‘I have been very fortunate’
Jeffrey Davies looks back to the two occasions he met celebrated actor Edward Fox OBE, at the beautiful Theatre Royal Bath
eDWARD Fox OBE, is one of this country’s most distinguished actors. Born in Chelsea in 1937, his stage, television and film credits are most impressive to say the least. On stage he’s appeared in The Audience, Four Quartets, Hamlet and The Winslow Boy among numerous other plays. His many TV roles include Lewis, Foyle’s War and Midsomer Murders. His portrayal of King Edward VIII in Edward and Mrs Simpson received growing plaudits, and on the big screen his credits include Force 10 from Naverone and the James Bond film Never Say Never Again, in which he played M opposite the original 007 star Sean Connery.
I interviewed the suave and gentlemanly actor at the Theatre Royal Bath twice, a venue that he says is ‘precious and beautiful to him’. The last time we chatted was before his appearance in Hugh Whitemore’s celebrated one-man play Sand in the Sandwiches, which explored the life and work of ‘the nation’s favourite poet’ Sir John Betjeman...
But what is it that actually makes Sir John Betjeman, a great poet and no stranger to the West Country, such a perennial favourite with poetry lovers? I posed this question to Edward Fox.
“Apart from his humanity, it’s his poetic genius I would say.
A remarkable mind in terms of purely intellectual thinking; but not intellectual high-brow which is different. His is a mind that can communicate at a high level, rather than speaking down to people or being incomprehensible. People like Betjeman and his work as much today as they ever did. He lasts,” a most welcoming Edward Fox told me forcefully, before taking to the stage of the Theatre Royal Bath in Hugh Whitemore’s Sand in the Sandwiches. The play not only celebrates a man famous for his light verse and laughter but also his passions, sense of purpose and unforgettable poetry.
But he wasn’t just another successful poet. He was much more than that, I suggested.
“Oh very, very much,” Harroweducated Edward agreed.
“Betjeman said of his poetry that it should be comprehensible, which I think is a big thing. He doesn’t compare himself to the greatest geniuses. He was a very self-effacing man himself, putting Milton, for instance, on a very high pedestal compared to the pedestal he put himself on. That’s if he put himself on one at all, which I don’t think he did.”
Married to actress Joanna David and the father of three Lucy, Freddie and Silent Witness actress Emilia Fox - Edward said Sir John Betjeman had a way of underestimating his own ability.
“He never paraded what he thought was good about his
writing or poetry, which is curious because I think he did know how good it was. But he had doubts. Any artist will feel doubtful about the worth of what they’re trying to communicate via their art, which is a different thing from how it is received,” he said.
The modest understatement of success. A very English thing?
“Not particularly, no. I think it’s an artist thing really because the artist is always striving to do something better.”
Born in 1937, Edward said he came to know and love Betjeman’s work ‘way back’.
“Yes, when one was inclined towards poetry in one’s teens,” he answered, telling me that he didn’t write poetry or verse himself. Perhaps one day, I suggested.
“I have tried but I’m no good. You either are able to write it or you aren’t. A poet is a rare thing, a rare person; a lot of people may want to write poetry, but wanting to does not make them poets,” he laughed.
I informed Edward that if I were an actor I would like to be an actor like him. A character actor who is able to play a wide and varied array of roles, rather than be typecast as some in his profession are.
“I have been very fortunate that way,” he said somewhat modestly.
“It’s the way I would have liked it to have gone when I was young. Luckily, in many ways, it has. I’m a lucky man.”
Very talented too, I insisted. Playing all the parts you have taken on most convincingly and with real conviction.
“That’s very kind of you to say. That’s all that one should try to do. Any actor should try to convince the audience that what they’re hearing and seeing is believable.”
A legendary and highly respected thespian, a wonderfully well-spoken Edward unsurprisingly still receives many scripts and roles for consideration. How does he decide which ones to accept and, conversely, which to reject?
“I think there are two sorts of strands. Does the part and the play, film or television appeal to one? The other strand is, do you think you would be any use in the part? I think if you can ask yourself those two fairly stern questions and answer them - which I always try to do - then it’s worth going ahead,” he answered after thoughtful consideration of the question posed.
He continued: “This isn’t really a criticism, but an objective point of view; you do see an awful lot now which really aren’t worth doing at all. And they aren’t particularly well enacted when they come to be done. Between the two strands of thinking that I mentioned is a discipline, which really is a required one. I’m sounding pretty precious about it aren’t I? But you did ask me a pretty serious question and I tried to answer it properly. To put my answer in its simplest way, is the thing worth doing and if it is, am I worth doing it. Does that make sense?”
Most actors I have interviewed have firmly placed treading the boards in a theatre as their preferred genre over radio, TV and film acting. What about Edward?
“I think that’s the actor speaking. I don’t think really there is any alternative to thinking the business of real acting is in the theatre. But the others exist, of course, and there are some wonderful examples throughout the history of film and television. But the grounding of any ability lies in the theatre,” he stated.
Edward’s stage credits are most impressive with appearances in plays such as The Audience, Four Quartets, Hamlet, An Evening with Anthony Trollope and Letter of Resignation. His distinguished film career [he’s won three BAFTAS for his performances] is equally impressive. It includes roles in the Oscar-winner Ghandi, A Bridge Too Far, Oh What A Lovely War!, Robin Hood, The Dresser, Force 10 from Naverone, Nicholas Nickleby and as M in the James Bond blockbuster Never Say Never Again.
And, of course, The Day of the Jackal which was adapted from Frederick Forsyth’s bestselling book, which centred on the attempted assassination of French President Charles de Gaulle in the summer of 1963. A pivotal moment for the ‘aspiring film star’ who was cast as the Jackal.
“I have very happy memories of The Day of the Jackal,” Edward replied with a smile.
“It was a successful, popular and well-made film. Funnily enough people will even now say they did and still do enjoy it even though they’ve seen it several times. I think of it as a lovely stepping stone. But I don’t think it makes for recognition in any particularly worthwhile way. The only recognition for me is that people like it.”
A senior member of a popular and much-loved acting dynasty, acting is firmly established in the Fox family DNA.
“I think it is partly in the genes yes. I don’t find that particularly strange because doctors inherit genetic desires and abilities. Carpenters and soldiers do as well. It’s quite a natural thing really.” Now at the grand age of 80, does the refreshingly polite Edward have his sights set on any new ventures?
“Not really, no. I never really thought of wanting to do something. The basic thing is the common sense aspect of it. It’s either going to happen or it’s not. If it does you embrace it,” he answered matter-of-factly.
A fine actor and a gentleman of ‘the old school’, Edward Fox was an absolute delight to chat with.
I think there are two sorts of strands. Does the part and the play, film or television appeal to one? The other strand is, do you think you would be any use in the part?
Edward Fox, on how he chooses a part