Off our feet – rushing about town with
James Nesbitt
By Kevin (Chairperson of Who Cares? Scotland) and Antje Page
(Who Cares? Scotland)
James Nesbitt invited us down to London
for the day to interview him and watch him perform as
Socrates in Owen McCafferty’s Belfast play ‘Shoot the Crow.’
This was after a phone call to TV and Film Director Brian
Kirk, who worked with him during some of the BBC’s ‘Murphy’s
Law’.
James is probably best known for his role as Adam Williams
in ‘Cold Feet’ but has also played in political dramas such
as ‘Bloody Sunday’. You’ll also recognise him from the TV
ads for ‘yell.com’.
We were supposed to meet Jimmy (as he prefers to be called)
at the theatre for a behind-the-scene tour after the play,
but he’d forgotten that he’d also promised a friend (who is
re-opening a beauty salon in Kilburn, North London) to help
with some publicity.
We get to tag along and interview him in
the taxi on the way – we don’t mind a bit, after all this is
the real life of a celebrity! After the play we jump in a
taxi and get to save the day by yelling “stop” when the taxi
driver nearly forgets to pick up a puzzled looking jimmy
from the stage door. We’re now all on our way to the Beauty
Salon…
Jimmy is very relaxed and chats away with us in the taxi, in
between answering phone calls, catching up with his wife
Sonia, and getting tickets for tonight's show for some of
his friends. He clearly is a very busy man!
Now that we’re all comfortable with him in the taxi we know
that we need to ask Jimmy some questions but first things
first and Kevin (who’s on his first official engagement as
our new chairperson) hands over a wee present we brought for
him.
We were told that Jimmy likes Rangers FC, but as we hand him
the pack with poster, tie and scarf he explains “I like
them, but I haven’t been to a game in ages. I’m very much a
United fan too”. It turns out that the only time Jimmy is
ever star struck is when he’s up in Manchester chatting to
the team. “I know the entire crowd quite well – but I still
get funny around them.
We ask Jimmy whether he gets hassled when he’s out and
about? “Yes,” he says, it’s quite difficult for my wife.
It’s an odd way to live a life – it’s like living in a
goldfish bowl.”
Jimmy’s doing theatre for the
first time in 11 years, and enjoying it. “I’m loving
it more than I thought I would”, he says, “it’s a
brilliant script and that’s what makes it easier”.
‘Shoot The Crow’ is based on a building site in
Belfast. It’s about 4 tilers, who decide to make off
with a pallet of tiles to turn them into cash to
fulfil their dreams and ambitions. However, the
story gets complicated as Ding-Ding (played by Jim
Norton) has the idea at the same time as Petesy
(played by Conleth Hill).
Only thing is unaware of Petesy’s plan
and vice versa and the plot thickens. We really enjoyed the
show and Kevin really liked the young lad, Randolph (played
by Packy Lee). It reminded him of his own time as an
apprentice. “It’s true”, he says to Jimmy, “your tea cup is
sacred just like the old guy in the play.” But Kevin is
puzzled by the ending. “Why did the old guy die at the end?”
he asks. “Owen probably wanted to give it a complete
ending”, Jimmy says, “I can see why he did it.”
Jimmy didn’t grow up with fame. “I had a brilliant childhood
growing up in Northern Ireland”, he tells us, “well away
from the troubles. We lived in a very small village, where
my Dad was the headmaster of the primary school. I grew up
with 3 older sisters and it was very quiet and peaceful. We
moved to Coleraine when I was about 11. I had a great time
at school, but I was a bit of an idiot, you know.” Living
there also gave him the taste for acting. I’d never been to
the theatre but when I was about 13, the theatre was
auditioning for their first Christmas show, Oliver’, and I
ended up playing the Artful Dodger. But all my 3 older
sisters were teachers and it looked like I was going to do
that, too. So I went to University to do a French degree.I
was also doing a professional acting degree by that point –
so I gave up my degree. My Mum d Dad went “what the hell are
you going to do?” My Dad was always quite a role model, you
know. But I went to drama school, and that was it. I didn’t
really plan on it but maybe sub-consciously – it was always
in there.” He’s played many different roles over the years.
“Everything is dependent on the quality of the script. If
the writing is food, it doesn’t matter what you do.”
We remember that as Adam Williams in ‘Cold Feet’ where he
proposed to his girlfriend stark naked, with a red rose
between his buttocks, serenading her outside her house in
broad daylight with ‘I got you under my skin.’. So, we ask,
how did he propose to his own wife Sonia? “I was actually
supposed to play football one night and it was rained off.
So Sonia and I went for a drink. It wasn’t actually romantic
at all - I always imagined it would be this huge thing as
I’m a romantic person - but I just said - fancy getting
married?. And no, I did not get down on my knees but I think
Sonia nearly fell off her chair. It was actually very
simple, but it was great.”
With his wife being away just now, Jimmy’s also looking
after his two little girls Peggy and Mary. “That reminds
me!”, he says, and gives them a call. He ends the
conversation saying “think about what you want to do
tomorrow, my Darling”. Like many parents he has to juggle
the demands of work, but when you’re James Nesbitt and
everybody wants something from you - that puts extra
pressure on you.
We’re interested to find out whether he knows any young
people who’ve lived away from their family. “Well, I worked
with a charity in Northern Ireland called ‘WAVE’, which was
originally set up by women who suffered during the troubles
on both sides. It now really deals with counselling children
on both sides of the divide, who are bereaved, lost a parent
or a loved one. I’m aware of the importance of that, but
people are always banging on about how much they care about
children, but actually you wonder - what do they really care
about?. Children need help. They are victims as oppose to
perpetrators! It is about understanding. But usually it is
people telling them instead of listening to them.’
We quite agree and Kevin tells him what stereotypes are
around for young people in care: “Even when you’re 3, people
assume that your Mum/Dad is either a druggy or a junky or
you’re a trouble maker. They don’t really understand or want
to understand why you’re in care.” Jimmy nods and comments
on this. “The work you’re doing at ‘Who Cares? Scotland is
all about awareness”, he says, “it’s about two things, being
heard but also making sure that you are being heard. It
involves work, commitment, passion and hammering on doors”.
Sometimes it is hard to get our message across we tell him.
“Well, hopefully this interview will help, you could work on
the back of this and talk to the press.” He suggests that he
could become our patron and help along the way. And as he’s
interviewed on chat shows like ‘Friday Night’ with Johnathan
Ross and the ‘Frank Skinner Show’, he could definitely help
us to get heard if he talked a bout us. Not to mention his
well-know Irish charm, of course!
The taxi’s now arrived at the Beauty Salon, and we, too, are
treated like celebrities. Some press are there, cameras are
on stand-by and then comes another surprise: Stephen Gately,
one of the 5 that made up the pop group ‘Boyzone’, walks in!
This now draws a girly crowd outsid the salon and we feel
like part of a film set.
No sooner is Jimmy’s deed done at the salon, that we’re off
again back to the theatre. We’re still hoping for tour – but
time’s just flying by. Jimmy’s now tired (join the club) and
we’re just chatting away. A few more phone calls, some more
sights and we’re back at Trafalgar Studios. “Look,” he says,
“I’m really sorry, but I have to call it a day.” We don’t
mind at all and gladly take the rain check. He needs to grab
a bite to eat before the next show, and we need to think
about getting back to the airport.
