No time for thinking. Much time for being.
Lou and I left in convoy this morning. I knew I wouldn’t be going back so she booked a justPark so she could get the train back. I absolutely still rate that service.
Tomorrow I’m going to one near The Globe for our gig there. I looks tiny but it exists. And £24 for the day in Southwark is, surprisingly, a good price, despite the collapse of NCP.
I’ll make it work. We are offloading costume at 9 so I’m gonna need to be up at like 6 to make sure of it all as the costume is still in Latimer Road.
We had a read through tonight of something that is so far down the line I almost can’t be bothered to credit its existence. But it’s a good script. Just not one I can look at yet or care about yet. Nice to connect with people. I didn’t connect too much. I’m too busy with other things. But the part could have been written for me and the things I do and care about doing. It’ll be a thing when there’s headspace.
Today we stopped at Crawley to change vehicles. Then we stopped at North Acton to pick up a sewing machine. Then to Sloane Square and tube into town for a matinee of Hayfever. This is a badly kept secret present from Lou.
I love that old stuff. Of course I do. Facebook reminds me that 19 years ago this week I was in Norfolk playing Victor in Private Lives. That job brought many more. I’m very happy and well placed in that stuff, and it used to be everywhere. The industry when I entered it was all about surviving to now, when I would be eminently employable. I survived but the stories changed. There’s still room for 50 year old posh white men but we aren’t the only story anymore. It took a lifetime for the world to adapt away from me and it seemed almost to adapt as I aged it on purpose. I’m happy to still have use – we aren’t sympathetic anymore, but I’ve always enjoyed playing baddies. I’ve seen enough wish fulfillment fantasy where some guy my age has written what they think they are.
I loved Hayfever today in the West End. Well cast across the board, I felt everyone was comfortable in their part, none more than Christine Baranski who absolutely owned it. They are selling it partly on the Grant name over hers, but she’s the star of it. He’s a proper actor though and has perspective. I was lucky enough to spend a day on set in the winnebago next to Richard E Grant. He took me under his wing bless him. It was my first job out of drama school and I was starstruck. I got to hang out with Withnail. And he was fun and kind and left me feeling like I could have a wide and strange career. Which I have.
