In Person: Jonny Lee Miller
Trainspotting's Sick Boy turns dandy highwayman for Plunkett And Macleane . . .
At first you hope Jonny Lee Miller is merely shy, but eventually you realise, somewhat painfully, he simply doesn't like doing in-depth chat. Empire's first meeting with him is in Prague on the set of Plunkett And Macleane. He is courteous and he takes the trouble to answer the questions but it is a struggle. On the second occasion, ensconced as he is in London's Armouries Hall for two days, his patience with it seems to have waned even further.
"I don't have a problem doing press, except when they get all the facts wrong. If they couldn't give a shit, then why do we bother doing it?"
Which is a fine if predictable answer, until you read the cuttings, and you notice how often Lee Miller, 26, is his own worst enemy when it comes to talking about himself or his work.
"Celebrity only exists if you do loads of photo shoots - I know I've done a few - but that's other people's perception, never mine. If you want to soak it all up then you can, but I take it slowly and concentrate on the work."
And impressive, if not especially commercial, "the work" has been since Trainspotting: a fine turn in Afterglow opposite Julie Christie ("she is intimidating because she is still so beautiful"), and then a widely-praised performance as soldier Billy Prior in Gillies MacKinnon's Regeneration ("It's probably my favourite role and you do give that extra ten per cent when you're with someone like Jonathan Pryce.").
Miller is keen to point out that getting this kind of satisfaction out of a role is the real point to being an actor. Unless you're just vain about celebrity.
"If you're serious about what you're doing, you've got to keep your head and follow your instinct. Maybe you won't reach the same dizzy heights as others, but you will get something back."
Miller is only airing his celebrity today to promote Plunkett And Macleane, Jake Scott's supposedly "troubled" highwaymen film. Doing so, he is unsurprisingly discreet.
"I don't think it had more problems than any other film. There was only extra shooting once the powers that be saw the potential of what they'd got in the can already."
I was a role he says he had to "audition my arse off" to win.
"Macleane is a bit of a la-di-da fop, but I tried to make him a little bit more angry and dangerous; a little bit whooah! That's what the kids want," he says, adopting a Vinnie Jones voice to add, "D-A-N-G-E-R".
And it is then that another unexpected side to Miller appears. Not the quietly spoken, respectful, bash-your-head-against-the-wall-boring interviewee but the card with a schoolboy giggle making cheeky comments under his breath. To wit:
Empire: Why does Robert Carlyle have such appeal?
Miller: "You know, I ask myself that every night before I go to bed. I say, 'Jonny, What is it about Robert?'"
Empire: Weren't there loads of re-writes on Plunkett?
Miller: "Yeah, loads of re-writes (As Mick Jagger) Well, we changed tiny bits of dialogue as we went along . . . Yeah, loads of re-writes."
Empire: Do you use the Method?
Miller: "How am I going to use the Method on a film like this? Hang around holding up cars on the M4?"
Empire: Are you a Star Wars fan?
Miller: (As Eddie Izzard) "I've nothing grand like Robbie Williams, but I've got cardboard cut-outs of the characters in the cupboard which I could pull out if, you know, George was coming round for tea."
Empire: What will you be doing next?
Miller: (As a butler) "In a minute, I'll be getting myself a spot of lunch."
What Miller is actually doing next is a turn in Mansfield Park and then Iain Banks' Complicity, as well as his work with Jude Law and Ewan McGregor for their production company, Natural Nylon. There's also Tony Cinciripini's Hell's Kitchen in the can. The rest of the time will be spent on skydiving, boxing (his favourite form of self-defence other than silence in interviews) and running.
"I'm doing the London Marathon in April. It's like a meditation thing, you get rid of all the fear and think about stuff, you get as much aggression out as you do when boxing. You'll be amazed how quickly you can get to a certain level."
CHRISTOPHER HEMBLADE
In Brief
Born: November 15, 1972, Kingston, Surrey
A bit like: Mark Hamill, circa 1977 crossed with Matt Damon today.
High point: Trainspotting
Last three films: Trainspotting, Regeneration, Afterglow
Next movies: Hell's Kitchen, Mansfield Park, Complicity
True but strange: His grandfather was Bernard Lee who played M in the first 12 Bond movies
