Edit: You can find it here



Arms and the man we thought did comedy
by Hugh Reilly. Thursday, March 22 2007


With confidence in the NHS in recent years hardly sky-high, it’s not entirely reassuring to learn that some of the characteristically odd ­moments in surreal medical comedy Green Wing are ­indebted to real life.

Julian Rhind-Tutt says he prepared for his TV role as Dr “Mac” Macartney by observing hospital operating theatres and reveals: “A lot of the crazy stuff was taken from the operating theatres. I saw doctors doing their skiing exercises while they were in the middle of an ­operation, another answering his mobile.

“When Stephen (Mangan, his co-star who played fellow doctor Guy Secretan) went they were playing Stairway to Heaven ­really loudly on this little cassette player.”

Rhind-Tutt, 38, prepared in a similar way for his latest role as a dentist in acclaimed British playwright Joe Penhall’s new play, Landscape with Weapon. Before rehearsals the actor booked himself an ­appointment with his dentist for “a bit of advice”. This is ­despite the fact his character’s profession, as in Green Wing, is almost peripheral to the plot (or lack of a plot in Green Wing’s case).

But that is where the similarity ends. Whereas Green Wing specialised in wilfully bizarre, ­improvisational humour, Penhall’s latest, about a scientist who has invented a revolutionary military technology only to get cold feet when the government demands ownership, promises to be a taut, intelligent drama. Or, as Rhind-Tutt deadpans: “There’s a lot less gags.”

This is perhaps underselling it, though. Penhall’s last play at the National Theatre, Blue/Orange, a searing examination of schizophrenia starring Bill Nighy, Andrew Lincoln and Chiwetel Ejiofor, was showered with awards.

Rhind-Tutt, who plays the scientist’s brother in Landscape, is aware of this. But ­although most TV viewers will know him as the nice-guy doc in Green Wing, a meaty National Theatre role is nothing new to him. Since making his debut there as the Duke of York in Alan Bennett’s The Madness of George III in 1991, he’s been in Richard II and The Way of the World.

“I just get jobs because I’m still here,” he jokes. “You get jobs for just hanging around – if you hang around long enough.”

He is less comfortable with having a laugh about his ­burgeoning status as a sex symbol, thanks largely to ­female fans of Green Wing.

“I’ve had a couple of nice comments from some very nice dinner ladies, but I don’t know if I’m anything like that,” he stresses. “It’s certainly gratifying for people to say they liked your character, but I think I’ve got a long way to go before I’ll be troubled by the 3am Girls.”

As you’ve probably gathered by now, Rhind-Tutt is a pretty easy-going fellow and extremely modest. But I do manage to get one heartfelt ambition out of him before our chat is over.

“If my dentist does come and see the play,” he says, “I hope he won’t be totally disappointed.”


Julian Rhind-Tutt

Age: 38
Born: West Drayton
Lives: North London
What's in a name?: "Four generations ago a lady called Jane Rhind met a young man called Tommy Tutt and they had a shop in Paddington. Both wanted to keep the name, so suddenly loads of people got a very posh name, even though they're not posh. But, y'know, it gets me into restaurants occasionally."
Highlight: His big-break casting in the Madness of King George III (and film the Madness of King George). In praise of Nigel Hawthorne, who played King George: "He was on another planet to everyone else, another level."
Lowlight: Rabbit Fever, a straight-to-DVD mockumentary on women addicted to vibrators.
On Green Wing: "It was all about being right on the edge of making things up."
On comedy: "I've never been a comedian. I was just in a couple of things that have some funny lines in them."
On straight acting: "It's taking something that's already been written and unpicking it all and then trying to put it back together."

aww thankies - oh gosh is rabbit fever bad oh dear :unsure:

:lol:

ahh well still want to see it

ooh i wonder if the full interview had a picture? :high

Was it the Evening Standard :unsure: Mike might have got a copy today :D

Rabbit Fever was his Low Light :o and it't not even out on DVD yet :angry:

edit: bother it was one of the free papers :sob

i think my friend jade said she saw it yesterday and she said it had a picture of him in it but it was black and white :(

nyaaa! that doesnt matter :high

i'll see if she can scan in the picture for me :D

eee thanks! :)

aww thanks.. he seems so lovely. :)

The scan thanks f_d_p ;



:wub:

OOOOoohh!! Isnt he looking all cute!!!! lol my eyes are somewhat drawn to the bit of jeans you can see.....if only we could see the bum!!

Thank you muchfully for sharing!

that is a truley sexual photo hah :wub:

:drool How hot is that picture???

very! :wub:

*gasp*

now that is a hot piccie!!

EEEEEEEEEEEE IM SO EXCITED i hope he wears dentist's scrubs... :wub: