Darren Swift: 'Acting is not so different from being in the military'

You got into acting late…
Yes, I came to it late. I got blown up in the army when I was 26 in Northern Ireland. It was my choice to discharge from the army after what happened and I did some travelling and I suppose I fell into film and TV extra work. We lived near Pinewood Studios and an uncle and aunt who worked there got me to sign up. In those days people with disabilities weren't widely seen in that arena. So I ended up starting with some horror and war films.

So you had to play a lot of roles where you got blown up?
Yes, I had to scream a lot and then die. It did involve a bit of stunt work, which I liked doing. I did that for God knows how many years, but then I was extremely fortunate to get a part in a play at the National called Travelling Light. I played someone whose legs had been sawn off in an accident. Then I appeared in The Two Worlds of Charlie F which played in the West End and on a big tour.

Do you generally get offered roles where you play someone who has no legs?
Yes, I get typecast. If someone wants a guy with a big nose and no legs I’m genuinely the person they refer to. I’m quite happy with that. That's a lot, as it goes.

Does it ever frustrate you?
No, I mean, I'd be up for anything and I can appear to be able-bodied as long as there's not too much movement involved. I have leg prosthetics. But I am a double amputee. It's blatantly obvious I am one so that's what I'm happy with. To be fair, the industry – TV and film as well – is getting much better at casting people with disabilities. Certainly at places like the National Theatre, anyway.

You've never trained in acting – were you ever daunted by the idea of being onstage?
Yeah, at the National I was. I just thought: I’ll give this a go and then the first night on stage I was like – my God what am I doing here?

After going through such a traumatic experience in the army, what made you head for the stage?
I’m quite a gregarious character and quite gobby, a bit of a show off I suppose. But theatre is not so very different from being in the military. There’s the obvious differences. But you also rehearse for something in the military, and you also get first night nerves. There’s a hierarchy with the directors and producers too, I suppose I look at them as the officers.

Does playing military roles ever bring your experience back to you?
No. I do casualty simulation for the military as well. I was conscious when I got blown up too so I knew what I looked like, so you'd think it would upset me. I feel better for how I'm informing people of my experiences. It's probably not everyone's game but I think it's cathartic.

You're starring in a revival of Blue on Blue, what's it about?
Essentially the show is about mental health issues. I’m playing an army veteran called Moss who is likely suffering from PTSD, but the person really struggling is Carver, who is played by Daniel Gentely. It’s a fly on the wall look at our relationship. There’s lots of friendly fire between us.

What made you want to be a part of the project?
The mental health issues were the first attraction because I’ve had dealings in that neck of the woods myself. It's also quite a big challenge for me. It's a bigger part than anything I’ve done before and it is quite daunting. But I wanted a challenge.

What are the biggest disability issues you've faced in the industry?

Access to theatres. Some of the old ones are lovely to work in and they are fantastic places but my God there’s access issues if you’re using a wheelchair or if you’ve got a mobility issue. But I do understand some of the old theatres can’t be touched because they are listed buildings. Once on tour with Charlie F, during a performance I had to go out of one door, onto the street, wheel down the street and come in another door because there was a flight of bloody stairs to get to my entrance on the other side of the stage. We did it a couple of nights in the rain as well. That's the sort of thing that winds me up.

Blue on Blue runs at Tristan Bates Theatre until 14 May.