Interview with Actor: Clive Owen

Ted Sod, Education Dramaturg, spoke with actor Clive Owen about Old Times and his role as Deeley.

Ted Sod: Why did you choose to play the role of Deeley in Harold Pinter's Old Times? What do you think the play is about?

Clive Owen: I've been thinking about doing a play for some time. I was really just waiting for the right thing to come along. I love this play; I think it might be Pinter's best play. I think it's just a great piece of writing, and I love the part of Deeley. I was very encouraged by the fact that Doug Hodge, the director, had worked with Pinter often and seems to understand his work very well. It took me a while to say yes because I hadn't done a play for so long that I had to be sure that it was the right one to do.

In terms of what the play is about, I think it's one of his more elusive plays. I honestly think you could ask a number of people who have read or seen this play what the play was about and they would say different things. I've read reviews from past productions, and people are forever commenting on how difficult it is to really pin down what the play is about. To me it's primarily about two things: how human beings remember things that happened a while ago and how we reshape those memories according to the way we want to remember them. It's also a play that is fueled with a sexual jealousy. That seems to be a big theme in Old Times - what went on before this couple became a couple - what they did, how they behaved. The beauty of it is that it is wide open to interpretation, which means every time you do a production of a Pinter play, the people coming together create something original.

I feel that our version of Old Times will be different from anybody else's, and it should be. The play is beautifully written, and the rhythm and structure is so clear that, at the end of the day, we will make decisions in the rehearsal room and connect to things that I am sure will have an effect. The play will have its life. If we just commit to it, it will resonate.

TS: Does the play have personal resonance for you?

CO: I wouldn't say so particularly, no. I do think that Pinter is quintessentially English. I feel excited by that. There's an underlying anger within Pinter and a seething quality that I find to be quite English.

TS: Is it a challenge to come back to the stage after working for so many years in front of the camera?

CO: For sure it is, yes. It was a big decision because of that. When I started acting, it was only to do theatre. I wasn't really interested in doing film or television. I joined a youth theatre, and I trained at RADA. Then my career took the course it did and I ended up for the last ten to fifteen years doing primarily film-working in front of a camera. Of course, I'll be nervous by going back on stage, because it's been a while-but there's also something exciting about reawakening the thing that set me alight to begin with. It's why I became an actor. The idea of going into rehearsal for weeks has reminded me how much I loved it, how much I was inspired by it. I'm nervous but very excited at the same time.

TS: When you were doing stage work or studying at RADA, did you ever work on a play of Pinter's before?

CO: No, I haven't, actually. Over the years I have been asked a number of times to do Pinter plays. I have to say, this is one of my favorites and one of my favorite characters. It was great that this play was put in front of me at this time. I'm beginning to work on Old Times now, just reading it. Pinter's structure, rhythms, and the way he puts things together-it's very clear why he does what he does. There's a real muscularity about it. It's so precise and so thought through. Sometimes his sentences are odd-it's not the easiest or most natural way of saying something - but once you mine it and get on top of it, it's really clear why he's positioning the words in that way. There's strength and a precision of meaning in his words, and that is really exciting to begin to work on.

Clive Owen in rehearsal for OLD TIMES." height="329" src="http://blog.roundabouttheatre.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/OT03_605x329.jpg" width="605" />

Clive Owen in rehearsal for OLD TIMES.

TS: Do you think that's because he was an actor himself? Do you think he understood what actors need? He's become notorious for the Pinter pause.

CO: I think there's an element of that. I think he writes great parts. I think his plays are full of conflict.The characters are always in conflict, which always creates good drama. I feel, when you read his work, that the pauses and silences he's written become really clear. I've seen interviews with him where he talks about the famous "Pinter pause." He explains what a pause and a silence are used for. People get a bit obsessed by it, but to me it's a very clear indication of a change in thought or a pull back on the rhythm. It seems very clear to me why he's written them into his scripts.

TS: You spoke about reading the play in depth. What other preparation do you have to do for a role like this? Do you have to do research or do you just wait until you get to the room and work with the director?

CO: Obviously that's the crucial bit, but I go back and look at the history of Pinter and try to find out as much as I can. He doesn't really say too much about his plays. I think he's a great believer in the plays speaking for themselves. He's not going to over?analyze them. Also, his plays have an effect because of where they sit. It's not about black and white. Often he's working in a very murky gray area. His plays aren't literal, they're much more abstract than that. I've found out as much as I can about him. I've watched some old movies of Pinter. There's nothing in terms of research and background to the parts. It's on the page. It's really just about reading a play over and over so that ideas come to you.

TS: Have you ever worked with Eve Best-or Emily, as she's sometimes called-or Kelly Reilly before?

CO: No, I haven't actually.

TS: Have you ever been directed by Doug?

CO: No, not at all. I met Doug and talked to him about the play. It feels that he really does understand Pinter probably as well as anybody. The fact that he's done a lot of Pinter plays, the fact that he worked with Pinter, is very reassuring to me.

TS: Can you tell us what you look for from a director? What is it that you like to get from a director?

CO: Inspired, really. It's a very difficult question. It's not always obvious things. It's really just to be supported and inspired. I think the best directors get the best work out of actors by making them feel good and making them feel like they can do anything. How you get to that point, I don't know, but that's the objective. I worked with the great Mike Nichols. People always talked about how brilliant he was with actors. You just wanted to do it for that guy, but also he was great at making you feel like you could do anything. When an actor is in that position, they're wide open, and that's where you get the best work, really.

TS: Do you have any advice for young people who may be thinking about a career as an actor? Is that something you're willing to share?

CO: The only thing I would say is: If you are thinking about it, make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. We live in a time where people want things so quickly. When I started acting, I always had the idea I was in it for the long haul. I wanted to make a career out of it. I loved what I was doing. The idea of making a living out of it-something that I could do for a long time-was really attractive to me. It seemed to me that the best way to do that was to work hard and make sure I was doing it, always, for the right reasons. The choices I've made, they're all related to work, and doing work that I felt was important and fulfilling. That's carried me all the way through. We do live in a time where people get things very quickly. It's all so immediate. If I was advising anyone young who was going into acting, I would just say, it's all about the work. Everything else that comes with acting is not as important as actually getting down and doing the work.

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Old Times begins previews September 17 at the American Airlines Theatre. For more information and tickets, please visit our website.