David Mamet's Speed-The-Plow has already been a huge success at the New Ambassadors Theatre, but it's not just us taking over, because this production has a different director, actors and venue. We're embarking on the show with a completely different approach.
Speed-The-Plow is a study of what goes on in Hollywood, and therefore a kind of metaphor for the people who are involved in Hollywood. It's not necessarily about people tearing each other apart. In fact, the play tears apart the idealism of Hollywood. It's about how easily influenced people can be and how banal the thinking behind Hollywood is.
I've got a manager out in Hollywood and Speed-The-Plow is what the place is like. There is a lot of bullshit out there, your job is only yours until you make your first mistake. Very facile and fickle. I suppose there are old friendships out in Hollywood, but not very many.
Technically Mamet's play is very challenging, not least the American accent. You don't realise quite how different the American language is from English, until you actually see it written down like this. Gina Bellman and Nathaniel Parker as Karen and Bobby Gould are brilliant. We're all getting on very well and everyone has got a great handle on the comedy and pathos.
Everyone's nervous before going on stage. I think it's only Michael Gambon in this whole business who doesn't get nervous. But it's not as if I'm not used to doing it. Men Behaving Badly was recorded before 600 people weekly. As far as acting on stage is concerned it's a different discipline, but it's what I was trained in and did for many years.
