rain Man
Jeffrey Davies talkes to Chris Fountain and finds the actor can’t wait to get stuck into his new role, made famous 30 years ago by Tom Cruise
TWO popular former soap stars, Paul ‘Eastenders’ Nicholls and Chris ‘Coronation Street’ Fountain, are taking to the stage in Bath in the heart-warming drama Rain Man as the curtain rises on the new spring season at the Georgian city’s beautiful Theatre Royal. Two brothers, one destiny. Based on the poignant Oscar-winning film, Rain Man tells the story of self-centred salesman Charlie Babbitt who discovers that he has a long-lost older brother, Raymond, who has inherited the family’s multi-million dollar fortune. Raymond is an autistic savant, with a remarkable memory and a genius for numbers. Determined to get his hands on ‘his half’ of the money, Charlie ‘borrows’ from the institution where he has spent most of his life. As the two brothers embark on a trip across America, Charlie soon discovers that Raymond is worth more than he ever imagined... Inspired by the 1998 film, which starred Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman and won Oscars for best picture, best screenplay, best director and best actor, Rain Man follows previous acclaimed Bill Kenwright productions of film-tostage productions including A Few Good Men, The Shawshank Redemption and Twelve Angry Men. It looks set to be a treat for audiences. “Oh yes, I certainly think so,” a most friendly Chris Fountain told me after taking a short but well-deserved break from rehearsals for our chat. “I’m joining this play half way through,” the chatty Bradford-born actor said, adding that he’s very excited at the prospect of playing Charlie Babbitt in this most celebrated of stories. “It’s one of the biggest parts I’ve had to learn to play on stage to be honest. It’s the part that Tom Cruise played in the iconic film which won all of those Oscars. “And although there’s an incredible amount of words for me to learn, I am rising to the challenge and getting more and more into it. It’s all sprung to life for me. “The script is absolutely fantastic and it’s such a privilege for me to be part of it. And, of course, the film is really well loved by so many people. It’s a wonderfully poignant and moving piece.” What, I wondered, has made the story so well loved by audiences? “Well the two main characters, Raymond [Paul Nicholls] and Charlie kind of drive the whole story. They’re very much to the fore and the story centres on their kind of journey. My character, Charlie, is not a particularly nice person because for a start he’s got no kind of respect for anyone with autism or what someone is maybe going through. Really, he’s just interested in getting his half of the money left. Although he’s not a nice person, he is nevertheless a great character for an actor to play. And I’m really enjoying playing him.” Did Chris think the transition of the role from film to stage was easy? “Well in the film Charlie and Raymond go across America in a car as anyone who has seen it will know, something which is kind of hard to transfer on to a smaller stage space!” Chris said with a laugh. “But the stage production does work
really, really well because it remains faithful to the great film and story that everyone remembers and loves.” How easy was it for Chris to shake off Tom Cruise’s interpretation of the character and make the iconic part his own in this Dan Gordon drama? “Well, it’s a funny one really because obviously I want to bring my own flair and my own person to the part. I want to make it my own, naturally. Paul and I obviously had a little bit of guidance from the film because we all know it and we all know what Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman did in it. But we didn’t want to do exactly what they did. And it was nice for Paul and for me to be able to work out what sort of characters they were for ourselves.” Chris, 31, won best actor in the 2008 British Soap Awards for his portrayal of Justin Burton in Hollyoaks. He also played Tommy Duckworth in Coronation Street and has starred in Dancing on Ice and ITV’S Girlfriends. On stage he played Guy in the multi award-winning production of The Full Monty, as well as performing in numerous other plays including Oliver!, Departure Lounge, Waterloo East and Les Miserables. On Television, Chris’s credits are equally impressive including appearances in Casualty, Emmerdale, The Royal and Where the Heart Is to name but a few. Chris told me he’s enjoyed all of the roles he’s played on stage and television. “Yes I did because I enjoy acting. And I don’t have a particular genre of acting. I like it all. But I do like to play roles that challenge me. And this one, as I’ve already said, is a big challenge for me. But that’s great and keeps me on my toes! And Hollyoaks and Coronation Street where he played Justin Burton and Tommy Duckworth, respectively. Fond memories? “Yes I do, they were both great fun to do. I went into Hollyoaks when I was 15 and left when I was 21 so I was there for a very long time. I kind of honed my craft there because when I went into any TV studio I knew where to stand and so on. But it was great fun, yes. And I loved Coronation Street as well. It was amazing to be part of Jack and Vera Duckworth’s family. So yes, I had a great time on Corrie and it was good to be part of what is a great British institution.” Paul Nicholls who plays Raymond Babbitt in Rain Man, became a household name as Joe Wicks in Eastenders. He also has appeared in Channel 4’s Ackley Bridge, The C Word for the BBC, and ITV’S Law and Order. His film work includes Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, If Only and The Trench. His stage credits include Long Day’s Journey Into Night.
I loved Coronation Street. It was amazing to be part of Jack and Vera Duckworth’s family. So yes, I had a great time on Corrie and it was good to be part of what is a great British institution.