LOGS, PIGS and yoyos!

yoyo. “Yes,” he laughs. “I could do likes of Sean Bean, Reece With- By MARTIN MCCONACHIE amazing tricks with a yoyo; certainly erspoon, Kevin McKidd and Neve the most talent I’ve had in sport and Campbell. His CV contains HBO/ AVING already revealed I tried to amuse the more anxious BBC series Rome; other TV series that we have award-win- patients in my care as I wheeled them such as Sharpe’s Sword, The Mayor ning comedian Diane down to surgery. I had a great time of Casterbridge and Beau Brummel: Spencer as a Yeovil fan, there and met some strong, interest- This Charming Man and fi lms like it gives us great pleasure H ing people during my formative years The Knights Tale, Resident Evil and to also inform you that we’ve found after being in a public school for ten Solomon Kane. another celebrity Glover, actor James years.” Next up for the Glovers nut is Purefoy. Another growing love was for his a Disney Pixar production set on At fi rst glance, James Purefoy is a boyhood football team, Yeovil Town. Mars called John Carter which is familiar face but one that you can’t “I started going to games when I was set to be released in the United immediately tag to one series. His about the same age as my nephew Kingdom in March and will hopefully acting CV runs to almost 25 years, whose here with me today, about lead to more TV and fi lm parts impressive longevity in a ruthless seven or eight. My stepfather took industry, and his versatility has seen shortly after. One role he’s not too me to the sloping pitch and I loved bothered about missing out on is him in roles such as Mark Antony in that pitch and the way Yeovil knew Rome, a billionaire playboy in The . how to use it perfectly when crossing Tipped to be 007 in Goldeneye, he Philanthropist and led to him almost the ball into the area. “ missed out and was also rumoured getting the role of James Bond on Fast forward three decades and to be in the running for Casino Roy- more than one occasion. But more he admits to having mixed feelings ale, the part going to Daniel Craig. on 007 later on; we need to start at about the ill-fated Wembley trip in Yet the 47-year-old Glover sees the beginning with logs, pigs and May 2007 where Russell Slade’s the upside of not being everyone’s yoyos. side lost 2-0 in the playoff fi nal to Born in Taunton and educated at a Blackpool. “The match was a bitter favourite secret agent. “Apparently, Sherborne public school, James left disappointment, made your heart Daniel can only stay in a pub for 15 school and worked in a variety sink and you see Blackpool progress minutes before it all gets out of hand of jobs as he explains. “I began on into the Premier League and thing whereas I like nothing better than to a log splitting farm in Somerton then ‘My God; that could have been us!’ spend far more time in a pub with on to a pig farm in Long Load and Yet it was great to see Yeovil actually my mates. Someone once called me eventually I got into Yeovil District play at Wembley and it was terrifi c a “stealth celebrity” and I guess I’ve Hospital as a porter. They employed to see all the Glovers supporters up actually achieved a certain amount of me under the Youth Opportunities there for the day. “ anonymity by not being that sort of Programme so I got £25 a week for a The acting career was developing actor (Bond).” full 40-hour week. I used to do night nicely by the time he entered his If his next movie is out of this shifts, day shifts, as much overtime mid-twenties and then really took world, so are his hopes for the Glov- as I could get. I thought I’d end up off. Well versed in classical acting ers as he describes his dream as working there for longer but my father and theatre work through roles in seeing the day when Yeovil hold the said I’d never be a porter all my life, , , The Man European Cup upon their shoulders. pulled me out of there and I ended up Who Came To Dinner and ; But every dream has to start some- falling in love with acting.” he later went on to star in a huge where, be it on a pig farm, splitting The entertainment bug was well variety of parts for fi lm and television logs or simply using a yo-yo! It’s a and truly within by now thanks to a productions working alongside the funny old game.

4466 ★ GREENGREEN & WHITEWHITE ★ WWW.YTFC.NETWWW.YTFC.NET THEBIG INTERVIEW

JAMES PUREFOY

LEAD ROLE: James in the fi lm Soloman Kane. Inset: With the Jolly Green Giant during his recent visit to Huish Park for the Charlton match

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