BWW INTERVIEWS: David Harewood of THE MOUNTAINTOP

The versatile actor, currently playing Martin Luther King at the Trafalgar Studios, talks to Carrie Dunn about playing icons, irreverence and professional frustration...

First of all, how's the show going? I saw it on Friday and was so impressed with it.

Thank you! It's very good fun - I look forward to going to work every day.

It was quite emotionally draining to watch - it must be even worse for you.

Yes, I'm exhausted. You put so much into it, and with a play like this you can't really fake it - you've got to commit to it the entire way through, with every single line. But it's wonderful. At Theatre503, where we began the play, it's a tiny space, and it was like having a close-up for one hour and 25 minutes; it was much more intense. Here at the Trafalgar, it's almost relaxing!

I'm glad you said about having to commit to it the entire way through - without giving too much away in spoilers, there's a moment in the play where the style and the tone very markedly shifts. What did you think when you first read the script?

I thought it was wonderful! I read the whole thing on my iPhone, as I travelled on a train to film Doctor Who in Cardiff, and then I rang my agent straight away to say I wanted to do it.

As it's a two-hander, and a very intense one at that, you must have a great working relationship with your co-star Lorraine Burroughs.

We do get on really well. It's odd, we're playing these American characters and out of all the people who could have done it they cast two people who are both from Birmingham! We have similar senses of humour, similar tastes in music, similar ideas about things. I'm very fortunate, she's great, and she supports me.

A little bird tells me that in your first week at the Trafalgar Studios, your moustache fell off on stage...

[laughs] Yes! In fact, it fell off twice. I just thought, "Oh, what am I going to do now?" Once I put it on in my dressing room, that's the moment when I start to become the character, so without the moustache it was almost like I was naked.

As well as this play, you've been in the recent series of Robin Hood.

Well, I was a bit. I was more in the background. It was quite a frustrating time - I had such a great character [Friar Tuck] and didn't really get to do much with him.

The series itself got good critical reviews, after the first two series being categorised as fluffy family fun.

It did. I thought it was much stronger, much rounder, much more hard-hitting. I'm sure it was very enjoyable to watch.

You've played so many famous historical figures in the past 18 months - Martin Luther King, Friar Tuck, Nelson Mandela. How do you choose between all these great roles you're offered?

I haven't had to choose, fortunately. All these great roles have dovetailed really well, so I've been lucky enough to do all of them.

And what are you going to do next?

I'm not thinking about it at the moment. I'd love to carry on with The Mountaintop, actually, and there is talk of it transferring to Broadway.

Wow - do you think that would affect the way you portray Martin Luther King, then? It's certainly an irreverent take on his character.

I think it would be bound to come in for a heavy degree of criticism. The man's almost a saint over there. But I think we depict him in the way that we do with a lot of heart.

Would you worry about the reaction?

I just get on with it. That's why I think the play is so wonderful - this guy, who's revered the world over, comes on stage and the first thing he does is ask for cigarettes. It punctures the ideas that you have. Once people get over the fact that this is what you're doing, they relax and get into the play.

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