32|green&white thebiginterview Leeds By Example MARTIN McCONACHIE Merchant and spoke to Ash Atalla SPEAKS TO ACTOR AND (the producer) and auditioned for LEEDS FAN RALPH INESON the part. “I asked Ash what he saw the show as. He said he wanted it to be the new ‘Royle Family’ which at alph Ineson means the time was getting nine million different things to different viewers. I couldn’t believe a sitcom people. about office life filmed by a wobbly Those who like their camera would do that well. I got the Rfantasy drama will know him from part and the rest is history. the HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’ “No one could have predicted while film buffs will recognise him how well it did. When I read for from playing Amycus Carrow in the part, I could see it was really ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood good with the interplay between Prince’ and both parts of ‘Harry characters.” Potter and the Deathly Hallows.’ United were a roaring success by Add into the pot a plethora of now too as Ralph recalls. “George WE ARE LEEDS: Ralph Ineson with Leeds acting credits along with dozens Graham had the youth there but he of voiceover jobs and you can hero Peter Lorimer during a Celebs v Legends match PICTURE: James Varley would rather use the older guys see why he is worthy of the ‘Big in the team. David O’Leary came Interview’ treatment. He was most rooted in London but practicality in and gave the youth a chance notably in one of the best British with the likes of Alan Smith, Harry sitcoms of all time, playing Chris took over and he moved to London. “You need to get your face around, Kewell, Jonathan Woodgate, David ‘Finchy’ Finch in ‘The Office’. He’s a Batty and the rest. Probably my massive Leeds United fan too! get yourself known. I had to meet casting directors all the time best memoryALL SMILES:was going Jasper with “I played a lot of sport as a kid so Carrott with the Carling and ended up spending more 10,000 Leeds fans to the San Siro didn’t really watch Leeds that often stadium toCup see that us getBirmingham a point to start with,” Ralph confesses. “My money commuting to London from won in 2011 after Yorkshire than I would if I’d lived against AC Milan and qualify for the first game was a cup tie against Championsbeating League Arsenal second 2-1 phase. West Brom when I was eight; we there. So I moved down.” PICTURE: His acting career took off and the “Even with all the success, I’m not drew 0-0 but I went more regularly sure many Leeds fansRoy really Smiljanic liked when I was in my teens.” deep-voiced Yorkshireman was soon mixing with the A-listers in his David O’Leary. It always seemed Growing up in Leeds, he about him rather than the club or continued his education to do first film role, ‘First Night.’ “I had to pinch myself, three months earlier the fans. That’s why I think Brian Theatre Studies at Lancaster McDermott is so important to Leeds University which led him to I’d been a teacher and here I was stood up acting with Richard Gere United at the moment, he gets us. become a drama teacher at York “He is a calm, honourable, decent Sixth Form College. His big break watching me. It was amazing.” More film and TV roles followed fella. He understands us and is the into acting came in 1992 and was rock at the centre of our club. Last aided by another familiar face from then came the big break, getting a role in ‘The Office’. “They’d been Saturday’s events (where 31,000 the acting world. “I did a show in turned up to support the club’s 5-1 the York Theatre Royal as part of casting for the role of Finchy for a while and I’d met a few people win) tells you everything about the York Mystery Plays, a series of him.” Biblical stories. that had read for the role. I met up with Ricky Gervais and Stephen And for today? “With all due “That year, Robson Green played respect, Yeovil are one of the Christ and we became friends, weaker sides in the division. I sharing a dressing room. He told “BRIAN IS A CALM, HONOURABLE, DECENT just have to hope we come out me I was a natural and could do this like against Huddersfield last professionally and even lent me FELLA. HE UNDERSTANDS US AND IS THE ROCK weekend. If we don’t, things might some money!” go the other way and we could be Initially, the young Ralph stayed AT THE CENTRE OF OUR CLUB” tonked.” ■ green&white|33.