Vinte magazine, Brazil
By Sergio Crusco
Date unknown
Translated by Christiane

The land of the Queen does not stop producing tons of gorgeous men! This handsome guy is part of a group of actors which make everybody drool whenever they interpret Shakespeare in the theater. His talented blood possibly comes from his family: his sister is the director Martha (Onegin) and his brother is Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient). Joseph's biggest challenge was to prove that he can shine on his own. And sure he can! He was superb in Shakespeare in Love and Elizabeth. And now everybody is anxious to see his next movie Rancid Aluminium. While you wait, keep on dreaming with this cutie: he is a Gemini (born on May 27th, 1970), green eyes, 6 foot, English but raised in Ireland and he loves do dance. Isn't he sensational?

He hates to be called "the brother of Ralph Fiennes," but it is hard not to introduce him this way. But try to ignore his family ties and be ready to get to know a brilliant actor who is invading our movie screens with Elizabeth and Shakespeare in Love. He is being considered by the press as "the new hot thing." One more title that Joseph can't stand!

When we were getting this article ready, Shakespeare in Love hadn't been released in Brazil yet. Nevertheless big part of the public had already heard enough of this movie to understand why it got 13 Oscar nominations. It is one of those stories which makes you feel that life is beautiful and love is wonderful... The story was perfect, cinematography and script impeccable - full of passion, wit and great jokes - plus the cast is fantastic.

When we closed this edition, we still didn't know who would be the winners at the Oscars. We were not sure if Brazilian movie Central Station would beat Life is Beautiful, if Brazilian actress Fernanda Montenegro would win the Oscar over Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett, or if the freshness of Gwyneth Paltrow, the young star of Shakespeare in Love who a lot of people still insist in calling "Brad Pitt's old girlfriend" would take the golden statue home.

Well, for sure now you already know all the answers, but ever since the beginning one thing was true: British Joseph Fiennes was considered one of the most promising actors of the year.

You just have to take a look in any magazine specialized in movies or gossips to see his face everywhere. And the articles that follow the pictures don't stop stressing his good looks, his talents, his skills as a dancer, his capacity of doing different accents and seduce...

All that can be read in his biography easily located in the Internet: he likes jazz, period dances, his voice is a tenor, he swims, likes to ride horses and motorcycles, and apparently works out a lot as we can see in his love scenes with Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays Viola in the movie.

Being so, it is not hard to imagine Joseph in different roles such as: a young ballet-dancer trying his luck on Broadway, an archer, or a rock-and-roll singer... It looks though, as if for now producers prefer to cast him as a lover. The same way Viola cannot resist him in Shakespeare, the Queen of England (interpreted by Cate Blanchett) falls for Robert Dudley, his role in Elizabeth, another hit.

At this moment he is getting ready to make his first movie in America. He will be the star of Forever Mine, Paul Schrader's new movie to be shot in Miami. Although he insists he is not going to trade England for Hollywood, a lot of people doubt it.

Working among socks and pants

As Joseph sees all the fuss surrounding his name, he is cautious when dealing with his imminent fame. "I don't believe in being the next hot thing. Everybody who got this title is gone already. Somewhere out there long since someone new is being labeled as 'the next hot thing' - and behind him the next. There is a whole corridor full of them. What makes me happy is to work with a good script."

He certainly understands about that. His background is very different from other candidates to become a star. When he decided to become an actor he didn't go from agency to agency showing off his pretty face. Instead, he studied at the Young Vic Youth Theatre and later at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. To pay for his tuition he worked as a dresser at the National Theatre of London. "It was pretty unglamorous, picking up smelly pants and socks for egos every night," Joseph said to English journalist Flic Everett.

The fact that he is Ralph Fiennes's brother, who was the star in hits such as The English Patient and Schindler's List, didn't make things easier for Joseph. "A famous last name can open doors, but at the end of the day you are on your own and you have to stand on your own feet," he says, revealing his sense of humor.

Gypsy and artistic family

The way he handles his success is maybe a result of being part of such a famous family. In the Fiennes household, art was always present. His father is a photographer. His mother, who died in 1993 of cancer, was a painter and wrote poems. He has seven brothers [my note: since when?] and just two are not in the entertainment business, his twin Jacob is a gamekeeper.

Joseph Alberic Fiennes was born in Salisbury, England, in May 27, 1970. His parents moved a lot. This experience made it easier for him to become an actor. "When you attend a different school every year, you have to improve your communication skills and learn ways to reinvent yourself."

Although he denies that his brother helped him in his career, never saying anything like "Pay attention to my little brother," Joseph admits that Ralph inspired him in his decision to become an actor. "When I was a teenager, Ralph was already doing theater. I found it simply wonderful to see him perform."

When he first got on the stage, Joseph was sure to have found his natural habitat. He guarantees never having felt stage fear, so common among famous stars. "I was never afraid to be on the stage. The necessary adrenaline to face the public has never affected me negatively. On the contrary, it is a feeling that motivates me to keep doing it to the extent that I wished that certain seasons would never end."

Do Not Ask About His Personal Life. And Do Not Dare Asking Him About His Brother!

His years at drama school and working backstage were finally compensated when he became part of the traditional Royal Shakespeare Company and started participating in several classic and contemporary plays.

Just recently he started making movies. In 1995, he was in a small movie called The Vacillations of Poppy Carew and the following year he had a small role in Stealing Beauty, very well accepted internationally. But yet it wasn’t enough to get his name out there. He got plenty of attention in Europe with Martha meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence, a tale about an American woman who in London plays with the minds and other less thoughtful parts of the body of three young men.

But international fame came finally with both Elizabeth and Shakespeare in Love. He now has to deal with the consequences of being in the spotlight, which he detests. It is known that he has been living with actress Sara Griffiths for seven years, but he won’t comment about it. "I am absolutely not interested in discussing my private life or my inner thoughts, or other celebrities."

Another subject he doesn’t like to talk about is his relationship with his brother. His answer to Vicky Allen, a British journalist who asked him how he deals with comparisons between the two brothers, was: "I am waiting for the one original journalist not to mention him."

Did he sound angry? It could be. But it didn’t make him less charming than the lovely Shakespeare he interprets on the screen.

An Actor In Search Of His Character

To interpret Shakespeare, Joseph ignored the traditional academic process of research and followed his instincts.

Shakespeare in Love, directed by John Madden, is a delicious playful story that mixes reality with fiction. It shows William Shakespeare in 1593 when he was 28 years old going through a creative crisis and looking for a muse who would inspire him to write a play called Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter. Evidently we could tell that it would all end up with his most celebrated play Romeo and Juliet. But how to interpret it?

There are several theories regarding Shakespeare’s work and life, some very funny. One of them believes that Shakespeare never wrote several of his famous plays. Others say that he was the illegitimate son of Elizabeth I (performed by Judi Dench). A third states that most of the notables at his time were ET’s! Knowing all that, Joseph started doing his research. "I dipped into numerous books, and for every academic and his theory, there's another one in the next chapter who cancels his theory out quite eloquently. At the end of the day, it's a can of worms, so in the end I just closed the books and embraced Tom's script."

His knowledge of Shakespeare’s work made it possible for him to find the right tone. "I love his plays so much that the last thing I wanted to do was a caricature of his image with his long hair and beard. I wanted do make a modern, dynamic and sexy Shakespeare. Also enigmatic. Nothing like a version of what Disney would do."