Harry Lawtey: 'I became obsessed'
How the Industry actor relished the chance to play the young Richard Burton
Icon Film Distribution
- Amy Raphael
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Were you a fan of Richard Burton’s before playing him as a young man in Mr Burton?
I went through a phase of studying actors like Richard Burton when I was at drama school [he attended the Drama Centre in London]. Richard always burns off the screen. Last year I saw The Motive and the Cue, a play about Richard’s relationship with Sir John Gielgud when they were doing Hamlet on Broadway. I watched it, loved it, became mildly obsessed with Richard and a few weeks later, by chance, I was asked to audition for Mr Burton.
Toby Jones and Harry Lawtey in Mr Burton Icon Film Distribution
What kind of research did you undertake?
I was selective in what I read. We weren’t covering the hellraising years, so I had to be careful not to get too fascinated with what happened after our story finished. We wanted the DNA of that in our film, but it’s not the story we’re telling. Anyway, you could never make a film of Richard’s whole life; what he packed into it was staggering.
What was it like meeting Richard’s daughter, Kate?
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I had barely come to terms with getting the role when I was asked if I’d like to meet her! I was feeling the burden of playing an iconic person, a Welsh national hero. It’s not the same gig as playing a fictional character; as an actor you can be bad, but you can’t be wrong. I had to take ownership of Richard, but then I met Kate and thought, “He’s not mine at all; he belongs to you!” We had some special conversations on set. She was so generous with his spirit and memory.
Authors
Amy Raphael
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