Joseph Fiennes, younger brother of Ralph, has truly hit the big time. Two
of his latest movie projects have received Oscar nominations - Elizabeth
with Cate Blanchett and Shakespeare in Love, co starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
NW: The chemistry between you and Gwyneth Paltrow is the best we've seen in
a long, long time. What was that like for you?
JF: Gwyneth and I get on wonderfully, and she's fantastic, and a joy to work
with.And the whole team, likewise. I think it's down to John Madden picking
the chemistry. People can hate each other, and on screen they just look
tremendous. And there's the flip side - they can be madly in love and they
just don't work. So, I don't know what the science is, but it's out there.
NW: Gwyneth Paltrow said that both of you were pretty comfortable with the
love scenes - and the nudity. Was it just another day at the office for you?
JF: Yeah, kind of. I'm a bit shy myself - give me a sword fight any day!
But a love scene... No, it was good fun. It's all part and parcel of the
work. I've done it before. You kind of get used to it. It's not nearly
as sassy or romantic on the set while you're doing it as it is on film.
NW: What is your favourite scene?
JF: I like the sword fight. That's just because I'm a bit of a boy (laughs).
But that was good fun. I love working with Bill Hobbs - he's an extraordinary
fight director. And we had great fun with ideas and with coreographing it.
NW: How did you feel when you first saw Gwyneth disguised as a boy?
JF: Surprisingly, it was a turn-on, yeah (laughs). She made a lot of guys
question their sexuality on set. She was pretty damn gorgeous, yeah.
And I love that. That's the brilliant thing about the play - Tom Stoppard
has taken the idea from Shakespeare, that famous, sad British tradition of
cross dressing, and thrown it up on the stage. I love that idea of the
confusion of love. It's rather like the scene in As You Like It with Rosalind
and Orlando, where he's madly in love with this boy and he doesn't know why.
It's just the confusion of love, the chaos of it. And I think Tom's sort of
mastered that beautifully.
NW: What could be more daunting than to portray Will Shakespeare himself?
What was that like for you?
JF: Scary. It started out very scary. Possibly because he's sacred ground to
so many people. To myself, to theatre-goers, to directors, actors,
playwrights, academics especially. So, to embark on that was daunting. But
then the flip-side of it is there is absolutely nothing thats concrete about
him. We know nothing about him. You can just make a profile from the sonnets,
from the plays, but even then they contradict each other. In terms of his
faith, his religion, his sexuality, his knowledge of court, his knowledge
of street life. They contradict to such a degree, it's infuriating.
NW: But he must have been renowned to a certain extent in his day. There
must be something ...
JF: Nothing, There's nothing. At least I'm saying that, I'll probably get
phoned up and told, "You're terribly wrong. You missed the library."
NW: But you probably checked. I would imagine.
JF: I did check! The one thing that he left behind was his will to Anne
Hathaway. And he generously left her a chair and a table, and that was
about it.
NW: Does the kind of love shown in the film really exist?
JF: Oh it does, it does! I've got a feeling that in terms of Romeo and
Juliet he must have tapped into the dynamic or the pain of love. All the
complexities that love creates. So yeah, I think it's got to exist.
NW: What is your relationship life with your brother Ralph?
JF: Good, very good.
NW: You're on the verge of a huge career and he's in the midst of one.
It's unusual to see that happen in one family.
JF: There's the Redgraves, the Cusacks, numerous other families. So that's
not new. I don't know - it just happened. It has panned out that way. I've
done several years of theatre. An this film - it's just part and parcel of
the job, really. It's another job and I have to keep grounded.
NW: Has he talked to you at all about staying grounded?
JF: No, not at all.
NW: Is it going to be strange when you are suddenly recognised by everyone
in the street?
JF: It's been very gradual. And I'm pretty clued up on how it all works, to
a certain degree.
NW: At least people can pronounce your first name.
JF: Joff it is (laughs)
NW: Do you have the same problems with Ralph as your surname (which is
pronounced fines)
JF: Yeah, there have been some rather wonderful interpretations - quite full
of imagination. But it's not an ordinary name so it's up for grabs.
NW: This certainly going to be a breakthrough role for you. What are you
expectation once all that opens up for you?
JF: I have no expectations. I have done enough theatre for that to be my base
and a home. So if things work or they don't work, that's kind of home for me.
NW: Does it bother you that your life will be an issue?
JF: Yeah it does because the more you don't talk about it the more people
want to know. I'm happy to talk about it but it's a bit of a Catch 22.
Hopefully people will just tire and move onto the next guy.
NW: Shakespeare in Love is a wonderful film but it's a tricky sell. How would you describe
it to potential audiences?
JF: Well, it is a tricky sell. I was thinking last night of what other films
are like this - what category would you place it in? You can't. It's totally
unique. It's by no means a costume drama. It's totally modern. It's vibrant.
