The Vulnerable Charm of Linus Roache

From the Associated Press

November 12, 1997

New York -- Linus Roache looks at himself skeptically in the hotel mirror, assessing his
new suit, a funky double-breasted affair with itty-bitty lapels.

"Do you think I should keep it?" he asks his slightly harried publicist, who pauses
and cocks her head to gaze at him.

The thing is, he looks great, but he isn't sure. In fact, he's beautifully uncertain.

Perhaps this vulnerable charisma is what makes the British actor so compelling
in his latest role as an unwilling point in a love triangle gone awry in
"The Wings of The Dove".

His resume includes credits from The Royal Shakespeare Company -- and he
seems poised to join the ranks of other famous alumni, including Kenneth
Branagh and Ralph Fiennes. But Roache, 33, is best known for his role
as the sexually conflicted Father Greg in "Priest". The 1994 film found
both fans and critics everywhere, and Roache, who is neither gay nor
Catholic, was as surprised as anyone.

""Priest" opened the door to everything for me," he said, noting that
success came after a particularly gruelling series of projects on British
television and the stage. "But it also gave me the opportunity to stop working...
both financially and career-wise, so I took some time out."

He went on a retreat to India, visited Nepal and trekked the Himalayas with
friends. He spent time with longtime girlfriend and fellow actor Rosalind
Bennett. In all, he took 18 months to enjoy his good fortune and look
over the offers pouring in before deciding on "The Wings of The Dove".

Written in 1902, the Henry James novel follows Milly Theale (Alison Elliot),
an unmarried American heiress who is befriended by the cruelly cunning Kate Croy
(Helena Bonham-Carter).

Roache's character, a crusading Fleet Street journalist named Merton Densher,
is caught between the affections of the two women. He finds himself unwittingly
involved in a scheme Kate hatches after Milly wistfully describes Merton 
as "the intense-looking one with the restless eyes".

Eventually the story plays out in Venice, in the fantastic Palazzo Leporelli,
where James lived and possibly wrote portions of the book. The same
family has owned the house and maintained its original look.

"I remember sitting there one day, at the desk where he probably wrote
some of this," Roache said. "The place is like a museum. But that's what
Venice is like. The ghosts of the past are there with you all the time."

Director Iain Softley, known for the high-tech thriller "Hackers" and
the Beatle biopic "Backbeat", brings a contemporary perspective to
James's tale of love and loss. And though scholars may protest, the
changes seem designed to make the story more appealing to modern audiences.

The screenplay by Hossein Amini takes some liberties. -- the young people
are free to roam Venice unchaperoned by a matronly aunt, some lusty scenes
have been added and the time of the story is moved from 1902 to 1910. 
Among other things, this allows a steamy scene at the opening of the film,
set in London's sparkling new Underground.

"The Wings of The Dove" comes at a time when another novel by James,
"Washington Square", is already in theaters and follows last year's "Portrait
of a Lady".

"They're good, timeless stories," Roache says. "The essence of what most
soap operas are made of: love, sex money and death. There's also an
eloquence about them, a subtlety of interaction between people, that maybe
is missing in more contemporary drama. And we love to look at the past".