The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Travelling life
Stephen Graham Actor
How often do you travel?
I travel constantly for work: recently it’s been within Britain, but previously, for seven years I travelled to New York all the time when I was starring as Al Capone in the Boardwalk Empire television series. Last year, my family and I [wife Hannah, daughter Grace, 11, and son Alfie, 10] decamped to Australia for the filming of the latest instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean films; before that it was filmed in Hawaii.
Your earliest memory of travelling abroad?
My family and I didn’t travel much when I was younger. Summer holidays involved mum shoving me out the door in the morning with my bike and off I’d go exploring with my friends and we wouldn’t return until around 7.30 at night. But I did love our day trips to Blackpool.
When I was eight, um and I moved to Den Bosch in Holland for a year so she could do a teaching course. I went to school there and learnt to speak Dutch – that’s how I got my nickname, Dutchy.
What do you need for a perfect holiday?
Stimulation – I get bored just sitting around a pool. When I was filming in Wales recently, on my days off, I went gorge jumping, and white water rafting.
Favourite holiday destination?
Rome. Hannah and I lived there while I was shooting the film Gangs of New York. We had an apartment right by the Spanish Steps. We were only supposed to be there for four months, but ended up staying for eight and a half months.
Most exotic filming location?
The Gold Coast in Australia; the climate was fantastic and Australians are a great bunch of people – they have such a different lifestyle over there. I honed my surfing skills too.
Worst travel experience?
I went hitchhiking all over Europe with a friend when I was 21. We arrived dirty and smelly late at night in Barcelona with our big rucksacks and fell asleep in a phone box. We were rudely awoken at 7am, by the barrels of machine guns pointing at us, surrounded by 10 armed policemen, screaming at us in Spanish because they thought we were carrying a bomb.
Favourite city?
My heart will always be in Liverpool; it has a friendly, comfortable, nostalgic feeling to me. I love feeling like I’m home whenever I’m there.
Favourite hotel?
Last year, Hannah and I stayed in a beautiful treehouse at the Chewton Glen in Hampshire with a wonderful balcony. The views over the tree tops from our rooms
Favourite airline?
American Airlines is pretty good. Emirates is really posh – so posh I didn’t know what to do with myself during the flight when I was flown first class for Pirates of the Caribbean, it was just a different world. At one point, the staff were literally taking my socks off and wiping my feet...
Best travel advice?
Always keep a toothbrush on you – you’ll always feel better with fresh breath wherever you are. Try to enjoy the journey, not just the destination.
Where next?
I would love to see the Northern Lights – it’s been on my wishlist for years. Maybe the next Pirates of the Caribbean film should be shot somewhere colder! Stephen Graham is an ambassador for Stand Up To Cancer, a joint national fundraising campaign by Cancer Research UK and Channel 4. Visit standuptocancer.org.uk