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AUDITION Truly and genuinely, it doesn’t feel like a duty at all – it feels like a privilege. Pint of Guinness or London Pride? As a staple on our stages and screens, actor and Pint of Guinness… preferably 12. When I Audi driver James Nesbitt reveals the trouble with go home to Ireland to the Harbour Bar in comedy, and whether it’s more fun to play the villain , ‘pint of Guinness’ is the first thing I say when I walk in.

WRITER Emma Barlow PHOTOGRAPHER Joe McGorty Night out or night in? A night out because even if I’m with my daughters we always go out and do something. The money I spend on myself I spend on food in nice restaurants, so a night out is always preferable to me.

Middle Earth or Mayfair? Drama or comedy? Drive or be driven? Well this is about home isn’t it, and A famous old Shakespearean actor called Well both are fabulous because, of course, I’ve got three homes really. Northern Edmund Kean was supposed to have said one of the great perks of being an Audi Ireland is my spiritual home and London is on his deathbed, when asked what dying Ambassador is that I occasionally get the most wonderful city to live in, and it’s was like: ‘Dying is easy, comedy is hard.’ driven around in an Audi and that is where my kids are. But Middle Earth is the I think I would agree and say comedy. It always about comfort and relaxation and most beautiful place I have ever been to. might look easy but it’s very technical. incredible room. But then I’ve been driving One of the best things about Audis for 16 years now and the thrill of was that I was able to take my kids and Audiences or acclaim? driving my Audi never leaves me. I’ve had spend a couple of years there. The problem Awards are not important at all if you’ve RS 6s, an S6 and Q7s – all wonderful. is it’s so brutally far away. been nominated for one and didn’t win it, but if you’ve been nominated and did win Heroes or villains? Fact or fiction? it, then they’re very important. In Jekyll [2007 BBC TV series] it was much I’ve played three real characters now, most more interesting to play Mr Hyde than Dr recently Colin Howell in ITV’s The Secret. Giving up or giving back? Jekyll. When you play a villain you can lose What was interesting in the past was One of the great privileges of being all your inhibitions, enter another world getting to meet these people and spend successful is that it gives you the and explore dark bits of yourself. Plus time with them. With Colin Howell I opportunity to get involved in charities. the best bits of Shakespeare are always didn’t meet him as he’s in prison, but I I’m a UNICEF Ambassador and have the villains rather than the heroes. would have liked to. And I do love taking travelled all over the world to see the part in real-life stories because you feel incredible work that they do and I do Technophile or technophobe? that you’re interpreting and bringing a lot of work in with I haven’t a clue – I can barely send an something – a real thing – alive. post-conflict traumatised victims. I love it. email! I still look at the radio and kind >>

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of think ‘this is a total miracle’. I don’t really Cats or dogs? Tee-off or kick-off? understand anything about technology Dogs. I’ve always had dogs since I was born Golf to play and football to watch. at all – my daughters have to help me with actually – my parents bought a dog to anything technical. celebrate the birth of their only son – and or hot to trot? Bobby, my New Zealand schnoodle, is one I think I am a naturally confident person. Half full or half empty? of the great loves of my life. I grew up in the country with three older I’d like to think I’m a glass-half-full sisters, so I’ve always been very at ease in person, but the problem is when I have Rule-keeper or rebel? company, without being overly confident. half a glass, I drain it very quickly and There was a touch of the rebel in me, but entirely happily, so it’s kind of a metaphor when you’ve got daughters you have to try Small screen or big screen? for my life! Sometimes it depends, but I and keep the rules. My eldest daughter is I think in our country it’s very hard to be hope people see me as a half-full person. basically the parent in our relationship, so snobby about television, and particularly I’m the reluctant rule-keeper! now that television has had something of a renaissance. I thought it was very High culture or pop culture? interesting that after winning Best Actor Well, I think a mix. I can hardly say pop [at the Oscars], Matthew McConaughey culture because the first single I bought went immediately into television [True MY ELDEST DAUGHTER was ‘Don’t Give Up On Us Baby’ by David Detective]. It really just depends on the IS THE PARENT IN OUR Soul, which is the most embarrassing script, and we should be very proud of our RELATIONSHIP, SO I’M THE answer anyone could ever give to any television in this country.  RELUCTANT RULE-KEEPER question about pop culture. But I like to think of myself as a bit more high culture James will appear in the new series of these days. Cold Feet, coming to ITV later this year

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