FIRST IMPRESSIONS: ROBERT LINDSAY
What are you working on at the moment?
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Jerry Mitchell, Rufus Hound, Katherine Kingsley, Samantha Bond and John Marquez.
When are you at your happiest?
When I’m at home and when rehearsing.
What is your greatest fear?
People who don’t listen.
What is your earliest memory?
Falling out of a high chair into the fire and my dad dragging me out. I remember my dad’s panicky face.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
Falling asleep in front of the telly. My son has a terrible video of me he is threatening to put on YouTube. I’ll kill him if he does. It’s not a pretty picture.
Who has been your greatest influence?
My art master at school, John Lally, who formed the grand order of thespians. He gave me the bug for acting.
What is your most treasured possession?
I’m not a materialistic person, but alarmingly, it’s my phone. We’re addicted to them now.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
As I get older I find it hard to applaud the way I look. Getting older isn’t the most attractive thing.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Greed.
What is your favourite book?
Sons And Lovers by DH Lawrence. And Wind In The Willows, which was the first book I read as a child.
Your favourite music?
When I grew up I got into The Beatles.
Your favourite film?
Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday. It’s one of the most genius comedic films ever.
And your favourite meal?
On a trip to Italy, it was a hot day and we had ice-cold fruit, a stunning risotto, and white wine. I thought I’d died and gone to Heaven.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Nigella Lawson, Nelson Mandela, John Lally, the lovely producer of Me And My Girl, Richard Armitage, and Eric and Ernie. It would be a riot.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has said to you?
When I played Hamlet, Time Out printed a review that didn’t mention me; everyone else, but not my Hamlet. I’ve never recovered from it.
Do you believe in aliens?
Yes. My mum was spiritual and she believed in life after death and convinced us as children that we were constantly surrounded by other beings, which we grew up calling aliens. I’m also an old hippy from the 1960s so I believe we’ve been visited before.
What is your secret vice?
This is a cheeky one: eyeing ladies. It’s not lecherous, I just love the way ladies look. I try not to be embarrassed about it. I think it’s best to go up and say, ‘Darling, you are so beautiful’, rather than sit there like an old letch.
Do you write thank-you notes?
No. I wasn’t raised like that.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
‘Babe’. It’s an actor thing, like darling. I’m getting to a point in my life where names are beginning to just evaporate into a mist.
What would most improve the quality of your life?
No HS2 high-speed railway from London to the North of England. It’s going to affect where I, and everyone I know, lives. I’m violently against it. It’s going to destroy the countryside.
Tell us something we don’t know about you.
I’m an incurable romantic. I weep at everything… I’m such a slush.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘I did my best.’
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: The Musical is at The Savoy Theatre from 10 March: 0844-871 7615,
www.scoundrelswestend.com
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Jerry Mitchell, Rufus Hound, Katherine Kingsley, Samantha Bond and John Marquez.
When are you at your happiest?
When I’m at home and when rehearsing.
What is your greatest fear?
People who don’t listen.
What is your earliest memory?
Falling out of a high chair into the fire and my dad dragging me out. I remember my dad’s panicky face.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
Falling asleep in front of the telly. My son has a terrible video of me he is threatening to put on YouTube. I’ll kill him if he does. It’s not a pretty picture.
Who has been your greatest influence?
My art master at school, John Lally, who formed the grand order of thespians. He gave me the bug for acting.
What is your most treasured possession?
I’m not a materialistic person, but alarmingly, it’s my phone. We’re addicted to them now.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
As I get older I find it hard to applaud the way I look. Getting older isn’t the most attractive thing.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Greed.
What is your favourite book?
Sons And Lovers by DH Lawrence. And Wind In The Willows, which was the first book I read as a child.
Your favourite music?
When I grew up I got into The Beatles.
Your favourite film?
Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday. It’s one of the most genius comedic films ever.
And your favourite meal?
On a trip to Italy, it was a hot day and we had ice-cold fruit, a stunning risotto, and white wine. I thought I’d died and gone to Heaven.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Nigella Lawson, Nelson Mandela, John Lally, the lovely producer of Me And My Girl, Richard Armitage, and Eric and Ernie. It would be a riot.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has said to you?
When I played Hamlet, Time Out printed a review that didn’t mention me; everyone else, but not my Hamlet. I’ve never recovered from it.
Do you believe in aliens?
Yes. My mum was spiritual and she believed in life after death and convinced us as children that we were constantly surrounded by other beings, which we grew up calling aliens. I’m also an old hippy from the 1960s so I believe we’ve been visited before.
What is your secret vice?
This is a cheeky one: eyeing ladies. It’s not lecherous, I just love the way ladies look. I try not to be embarrassed about it. I think it’s best to go up and say, ‘Darling, you are so beautiful’, rather than sit there like an old letch.
Do you write thank-you notes?
No. I wasn’t raised like that.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
‘Babe’. It’s an actor thing, like darling. I’m getting to a point in my life where names are beginning to just evaporate into a mist.
What would most improve the quality of your life?
No HS2 high-speed railway from London to the North of England. It’s going to affect where I, and everyone I know, lives. I’m violently against it. It’s going to destroy the countryside.
Tell us something we don’t know about you.
I’m an incurable romantic. I weep at everything… I’m such a slush.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘I did my best.’
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: The Musical is at The Savoy Theatre from 10 March: 0844-871 7615,
www.scoundrelswestend.com