Sally
& Alex's
Big Breakfast Interview
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Later this morning we have......
NEWSPAPER STORIES
08:04
THE INTERVIEW
08:23
Kelly: Now there's been some great Welsh sex symbols hasn't there John. We've got Tom Jones, Ryan Giggs. Now the next guest is a welcome edition to that rather short list. Please welcome Ioan Gruffudd......
Johnny: Tell you who else...you know that Rugby player JPR Williams...You beauty...
Kelly: Now, Ioan, you're probably best known for the big budget TV drama "Hornblower", and you've had rave reviews for the brilliant "Great Expectations". Are you most happy wearing tights?
Johnny: He loves them.
Ioan: Uummm...
Johnny: Just roll your trousers up.
Kelly: Wigs and tights!
Johnny: No it's okay he's not wearing any...there we go...
Johnny: No it's okay, don't do that. The girls will get......
Johnny: The girls'll go crazy!
Kelly: it's hot enough already!
Ioan: Only on weekends. But, errm...
Kelly: Do you like doing period dramas and things like that?
Ioan: Yeah, I do enjoy it, um, I've recently had a hair cut and I'm doing a modern one.
Johnny: You're doing a modern one?! What's the great thing about doing period dramas? What do you enjoy most about it?
Ioan: Ummm...pprrpprrpprrpprrpprrpprr (funny lip movement).
Johnny: What's the upside?
Kelly: Just the dressing up - I'd love it!
Ioan: Yeah, just the dressing up, and getting ontop of horses and brandishing a sword, and firing pistols.
Johnny: Join the household Calvary! Same sort of thing - but become a Royal. Umm "Hornblower" went down in history as the most expensive TV drama ever made. Costing a massive 14 Million Pounds.
Kelly: How many? 14?
Johnny: 14 million pounds. It was filmed on location in the Ukraine. Is it true that The Russian Mafia wanted a piece of the action? Is that true?
Ioan: I believe they were involved. I can't say more than that.
Johnny: Ooohh - he's not going to say more than that!!!
Kelly: If he tells us, he's got to kill us!
Ioan: No no no no. Some of the actors...we all had sort of hair extensions...
...Sort of in cues and stuff, and a lot of the actors who didnt have much hair thought it was great...
...and they used to go down town with their hair hanging loose and..err..they got mistaken for members of the Russian Mafia.
Johnny: Did they? So what happened to them - Did they just have a great night out?
Ioan: A great night out yes.
Johnny: Bet they had a teriffic time!
Kelly: Okay. You also played 5th Officer Lowe in the modern classic "Titanic". It was obviously a massive movie. Did you feel as if you had been part of movie history?
Ioan: I did chuckle when it won 14 Oscars, or whatever.
Johnny: You allowed yourself a chuckle!
Ioan: Obviously I knew it was gonna be, you know, a big hit coz James Cameron was involved, and Leo and Kate, I had no idea and I dont think they did as well, when it came out, that it was going to be such a huge....success.
Johnny: But you know this current produciton of "Great Expectations"....I don't mean to be picky about it, but do you not think....you all saw the original film, the classic "Great Expectations"....do you not think the Miss Haversham in this, is a bit sort of sex and bit...you know...
Ioan: Ummm...what d'you mean?
Johnny: Well I mean it's not sort of all dark is it, she's not wearing a sort of yellowed costume in this is she. It's a bit modern for me...
...I dunno I think it's kind of......
Ioan: Well she is only 50 in..in..in..in the novel, and I thought, well why shouldn't she be a sexy young bride, and....
Johnny: I dunno why I like that darkness in her house and the yellowing costume and the cobwebs everywhere. I thought that was one of the...D'you know that's what I wanted to say...It's alright, I'll move on...probably said too much already....Okay now you're starring in a gritty new film "Solomon & Gaenor", a tragic love story set at the start of the Century, a sort of a Jewish Romeo meets a Welsh Juliet I unserstand?
Ioan: Yes.
Johnny: What appealed to you about doing the film?
Ioan: Errmm...I just loved the story...you know...and I think every young actor enjoys the oppertunity to get involved in the romantic side and it's just a lovely story. And a chance to work back in Wales...err...in my own language and in English as well, so err, just a...
Johnny: And I understand you also had to learn a bit of Yiddish as well.
Ioan: Yes I did, yeah. Errr...my family in the film...I spoke Yiddish at home and she spoke Welsh at home, and when we were together we spoke English.
Johnny: Hard language to learn?
Ioan: Err...it was actually, yeah. I just had to learn it phonetically, you know. And it took about 8 hours with a coach, drilling it in, and listening to it in the car and on the tape and stuff.
Kelly: Okay, and the film...It is really a case of love at first sight isn't it?
Ioan: Yeah.
Kelly: And here's the moment when Solomon met Gaenor. Look at this...
(Excerpt of "Solomon & Gaenor" shown here...)
Solomon: Good morning.
Gaenor: Good morning.
Solomon: Can I interest you in any Cottons, Cloths, Linens...
Gaenor: I'm sorry. My mother isn't here.
Solomon: I can give you a sample to show your mother.
Gaenor: I'm sewing for Mrs. Evans. I know she wants dresses for the girls. Sunday wear. They've gotta be strong though.
Solomon: Well this one is strong. Pretty for girls. This other one is more for you.
(End of Excerpt)
Johnny: Uuummm...That's a fiercely patriotic film. And recently there's been a revival in Welsh talent in both music and movies. Is it a great time to be Welsh in showbiz?
Ioan: It's fantastic. It's a great time to be Welsh full stop!
Johnny: What do you think is happening though? I'm not saying we didn't hear anything for ages, but there is this enormous....
Ioan: Well, I think it's always been there. I think it's just all of a sudden people are being educated more by it, and people are getting more involved, and people know more about Wales, and the culture and the history...
...I think that's all thats happening.
Johnny: Okay, now what are you working on at the moment? You've got a tremendous amount out at the moment with "Great Expectations", just finished "Hornblower", and now this film, you know, what's next?
Ioan: I'm in the middle of doing a project for the BBC again...
...a two-part drama called "PeaceKeepers", it's about the war in Bosnia, so, it's a bit heavy. And I've just been offered a part on the Channel 4 series called "How to make love in the 21st Century".
Johnny: Nice! I understand I am hosting there!! Not really!!....
....Now listen - Thank you very much for coming on. I wish you every success, and it's good that you're doing something on the glorious Channel 4. Ladies and Gentlemen, give it up for our guest here!!
.END OF INTERVIEW.
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