Directed by:WRITTEN and directed by Sara Sugarman, Untitled Wales is being tipped as a big comedy hit this year.
Little is known about the comedy, which was originally called Pavarotti in Dad’s Room, which has a strong musical bent. The film stars Matthew Rhys, Jonathan Pryce (both of whom appear in Taliesin Jones) and Ioan Gruffudd.
The movie was shot in and around Pontycymmer. Catatonia’s Cerys Matthews has added her distinctive Welsh voice to the film soundtrack with her versions of the traditional folk song Bugeilio Gwenith Gwyn and Ivor Novello’s We’ll Gather Lilacs.
Interview with Ioan Gruffudd in Western Mail 8/5/99
"The film is untitled at the moment, but it is set in the Garw Valley and it means I get to act with one of my best mates, Matthew Rhys. We have known each other since school and went to Rada together and in the film we play two very camp cafe owners.
"We are on such a good wavelength that the improvisations around the script are hilarious: at least we think so. I wear flip-flops, silky Adidas jogging pants with a vest and a Ben Sherman shirt. It's a long way from Hornblower."
"We're playing a couple of very camp café owners from the Valleys," says Cardiff born Ioan."They're very over the top, especially in their dress sense; we're wearing flip flops, silky Adidas shorts, and Ben Sherman shirts. It's a lot of fun because Matthew and I are great friends but we have never worked together before, and these characters are ideal; we have these camp characters we've made up anyway. And we're on such a good wavelength that we can improvise to the hilt.
Ioan and Matthew, two of Wale's fastest rising young actors, have just bought a house together in Kilburn, North West London. "We haven't moved in yet, but buying a house has been a great relief, to finally have a base, because I've been living out of a suitcase for two years," says 25 year old Ioan. "That's fun, but it gradually wears you down a bit. Matthew and I have been flatmates for about six years, first when we were at RADA together an then for a time after, but we've both been so busy of late that we've hardly seen each other."
