What are you wearing today?
A £250 Comme des Garçons silk shirt with fake snake skin trim. I bought it in Fred Segal in Los Angeles. I was trying it on and a voice behind me said, "You should buy that shirt, it looks real cool on you." I turned around and it was Pamela Anderson. I bought it on Pamela Anderson's recommendation. It's now known as "Pammy's Shirt".
What sort of clothes do you like?
I have two looks - very scruffy and very smart. I spend most of of my time in scruffy mode, but I do like to dress up. I like the ritual. The ablutions and and all that smelly stuff.
Are you a product bloke then?
I love Issey Miyake aftershave. It always has a funny effect on women. That, and the balm which calms your skin after you've had a particularly nasty shave and taken off the top nine layers of your epidermis.
Is your bathroom full of stuff?
Yes, but they're mainly gifts. Elton John gave me a Jo Malone gift set. I think it was all grapefruit. I love the thought of it, but if I wanted to smell like a fruit and veg stall . . .
Do you enjoy a spending spree?
I used to, but I'm bored with it now. I think that's why I end up looking so scruffy all the time. Most of the time I wear Diesel jeans and a Diesel T-shirt, and an old Nicole Farhi suede jacket, which I was given.
When you have to look smart, what do you wear?
I wear a lot of Nicole Farhi. I have a Prada suit, from a job, which has never looked quite the same since I had a particularly bad night out on absinthe. I couldn't actually walk, so I crawled home on my hands and knees. I think it's the grass stains that are the problem.
Were you much more into clothes when you were younger?
I was a lot more of a dandy. When you first start getting things for free, you go slightly mad. That's one of the joys of reaching demi-celebrity status. But I don't like taking off my shoes. In and out of fitting rooms, undoing the laces, I just get bored. I would rather shop once, spend a lot of money, then not have to do it for another year.
Any fashion disasters?
I've got a number of things in my wardrobe that I thought I might be able to get away with, but . . . low-slung hipsters - you know, sort of Michael Hutchence clothes.
Do the roles you play influence what you wear?
Yes. If a costume designer has led me to believe that I looked rather good, then I'll often buy all the outfits at the end of the shoot. Then I get home and think, "How did you ever imagine you were going to get away with that?" I bought nearly every single item when we did Maybe Baby. It was all Diesel, which I love, because it looks used - like you've been friends for years.
So on The Mayor of Casterbridge, did you think, "Mmm . . . breeches"?
Breeches are fine, in their place. The trouble with breeches is that it makes you realise what it's like to be a woman with large breasts. There's just no eye contact.
In The Knight's Tale, you have bespoke armour . . .
Yes, great stuff. They also made some really cool clothes - kind of Sixties/Seventies rock chic. My trousers were made of a beautiful, thick silk with laces down the side and over the crotch. I've kept those.
How about those loose-fitting romantic shirts?
No, not really. I'm not big on drawing attention to myself. I like really understated clothes; that's why I go for Prada as opposed to Versace or Tommy Hilfiger. It's the visible logos I can't abide.
What do you spend your money on?
Boys' gadgets: the new titanium Apple laptop . . . I must have one of those. And I suspect a plasma TV screen might be on its way. I have to buy a new car because the Citroën DS that I drive is 28 years old, but there's nothing around that can compare to its design. If my personal style has one characteristic, it's playing it down.
Do you have smart haircuts?
I only get my hair cut for a job. So if you see me with my hair down to my backside it means that I haven't been employed for five years. I use this product called Tigi Bed Head - the Hair Stick for Cool People. I always imagine that some of it might rub off, literally.
If you won an Oscar, what would you wear?
You wouldn't catch me wearing what Russell Crowe wore this year. I would strive to be elegant, probably in Prada or Armani. I would be happy in Gieves & Hawkes or Richard James. But there really is only one way to wear a dinner jacket, and that's with the tie done up - none of this undone, dangling around rubbish. As an English gent, you should never undo your bow tie. Shockingly bad form.

Back to James articles