Olivier-like Fiennes is last of the great heroic actors, says Hare

PLAYWRIGHT Sir David Hare has delivered a dramatic critique of British stage acting talent, describing Ralph Fiennes as the last of the great “heroic actors”.

He said: “When I was young, the British theatre was distinguished by heroic acting... Sir John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier, Michael Redgrave... Paul Scofield... That tradition of heroic acting I adore... it’s sort of gone.

“Ralph – and I will embarrass him by saying this – is our last connection to that great tradition... there’s none left in the UK.” He added: “He reminds me very strongly of Laurence Olivier.”

Sir David – who earned Oscar nominations for his screenplays for The Hours and The Reader – made his comments in a documentary about his latest collaboration with Fiennes.

In his new play Straight Line Crazy, which opened at London’s Bridge Theatre in March to rave reviews, Fiennes portrays Robert Moses, a planner once labelled New York’s most powerful man. The documentary’s presenter Luke Jones said: “I think he’s referring to a genuinely rare breed of actor who has the charisma and the emotional intelligence to project absolute control and quietly dominate a stage.”

Backstage: Ralph Fiennes in Straight Line Crazy is broadcast on Sky Arts at 10pm tomorrow. A highlights version will be streamed in 700 cinemas across the UK in collaboration with National Theatre Live.