It's sexy. It's funny. It's moving. It's life-enhancing, completely. It's an
introduction to a man and his work - a man who could only have survived 400
years because he's got something special. He managed to throw a mirror up to
society and to ourselves, individually, and I think that has survived today.
An I think the play invites us to look at all our social attitudes, and the
love of life, and inspiration in other people.
NW: Was there an advantage for you being the youngest in your family? Did
you siblings kind of pave the way?
JF: I don't know, I just got all the clothes handed down to me.
Talking to Joseph Fiennes
Australian CLEO Magazine
Women the world over are falling for Joseph Fiennes, and "Shakespeare in Love". Here, he tells Laura Gross
Actor Joseph Fiennes is very intense. Better still, he's talented, intelligent and very good-looking. At 28, he's wowing Hollywood by smouldering in two back-to-back Oscar-tipped period feature films, Elizabeth and Shakespeare in Love. Oh yes, he's also the younger brother of Ralph Fiennes, the mesmering star of The English Patient and Schindler's List.
But that doesn't mean fame came easily to Fiennes. While training as a theatre actor, he spent four years as a dresser at Britain's National Theatre before landing parts in small, independent movies, such as Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence. His big cinema break came recently with the role of the tortured Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, in Elizabeth, the only man ever loved by England's Virgin Queen (played by Australian golden girl, Cate Blanchett).
In his latest venture, Shakespeare in Love, Fiennes plays the Bard himself who's suffering from a bad case of writer's block while penning Romeo and Ethel, The Pirate's Daughter. Then he meets and falls in love with noblewoman Viola de Lesseps, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. The rest, as they say, is history. In January, the bawdy romp won three Golden Globe awards, including Best Musical or Comedy Film Of the Year and Best Screenplay, while Paltrow won Best Actress in A Comedy.
How would you describe Shakespeare in Love to potential movie-goers?
Well, it's a tricky sell. I was just thinking last night - what category would you put it in? It's by no means a costume drama, it's totally modern and vibrant and sexy and funny. It's an introduction to a man and his
Was playing Shakespeare a challenge?
It was scary, possibly because he's sacred ground for so many directors, theatre-goers, academics and actors. But then there's a flip side because we know almost nothing about him - his faith, his sexuality - nothing. People have built up a profile of him from his sonnets and plays, but then they always end up contradicting each other to such an infuriating degree.
There must be something...
I checked! The one thing he definitely left behind was his will. To his wife, Anne Hathaway, he generously left a chair and a table - and that was about it!
So, do you believe that the kind of love Shakespeare wrote about exists?
I've got a feeling that, in terms of Romeo And Juliet - one of the greatest love stories ever - he must have tapped into the dynamic or the pain of love and all the complexities that love creates. So, yeah, I think it's got to exixt.
What's the craziest thing you've ever done for love?
Oh, you've put me on the spot. I want to say something really romantic, like I bungee jumped off a bridge for a woman saying, "Will you marry me?" Is that good enough? The truth is, I'm really boring.
What is Gwyneth Paltrow like to work with? You guys have some major chemistry happening on-screen.
Gwyneth and I get on wonderfully, she's fantastic. So much happens on celluloid. People can hate each other off-screen but, in the movie, they look great together. Then again, a couple can be in love and it just doesn't come across. I don't know what the science is, but it's out there.
What about the nudity and the love scenes. Was it just another day at the office for you?
I'm a bit shy myself. Give me a sword fight any day! No, it was good fun - part and parcel of the job. I've done it before - you get used to it. It's not nearly as sassy or romantic on the set as it looks on film.
At one point, Gwyneth's character dresses as a boy. How did that work for you?
It was a turn-on, yeah. [Laughs] She made a lot of guys question their sexuality on set - and I love that.
Two period dramas in a row. Are you over ruffles?
[Smiles] I'm ready to jump into the chinos, yeah.
You're being hailed as Hollywood's "next big thing". What are your expectations?
I have no expectations. I've done enough theatre for that to be my base if things don't work out. It's like home.
Are you ready for the intrusion into your private life?
I know I have to do the publicity thing, but I'm very rigid about my private life. I'd rather not talk abot myself or anyone else in my life. I'd rather not talk about myself or anyone else in my life. Unfortunately, the more you don't talk about it, the more people want to know. Hopefully, people will get tired of me and move on to the next guy.
What's your relationship with your brother, Ralph, like?
Good, very good.
Did his success spark an ambition in you to act?
Not so much an amition, but a huge appreciation.
Well, at least people can pronounce your first name.
"Joff!" [Laughs]
Do you have the same problem with your surname that Ralph had?
Yeah. There've been some wonderful interpretations. But it's not an ordinary name, so it's up for grabs.
So did you and Ralph stage little plays for the family when you were growing up?
Because there are seven of us - and I'm the youngest - I spent most of my time with my twin brother Jacob [who is a gamekeeper in Norfolk, England]. I didn't spend much time with Ralph, because of the eight year age difference. I just got his clothes handed down to me.
March 1999
By Laura Gross
