DOUGLAS HENSHALL
HE SPECIALISES IN PLAYING GRITTY REDHEADS FROM TV ROLES IN PSYCHOS AND KID IN THE CORNER TO ROMANTIC LEADS IN THIS YEAR’S LOVE AND IF ONLY. THIS MONTH HE STARS IN THE BRITPACK FILM FAST FOOD.
When was the last time you had breakfast in bed?
Heavens. I don’t know. It never seems to be worth it. You spill things and you end up with crumbs up your bum.
Who was the last person you yelled at?
The entire Scottish football team. They lost.
When did you last get really drunk?
When Kid in The Corner was first broadcast on TV I went out with the director Bille Eltringham and Clare Holman who played my wife. It felt like the whole thing was out of my hands so I got a wee bit drunk.
Who was the person you last kissed?
Professionally - Paloma Baeza, who plays my wife Kitty in the new channel 4 series Anna Karenina. It was our wedding scene. Personally – none of your business.
When did you last cry at a movie?
During The Sixth Sense, although it was a crap plot. I got the ending after 45 minutes. I’m very sentimental. I can’t watch Dumbo – seeing that elephant locked up makes me cry.
What was your last major shopping extravagance?
I’ve joined the 21st century and bought an iBook computer. It’s dead cool and I’m dead chuffed. Of course I’ve no idea how to use it – I’ll have to join a typing pool.
Who is the last person you regret giving your telephone number to?
She knows who she is.
Where was the last place you went out to dinner?
L’Escargot in Soho with all the cast of Kid in the Corner. I didn’t exactly get drunk, but let’s say there was some professional bonding.
What is the last memorable book you read?
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakaur. It’s about the team who attempted to climb Mount Everest. And of course I read Anna Karenina. It’s fashionable not to bother to read the book behind a film, but I think that’s very unprofessional. Come on, Tolstoy’s not a bad read.
When did you last dance?
About three weeks ago in Warsaw – really badly. I had to improvise a peasant dance and everyone thought it was hilarious. I’d drunk a lot of vodka with apple juice and herbs. It looks a bit like pee, but it’s fabulous.
When was the last time you ate junk food?
Yesterday. Jerk chicken in Brixton – sorry!
Who was the last famous person you met?
John Malkovich he’s so cool. I was utterly tongue-tied. I try not to get star-struck. But when I met Isabella Rossellini, I had to stop myself from staring. She was the nicest, sweetest, most approachable person. I thought, ‘You’re too nice to be true’. I had to run away.
What’s the last thing you want to hear from your parents?
‘It’s OK, son, everyone forgets a birthday.’
When did you last take a walk in the park?
All Saints’ Day in a park in Warsaw. Families get together and light candles at graveyards throughout Poland. It looks stunning and everyone plays all this beautiful music.
When did you last do your ironing?
I don’t have an iron. I borrow one from the person upstairs. I quite like doing it because it’s very therapeutic. I hate having to put the ironing board up, though – it’s worse than a deckchair.
When was the last time you smiled all day?
Probably when I shot the wedding scene in This Year’s Love with Catherine McCormack.
What did you do last night?
I watched the football, read a script and went to bed. After weeks on location, it’s really nice to sit and do nothing.