Dr. Drew Interview

January 2000

Fiennes and Dandy: An interview with Ralph Fiennes
By Marshall Fine

Two Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, a Tony Award, a BAFTA Award (the British Oscar), a New York Film Critics Award, a Boston Film Critics Award, a National Society of Film Critics Award and a Drama Desk Award. In a relatively short amount of time, Ralph Fiennes has amassed a career full of high points. A member of an artistic British family, Fiennes vaulted to public acclaim by playing Nazi brute Amon Goeth in 1993's Schindler's List, a performance that earned him his first Oscar nomination. A year later, he returned with Quiz Show, followed by Strange Days and then The English Patient, for which he earned his second Oscar nod. He could possibly land a third with his latest film, The End of the Affair, in which he stars with Julianne Moore. Next up is a more personal project: a film adaptation of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin, which he produced with his sister Martha, who served as director.

Thanks to their photographer father and strong, supportive mother, the Fiennes siblings all took to the arts, seven children that went on to become actors, musicians and directors. Hell, there's even an archeologist and a gamekeeper in the bunch. Fiennes, who originally wanted to be a painter, talked to drDrew.com about keeping it in the family. drDrew.com: We understand that you had a unique childhood. You were the oldest among your siblings?

Ralph Fiennes: There are six blood siblings and an adopted elder brother, Mick, who joined us when he was 11 and I was about 1 1/2. Martha is a year younger, Joe is seven years younger and has a twin, Jacob, and then Magnus and Sophie. But it's misguided to make out our life as an idyllic existence. My parents opted out of conventional lives and took us to Ireland. And we traveled a lot. It was partly a romantic idyll, but also full of acute anxiety about money. My mother was very worried about our schooling.

drDrew.com: What do you remember most about what your parents taught you?

RF: My mother always made the choice against what was conventional, which gave our life an unusual energy. She was quite anarchic and yet she had quite a moral code about personal responsibility. But she was constantly stimulating her children's imaginations. When she was younger, she was quite committed to Roman Catholicism. But she got disillusioned with it and moved closer to something like Buddhist beliefs near the end of her life.

drDrew.com: Your next film is Onegin, which was directed by your sister. What was it like to work for a younger sibling?

RF: Well, she and I are only a year apart so we were always treated as equals. I feel in some ways as if we're twins. I have no authority of years over Martha. We worked on this project together for several years. Of course we had one or two disagreements. I'm not very good at confrontation and she's a tough character. But I wanted to be directed by her. I wanted her as a sounding board. She also has good political instincts in family matters. One of the things that binds us as a family is a shared sense of humor.

drDrew.com: But as the oldest, you can still be the boss.

RF: Not really. (Laughs) There've been a series of coups.