May 20, 2001
The Sunday Express
Language Barrier
by Henry Fitzherbert

RAY WINSTONE has broken with the conventional niceties of the film business to denounce the experience of making his latest film, Ripley's Game, a follow-up to The Talented Mr Ripley, which he recently completed in Italy alongside John Malkovich and Dougray Scott.

"I can't say I enjoyed the job, " he tells me. "I guess the film might be all right but it isn't something I would want to do again in a hurry because I like to enjoy my work and I didn't enjoy it that much - or at all, to be honest."

It seems that with the international crew on the movie, it was like working on the Tower of Babel. "It was weird because it was Italians and Germans and Americans - crazy.

You've got people who can't speak English who are getting relayed their messages by an American. It was like having two mobile phones against your ears all the time, like frying your brain, " says Winstone.

He plays a thuggish associate of Malkovich's Ripley in the film, which is based on a Patricia Highsmith novel but which is made by a different team from the first film. Now Winstone is giving movies a break and will play Henry VIII in a new TV series by Alan Bleasdale for ITV.

On the casting of Hollywood star Russell Crowe as Henry in a forthcoming movie - which I revealed last week - he said: "I can't understand where these directors get their ideas for casting. There are a million brilliant actors out there, so what was wrong with them? If the Yanks have their way with Henry, I suppose he would be politically correct and weigh three stone."

Copyright 2001 EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS

- Thanks to Missy for the article!