Rupert
Hill Talks About His Role In
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Darlington Hippodrome
Thursday 26 to Saturday 28 March 2020
Sixty years after the impassioned tale Lady
Chatterley's Lover shocked the world, a stage version, coming to Darlington
Hippodrome in March, presents itself to a very changed world. We caught up with
Rupert Hill who portrays the pivotal role of Mellors the gamekeeper in this
brand new stage adaptation.
What
was it that initially drew you to this adaptation?
I knew very little about the book to be honest. I’m
ashamed to say that I think I’d kind of dismissed it as a “50 Shades” of the
1920’s! But I read Ciaran’s script and I thought it was stunning. Very
theatrical and immersive and this really excited me. So much so that prior to
my audition I decided to prioritise reading the book, over learning my lines! A
risky strategy but it paid off. The book is without a doubt a new favourite of
mine. It’s without question a masterpiece, way ahead of it’s time and
devastatingly relevant. To describe it as an erotic novel would be a woeful misunderstanding.
It’s a philosophical book about truly being alive and in love. I’m so
enthralled that I’m going to be involved in a new retelling.
A
Fifty Shades of Grey for its time period; were you familiar with the
controversial history behind the novel before you got involved?
Yes a bit but I read up about the trials further. The
book is very explicit but it amuses me that the very people who sought to have
the book banned were also the target of it’s ridicule. The bourgeois and
arrogant position of dictating what people can or cant say in their creative
pursuits. So stuffy and boring and meanwhile they completely failed to see what
a beautiful and progressive love letter to nature Lawrence had written. Life
imitated art here quite profoundly.
What
do you want audiences to take away from the production?
The book is a beautiful and life affirming piece of
work. It asks of us to transcend the tedious trappings of class and social
status and seek a higher state of mutual wellbeing through openness and human
contact and love. It’s a meditative, cathartic journey and I felt utterly
joyous after completing the book. I hope through Ciaran’s vision that we can
create something intense, challenging, raw and ultimately life affirming for
our audiences. And also I hope they absolutely love it and tell all their
friends!
Why
do you think it’s important that we discuss female empowerment and sexuality?
Because it’s utterly absurd that in 2019 we are still
discussing female equality in society. Whether it’s their continued sexual
exploitation in various guises, a pay gap deficit still apparent pretty much
across the board or the lack of female political leadership across the planet,
this battle is still being fought. Powerful men seem so cocksure that their
vision of the world and the human condition is the correct analysis and what
Lawrence does is to drown out and quieten those voices and he raises the volume
of the female protagonist. We hear her desires, hopes and beliefs and they
contradict starkly with that of her husband’s and his stifling high society. It
is such a feminine book (for want of a better word) that it continuous to amaze
me that it was actually written by a man
Do
you think the discussions around social class are still relevant today?
Absolutely. The rise of populism, nationalism, racism
and anti-immigration rhetoric have once again turned the working classes
against the migrant as the reason for their downfall. Rather than the collapse
of the international markets and the major banks, unregulated by runaway
venture capitalist supporting governments. The greatest ever right wing trick!
The rich/poor divide is enormous and growing and respect for truth, facts and
evidence is waning.
Food banks, homelessness and a rise in crime also
point towards an expanding imbalance and division in class today. The void
between the have and have nots is as glaring, prevalent and toxic today as it’s
ever been.
A
lot of people will know you from your appearance in Coronation Street. What is
the biggest difference between performing on stage and screen?
One of the major reasons for leaving the Street was
because I missed doing theatre. I was worried that I might’ve lost that
skillset. It’s a completely different discipline and requires a different
approach and respect. Theatre is playful and dangerous. It’s very exciting and
humbling too. The audience are complicit to the energy in the room and we all
go on a sort of journey together. It’s amazing. Acting for camera is amazing
too but it’s all about the finished product. All about the destination. Theatre
is about the journey.
What
preparations have you done for taking on this iconic literary heartthrob?
Are you asking if I’m going to the gym? Well I am.
I’ve been working with a personal trainer on losing some weight and achieving
the kind of physique an ex soldier now gamekeeper might have. It was going well
till I got flu last week and was bedridden. Although I still lost the weight so
every cloud.
Mellors was my favourite character when I read the
book and his vision of what a man should be completely blew my mind. He thinks
men should be gentle, loving and compassionate. He thinks that’s real
masculinity. I want to bring this kind of thinking into the performance
alongside the dark brooding anger and sadness of the man. I think it’s these
mysterious contradictions that make him so compelling. And the fact that he
listens to what women think and what they want. He’s a dude.
What
are you most looking forward to while on tour?
I have two little girls so I tend to watch a lot of
kids television. I have a backlog of books and films that I need to get
through, so whilst I’m not looking forward to being away from my girls. I am
quite looking forward to catching up on some more grown up material (that
sounds weird!). Also looking forward to going on some long walks in places like
Malvern and the Lake District.
What
would your dream role be?
I just like the unexpected diversity of this job. You
never know what’s coming next. I recently played a communist revolutionary in a
Bertolt Brecht radio dramatization and now I’m playing a Yorkshireman
Gamekeeper. It’s the best thing about the job. It’s always unexpected.
What’s
next for you after the tour?
Nothing yet, we’ll have to wait and see. I do have a couple of potential directing
jobs next year though which is exciting for me because I’ve only just started
dipping my toe into this side of the business and I love it.
Photos: Matt Austin
Tickets:
Lady Chatterley’s
Lover runs at Darlington Hippodrome from Thursday 26 to Saturday 28 March. Age
guidance 14+
