Eddie Marsan

Film: The Disappearance of Alice Creed
Releasing in cinemas: 9 September 2010

You might not recognize his name, but you’ll no doubt remember the roles he’s played like the confrontational priest in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s 21 Grams, or Reg the conflicted son of an abortionist in Mike Leigh’s Vera Drake, or the deranged driving instructor in Happy-Go-Lucky – also courtesy of Leigh – or perhaps or the frustrated Inspector Lestrade in Guy Ritchie’s funked up version of Sherlock Holmes. The 41-year-old Brit first started working in the States in 2002 and has gone from strength to strength. His latest film is another knockout role. In The Disappearance of Alice Creed, a gripping thriller by debut British writer/director J Blakeson, Marsan plays Vic one of two ruthless kidnappers who abduct the titular character (played by Gemma Arterton), a rich daddy’s girl who he and partner in crime Danny (Martin Compton) plan to ransom for millions. The pair of crims are nothing if not meticulous and the abduction goes off without a hitch. Clearly they’ve thought this through, and planned for every eventuality, well almost everything. They didn’t plan on Creed herself. Gaynor Flynn sat down with Marsan in Toronto.

It's a really disturbing film, what was our initial reaction when you read the script?

I thought it was unlike any other film I’d seen before because it appeared to be one thing then twisted into another. So I loved it.

It’s a very clever thriller isn’t it?

Yeah I thought so and it surprised me all the time and it got me into the idea that the next page was going to be another surprise and another surprise and I thought it would be great for the audience to see something like that.

What do you look for in a role?

It’s the role that you’re playing and how that role sits in the totality of the script and whether the script is good. As an actor you can’t improve on the script. If the scripts bad you’ll be bad basically.

Do you think twice about playing a character like this?

No I always play these kinds of characters. (Laughs).

Wouldn’t you like to do a romantic lead for example?

This is my romantic lead in a way. Martin and I are kind of married in this. (Laughs).

What was it like working with J Blakeson, who’s a first time director?

He was really on the ball. He’d written it as well so he knew this film like the back of his hand so we just got in there and went for it.

What was a particular challenge for you on this film?

The twist. But once we got through it was fine. That was the challenge really. I’ll tell you what was also difficult. These characters have a great arc. They’re completely opposite at the end of the film to what they appear to be at the beginning of the film. It’s a great journey and to achieve that was a big challenge because that’s something you have to choreograph, you have to choreograph thoughts and processes and that was a challenge.

Do you have a plan for your career?

No, just to work. My plan is just to keep working and if you have a choice, if you can afford to have a choice have a choice because you have to pay the mortgage.

You got the acting bug more by accident wasn’t it?

Yeah I came by it by accident. I was a printer, I served an apprenticeship as a printer then I became an actor after that. somebody once said to me, that’s very unusual for an actor and I said not for working class actors. Working class actors have no history of acting in their families. Most of us go and serve apprenticeship and do anything. Martin was a professional footballer before he became an actor.

Are you quite self-critical of your own work?

You have to be. Because you remember the doubt you had when you’re doing it. So either don’t see it at all or see it about three or four times because if you see it three or four times you suddenly lose that self consciousness and you begin to see it in perspective. Mike Leigh’s the worst because with Mike Leigh there’s no script. But when you see the film first of all you’ve got to find out if you’re in it or not. (Laughs).

It must be excruciating.

It’s a nightmare. It’s awful.

But you’d work with him again?

Oh I’d love to work with him again.

Would you like to move to the US and just work there?

Yeah I’ve got a very young family now so I’m thinking about it.

How old are they?

Five, four and one.

You’ve been a busy boy.

Yeah so I have to think about when to make the move. I don’t want to go when they’re too old and its too much of a heave for them really. I want to go when it’s easy for them to move. Children are very flexible when they’re young but as they get older and get friends its much harder. And I have to think about that and I also have to think about whether or not Britain is the place for me really. In America they have less of a class system. In Britain its different. And most of the time in America I play Americans so you can kind of do both nationalities. That’s the best way to be.

You’ve worked with some fantastic directors. Who stands out as someone whose had a big impact on you or your acting style?

Mike Leigh has had a big effect on my acting style because working with Mike Leigh I’ve learnt a lot about lenses. I would also say I’ve learnt a lot from American actors. I learned a lot working on 21 Grams with Benicio del Toro because I’ve never seen somebody who’s so relaxed. He’s so relaxed it’s sort of unnerving and I realized as a British actor we don’t have that and I tried to take on that degree of freeness that he has so he was a big influence on me. And I’m a great fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman as well I think he’s a great actor.

Gaynor Flynn