Interview with Ralph Brown
(March 22, 1999)

1. What did you think of the part of Prince John in the Ivanhoe series?

It was, quite simply, the best part I have ever been offered on screen. John was a much maligned figure in English history, often compared to his brother Richard and hated by the church ("bad King John") who wrote the first draft of history. I tried to redress the balance somewhat while sticking to the script and playing the bad guy. It was the most fun I have ever had as a performer...

2. What actors have inspired you most?

John Hurt, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anthony Hopkins, Montgomery Clift, Klaus Maria Brandauer (Mephisto), Arthur Lowe (British character actor), Malcolm McDowell, Gary Oldman

3. Regarding your law degree, have you ever thought of practicing in that profession?

Many many times, especially after a series of painful rejections, or feeling that I am wasting my brain and intelligence!

4. What is your opinion of Charles Dickens as a person, as a man?

He is my favourite writer in the English language, a deeply compassionate instinctive genius for the reality of the human condition in society. Funny too.

5. Who are your other favourite writers and why?

Philip K. Dick for having the best ideas ever, Thomas Hardy for being poetic about Southern England where I grew up, Joseph Campbell for pure inspiration, William Blake for being mad, Kurt Vonnegut for being funny and sad, Raymond Chandler for being a fantasy male creator (Philip Marlowe), James Baldwin for making me want to write, Dostoyevsky for immersing me in another world at a tender age when I wanted to escape my own one, Shakespeare for (mainly) Macbeth.

6. What are your plays about? How long have you been writing?

They're broadly speaking about ME of course which is to say they have emotional journeys in them which I have undertaken...been writing since I was 29 seriously.

7. At what age did you become interested in acting? Did your interest evolve over a period of time, or did a specific incident/event make you decide to work in the field?

First school play aged 15 - loved it. Never took drama seriously until 1978, summer school in Edinburgh, meeting other students who were GOING TO BE ACTORS!!

8. Do you enjoy film, television, and stage work equally, or do you prefer one more than the others?

Film work definitely.

9. Do you plan to continue both writing and acting? (Please say yes.) Any interest in directing?

Yes, Yes, YES!

10. Do you think your life will change significantly when the new Star Wars movie is released?

No. Being recognised in the supermarket is not significant. I hope!

Questions submitted by Jaana Nuorteva and Lesley Pohl. All copyrights belong to their lawful owners.