What was your degree in? My degree was a Bachelor of Arts in Leisure and Recreational Studies, which I obtained at West Midlands College in Walsall, just outside Birmingham. While I was at West Mids I developed an early taste for acting appearing in college productions as �Happy� Loman in �Death Of A Salesman� and Giovanni in Dario Fo�s �Can�t Pay! Won�t Pay�. You mentioned in your letter that you had played several Shakespearean roles � what were they? The title role in �Coriolanus�; the Porter, a murderer and Good Seward in �Macbeth�; Duke Frederick, Duke Senior and the simpleton William (a personal favourite) in �As You Like It�; Tranio in �Taming Of The Shrew�; Duke Orsino in �Twelfth Night�; and Nick Bottom in �A Midsummer Night�s Dream�, which I was performing when I was cast as Cullen. The different accents in TB tend to fascinate most Aussies and I was wondering if your Cullen accent was your real one or the much thicker northern one you used in Pressure Point (if you can remember that!) or neither? Cullen�s accent is my own, which is a bit of a nothingy accent. You do hear the odd twang of Brummie slipping through from time to time. In �Pressure Point� the director, Brian Parker, wanted a regional accent but Brummie is usually associated with comedy characters, so I nicked the accent of a mate who comes from just outside Sheffield. Do you prefer screen or stage acting? I love both stage and screen acting. Before I got the role of Cullen most of my TV work had been small roles so I never had a chance to become really comfortable around a TV or film set; but now I�ve done twenty months on �The Bill� I feel very much at home in front of the camera. It�s been a fantastic opportunity and experience and I�ve learned a lot about screen acting technique, which is very different from stage work. I�d like to think I�m a better screen actor now that when I started. Stage work allows for a lot more physicality, which I love, and the chance to work with a live audience, which I always relish. The other thing about stage work is that the play is always (or should be) organic and develops with each performance. That�s the pity of screen work � once you�ve done it and it�s in the can that�s the way it will stay; and sometimes working on fast moving shows like �The Bill� you don�t always get the chance to say �Hang on a minute, can I do that again? I wasn�t very happy with it�. Either that or you go through the scene while you�re driving home and think �Oh, I wish I�d done it like that!� But, after all that waffle, the answer is: I love both stage and screen for different reasons. If you could play any role in the world what would it be? Nick Bottom was one of the roles I always wanted to play as I love comedy and he�s a brilliant comic character. So, I�ve done that one. I suppose the only other one I can think of off the top of my head would be Macbeth. I think I might have the right kind of physique and I certainly have the Celtic colouring. I�ll just be happy if I get to play a wide range of roles in the future and I�d really love to do more films. Is there a role you�d like to play � but know you never will because you�re the wrong age, sex, colour or whatever? Again, off the top of my head, I can�t think of any roles I�m precluded from playing that I�d love to play. I�m probably too old for Hamlet, which is a cracking good role. I suppose any �coming of age� role that requires the actor to kiss loads of attractive young women. (Wistful sigh.) Thanks again to Ged for his time! |
| An Interview with Ged Simmons |
| When I received a letter with information for the Cult of Cullen website ( There is a Ged) from Ged, he very kindly said that I could send him some further questions. This interview, which was conducted by e-mail, is a result of that. A little more information - if you are prepared to risk spoilers - can be found at The Cullen Campaign Ged, of course, is due a HUGE thank you for taking the time and trouble to supply us with all this information - the man definitely deserves a cult ;o) |
 |
|
 |
| Picture very kindly taken and supplied by Debz - visit her site for more pictures taken at the studio. |
 |