BBC
- August 30th, 2003
Official
interview with Maxwell Caulfield
Official interviews
with the cast of Casualty
Actor:
Maxwell Caulfield
Character: Jim Brodie
Role: Consultant Paediatrician
Q. How did you get the part
of Jim Brodie?
A. I initially met
with Mal Young who I think saw me as a fresh infusion for Casualty.
I later met with Meryvn Watson and Foz Allen and a couple of weeks
later they came up with an offer I couldn't refuse. It's great to be
associated with a highly-rated, established show.
Q. How long was the
turnaround for getting the part?
A. It was very quick.
Casting is so last minute these days.
Q. So what can you tell us
about Jim Brodie?
A. Well, Jim's the new
Consultant Paediatrician. He's got a good sense of humour, he's
free-spirited, dedicated, passionate and a colourful character. He
trusts his instincts and has good instincts. He has a relationship
with Nikki and eventually gets his just deserves.
Q. What do you enjoying
about working on Casualty?
A. I love working with
such young fresh actors. I'm really getting an education out of
this. It's fun going through the dictionary and making the
connections in the script. We've got superb medical advisors who've
allowed me to shadow a doctor at Bristol Royal Infirmary.
Q. That must have been good
experience?
A. Yes it was. I
watched him stitching children's faces. Today, doctors are very
committed to conventional medicines. I've learnt the holistic
approach to medicine from my wife, Juliet, which I'd like to
integrate into the show at some point.
Q. What have you missed
about the UK, having been away from it for so long?
A. I've missed
watching live football matches!
Q. Where are you roots?
A. The Midlands. I
hail from Derbyshire and I was born in Glasgow.
Q. Have you been back to
Glasgow?
A. No, but I'd like to
hop on a train sometime.
Q. Which country do you
class as home?
A. America. My
childhood was spent in Derby and I was raised in London. I wanted to
strike out of England when I was 18.
Q. Do you miss America?
A. I miss my family
but it was my wife who encouraged me to take this opportunity and
foster a new audience. It's great to take a break from Hollywood.
It's become far too much like a lottery for who gets the acting
jobs. All the work tends to go to the same actors.
Q. How did you meet your
wife, Juliet Mills?
A. I met her while
starring in The Elephant Man on Broadway in 1980. We've been
together 23 years.
Q. Do you have any
children?
A. Yes, I have a
daughter, Melissa, who I hope will become an actress.
Q. How have you kept your
relationship going?
A. We are very
commited to eachother. We are opposite but feel we're cut from the
same cloth. She's very giving, romantic and old-fashioned. I
recognised I was unlikely to meet anyone else of her calibre and I
found myself proposing.
Q. Has the age gap caused
any problems?
A. I made a film once
in India and everyone insisted we were mother and son! No, it's all
part of our chemistry.
Q. Do you feel people
always relate you to Dynasty and The Colbys?
A. There's a tendency
for people to think that's the kind of actor I am. I just hope
Casualty doesn't get a soap opera stamp!
Q. Are you in touch with
anyone from Dynasty?
A. Yes, I'm still in
touch with John James, the guy who played Jeff Colby and I bumped
into Emma Samms, who recently appeared on Casualty's sister show,
Holby City.
Q. What about Joan Collins?
A. I had a funny
exchange with Joan on Madison Avenue not so long ago.
Q. Do you look back at
Grease 2 and cringe?
A. No, I have a
certain amount of loyalty to that film. Kids just love those
high-school fantasy films. I would like to have sung more rock 'n
roll though!
By
BBC1 |
