskins plays a butler. Wayne Wang directed it, and did so with a great deal of good taste.
So How was it working with La Lopez? She has a fearsome reputation...
I haven't got many stories to tell other than she turns up for work and knows her lines. She's quite challenging to work with, but only in that she's very good so you have to be able to match her. As for the publicity about her .. she may have had some hand in it, or maybe people are just suspicious of someone who's ambitious.
And beyond Maid In Manhattan? Have any new doors opened up for you now that Brett Ratner's "discovered" you?
David Cronenberg and I really want to work together again. I would also quite like to work with Kathryn Bigelow [Strange Days] once more. I thought her latest movie, K-19 was really good. The only other aspiration that leaps to mind right now is to work with someone young, maybe someone who's making their first movie. When I work with older people, it tends to be a teacher-parent relationship, but working with Brett taught me that I respond well to energy, too.