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It is never the simple or the mundane roles that attract Fiennes. "I like things that are not clear cut, that have ambiguity running through them; that question what is right and what is wrong" he says.
He has played Ivanov before, at Rada when he was 22. Now, 34, Fiennes believes that the intervening years bring him a greater perspective on the role - that of an intellectual crushed by his inability to find happiness: a man who cannot explain why he has fallen out of love with his wife. Is any of Fiennes' personality revealed through his choice of work? "I hope not!" he laughs. "I'm interested in [parts] because they interest me. You certainly don't consciously want things you play to be about yourself. Inevitably, whatever my intention as an actor, part of me will spill over. People will want to search behind the role. I tell myself that I'm playing a part. Whether or not I'm successful, I don't know."
But, isn't there a similarity between his roles in Ivanov, Hamlet, Schindler's list, Quiz Show? The portrayal of a very intellectual type of despair? "What, that they're all f***ed up?" he asks. "If there's a link, it's partly of journalists' own making. I can't see it myself."
Fiennes understands the demands of the media, the need to publicise his work. However, he has grown cynical of the whole circuit. "It's only words", he says. "How can you possibly judge me? I can't even judge myself. I can be hesitant because I'm thinking about a question, but that's interpreted as being shy. I'm aware of being described in all kinds of different ways. I don't take it too seriously. One journalist's opinion of anyone can only be based on a few hours' knowledge, which, in the end, makes it only a momentary, subjective insight."
So to Ivanov, and his nightly battle against inner demons. He is
concerned that audiences may find the character of Ivanov too
'self-lacerating'.
"What David Hare has tried to tease out is the struggle inside
Ivanov. He hates the fact that he's a depressive. He hates the
fact
that he's having a break-down."
Fiennes can understand Ivanov's dilemma and the almost relentless
march to suicide ., but it is certainly not his own style.
"I think that life is a gift. Suicide is a very negative way to
resolve things."
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© EL STEPHO
Added to the RF Reading Room on June 8, 1997
EL STEPHO