MATTHEW MACFADYEN

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MATTHEW MACFADYEN

Matthew Macfadyen is the versatile British actor that plays the role of Athos in the new 3D version adaptation of Alexandre Dumas classic The Three Musketeers. We say versatile, because he has garnered great success playing roles in theater, television ('The Pillars of The Earth')and the big screen. He played Mr. Darcy in the 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice opposite Keira Knightley ('Atonement')directed by Joe Wright, with whom he will be working on his next project. He has brought to life innumerable classic literary characters and on the ocassion of the San Sebastian film festival we had the opportunity to conduct the following interview.

September 30, 2011 / Javier Lacomba Tamarit
El Multicine (elmulticine.com)
(The original interview in Spanish can be found on the website above.)


Elmulticine.com: What do you think is the difference between previous interpretations of Athos in other adaptations and the novel, compared to yours?

Matthew Macfadyen: I don't know, since I'm not familiar with other interpretations. I have portrayed Athos according to what I saw in the script.

EM: In that case, what do you think of the character?

MM: He's disappointed. He's heartbroken and has turned into a grumpy man. He's lost his faith in his job, his country...He was betrayed by the person he was in love with. It's a great character and I enjoyed portraying him.

EM: How was your experience receiving instructions from Paul WS Anderson? How is he as a director?

MM: Charming. First of, he has incredible enthusiasm for what he does, he brings a lot of energy, good energy. As an actor he gives you confidence, you feel safe and he lets you try new things. He is really good.

EM: How was the training for the fighting scenes?

MM: Hard. It was hard and fun. The trainer was very funny and a talented man, very talented. The specialists that worked with us in the fighting scenes made them look like a choreographed dance, as if we were dancing a waltz. At certain times we moved slowly, then we increased the speed and moved faster...it was such fun.

EM: Did you find filming in 3D much different than filming in 2D?

MM: No, to me it was the same, no difference at all.

EM: Do you think it was necessary to do another adaptation of The Three Musketeers to reach the audiences nowadays?

MM: Well, I don't know. This version is huge. It's a lot of fun and people are going to enjoy it.

EM: You have played many classical literary characters during your career. Is it fortuitous or have you looked for that?

MM: Fortuitous. Everything that has happened in my career has been by chance. Everything. The only thing that has been under my control is the choice to say 'no'. You know you have to work to feed your family, so aside from looking for good scripts everything else has happened by chance.

EM: You have a great voice.

MM: Thank you.

EM: It's true. How important is having a good voice for an actor?

MM: I think it's important. I mean, people listen to you, you will be heard. There are people with very identifiable voices like Judi Dench.

EM: What do you think of 3D movies?

MM: I don't know. It depends. I think that for a movie like this it's brilliant, because it's an action movie. But I don't need to see 'The Godfather' in 3D. What for? But well, I don't know. We will see, Scorsese is making a movie in 3D. It's incredible to see the shooting of a film like 'The Three Musketeers' and to watch the director work wearing their 3D glasses. And like I told you, it's brilliant for an action film, to see how the sword comes closer to you...

EM: Finally, can you talk to us about any new projects?

MM: I will be working on a new adaptation of Anna Karenina for the big screen.

EM: Curious, another literary classic.

MM: Yes I know (laughs). I start shooting next week with Joe Wright as the director.


Translated by: Patricia.