The Guardian
September 29, 1998

Age: 27.

Appearance:
Lovelorn Trustafarian.

And is he...
Related? Yes. Youngest brother of Ralph, second cousin to Ranulph, twin sibling of Jake, the gamekeeper.

Gamekeeper? I thought they were all arty.
The other five are - there's a director, a set designer, a composer.... oh, and a couple of actors.

And how does young Joe feel about being compared to the great English Patient?
He's waiting for one original journalist not to mention" his brother.

Sibling rivalry?
Well, some say he's the more talented of the two. Cate Blanchett, who has starred opposite both, says the brothers are "gifted beyond belief", but where Ralph is cool and reserved, Joe is warm and sensitive.

How sensitive?
His lates role is Robert Dudley, confidanat and (controversially) lover of Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth I in Shekhar Kapur's biopic, released this Friday.

Something of a Shakespearean then?
On the boards, he played a mean Troilus in 1996. Now he's to portray old Will himself, in the Stoppard-scripted Shakespeare In Love, due out later this year.

A trifle presumptuous, wouldn't thou say?
Already in his brief career he's played Jesus Christ, so p'raps it comes naturally. And his love interest in the Shakespeare film is Gwyneth Paltrow - better than the real bard could have done, no doubt.

How does he snag all these glam chicks?
Dunno, but it can't be his dress sense. Baby Fiennes has already professed concern at being cast in two consecutive films where he's had to wear tights. And he's been spotted turning up in pubs in his doublet and hose.

Not to be confused with:
Oh, be original will you?