20 Questions With…Alex Ferns

Alex Ferns became a familiar face in 2000 when he took the role of wife-beater Trevor in BBC soap EastEnders. But Ferns’ career has embraced film, television and theatre.

Ferns’ stage credits include Art, A Totally Obscure Man, Streetcar Named Desire, Richard III, Don Juan, Romeo and Juliet and, most recently, Antony Sher’s I.D. in the UK; and, in South Africa, where he lived for many years, Burning Blue, All in the Timing, Macbeth, Hamlet and King Lear.

Meanwhile, on the small screen, aside from EastEnders, Ferns has tackled roles in, amongst others, Making Waves, Randall and Hopkirk, Wings, The Practice, Holby City, Taggart and Psychos. His film credits include Man Dancin’, Brittanic and The Ghost and the Darkness, with Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer.

Ferns has won and been nominated for numerous awards. He won Best Actor at the National Theatre Awards 1997 and Best Newcomer in the TV Quick awards, and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Awards 2004 for his performance as a tapeworm in I.D. at the Almeida.

Ferns is currently starring opposite Ben Cross in the European premiere production of Bruce Graham’s Coyote on a Fence, which is now playing at the West End’s Duchess Theatre, following its initial run at Manchester’s Royal Exchange (See News, 23 Mar 2004).

Date & place of birth
I was born in Lennoxtown outside Glasgow on 13 October 1968.

Lives now in…
In Finchley, north London.

Training

I trained at the University of Cape Town.

First big break
I would have to say EastEnders, because it was a great part and I got in, did it and got out and hopefully made an impact. Also more work came from it.

Career highlights
One of them has to be seeing my film Man Dancin’ on the big screen. That was a real rush. Playing Lintwurm (in I.D.) was interesting because I had the chance to work with Antony Sher. You see, my parents immigrated to South Africa in 1980 so I grew up there and my wife is South African. She had worked with Tony before. So I.D. was really interesting, a bit crazy, too.

How important are awards to you?

They are not that important to me except for the fact that it’s an appreciation of your work. But you’ve got to keep your head from swelling, you know. The work is the most important thing.

Favourite productions you’ve ever worked on
My favourite has to be Coyote on a Fence because of the detail of it. When we rehearsed originally in Manchester, we were only meant to have three weeks, but our director fought hard to get us an extra week, which we really needed to explore it properly. It was a marvellous rehearsal period and continues to be a great experience for me.

Favourite co-stars
I’ve had so many. I have to say Kacey (Ainsworth, who plays Little Mo), I loved working with her on EastEnders because she’s really on the ball. Also Ben Cross – this is the second time we’ve worked together, we also did Art in the West End a couple of years ago. It’s nice to be working with someone who you know so well.

Favourite directors

I’ve got two. David Hunt and Sarah Esdaile. Sarah has been trying to get Coyote on a Fence on for four years and really believes in it. She is totally saturated in the work, which is great. David directed me in Romeo and Juliet, which was the first production I did in the UK.

Favourite playwrights

I would say one of them is Edward Albee, and Samuel Beckett as well. I’ve always wanted to do Waiting for Godot, I’m not old enough yet thought, but Ben is actually! (Cross swears in the background.)

What roles would you most like to play still?

Vladimir or Estragon in Waiting for Godot. I’m over the hill, but I’d love to play Hamlet; yes, I could die happy then. Macbeth, too. I love Shakespeare.

You’ve worked extensively in theatre, TV & Film. Which do you prefer?

Theatre is my favourite. It’s all very different, though. For me, with theatre, you have to have a real sense of where the audience are at. Theatre is about timing and being aware of what’s going on around you. You have to use all your senses and be on the ball. The results are immediate, and there are moments when you know you’ve got them. It’s not about the applause but, when you’ve got them by the balls, that’s a good feeling. There are lots of moments like that in this show, where you can literally hear a pin drop.

What’s the best thing you’ve seen on stage recently?

I’ve been very naughty recently and haven’t seen much. David did Romeo and Juliet again, and it was very strange watching someone else playing my part (Romeo). I saw Great Expectations at the Royal Exchange, which was good but a bit too long.

What would you advise the government to secure the future of British theatre?
Give us some more fucking money, and you can quote me directly on that. Please stop going into other countries and behaving like arseholes and give us more money for theatre.

If you could swap places with one person (living or dead) for a day, who would it be?
It would have to be Nelson Mandela. I’d like to have that serenity and peace going through me for a change and not be so hyper. I shook his hand once and it was enough to make me cry. That was just after he was released. He went for a walk through Cape Town Gardens and people came from far and wide to see him.

Favourite books
Charlotte Joko Beck’s Nothing Special: Living Zen, because it’s the book I carry around with me all the time at the moment. It’s full of pearls of wisdom I need to remind myself of.

Favourite after-show haunts
I like to hang out in Soho House, and Joe Allen’s is good to have a drink in.

Favourite holiday destination
Cape Town, has to be.

Favourite websites
I don’t go onto the web that much. There’s a site called www.txexecutions.org, about people that are about to be executed. You can read all about them, even what they had for breakfast.

Why did you want to accept the part of Bobby Reyburn in Coyote on a Fence?

Well, he’s mentally ill, he’s got a limp, a dodgy eye and he’s covered in tattoos – I mean, it’s Oscar-winning material. If it was a film, I wouldn’t have to do anything, just stand in shot! Bobby is a contradiction. He’s evil but likeable, there’s something sort of innocent about him. I like characters with that dual thing going on.

How difficult is it to play roles like a fascist or a wife beater? Is it possible to play a character who you don’t like?
I think you have to like the guy to play him. I don’t know how I do that, maybe I just relate to the darker side of life, to people that are a bit fucked up.

After Eastenders, do you get abuse on the street?
I used to now and again, but it was pretty good-natured on the whole.
Not anymore, though. Nobody knows who I am, I look totally different.

Coyote on a Fence concerns capital punishment. What are your views on the subject?

I’m in between. I don’t know. I have a son, and if something happened to him, I wouldn’t be able to be as forgiving as some people. But, inevitably, at some point, someone innocent will be put to death.

What’s your favourite line from Coyote on a Fence?
“Why, John Brennan, I do believe you just told me a fib.”

What’s the funniest/oddest/most notable thing that’s happened during the run to date of Coyote on a Fence?
We’ve had various reactions with this play. There are some very inflammatory lines, so we’ve had people walking out, some laughing hysterically or audible intakes of breath at certain bits, but it’s been solid so far. I need to keep an eye on Ben and the rest of cast, though, to keep them up to scratch. Obviously, I’m perfect! (Cross swears in the background.)

What are your plans for the future?
I’ve a navy series coming out in July on ITV. After that, nothing. Maybe I’ll be out of work, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

– Alex Ferns was speaking to Hannah Kennedy

Coyote on a Fence is currently playing at the West End’s Duchess Theatre, where it opened on 28 April 2004, following previews from 22 April and an initial run at Manchester’s Royal Exchange.