Vixen's Run
Joss Ackland
Joss Ackland plays Sir. Freddy Butler
Veteran
actor Joss Ackland is delighted that MIDSOMER MURDERS has brought him back to
British television.
It's a very long time since I've done television. After Shadowlands I went
into films and then TV people don't want to touch you. So I was truly delighted
when MIDSOMER MURDERS contacted me. It's lovely to be back on telly and at my
age. I hope I am now offered some more good stuff.
Joss plays Sir Freddy Butler, the aristocratic incumbent of Haddington Hall.
He's a bit of fun, not a bad guy, just someone who loves life. I am not sure
if I would like to have him for dinner, though. I picked the costume myself and
tried to avoid deliberately giving him loud suits because he already had an
over-the-top personality. Aristocrats normally wear quite tatty clothes in their
class-conscious structure.
The filming experience was lovely. I had worked with John Nettles and Dandy
Nicholls in a terrible play many years ago, and John played my son. I had also
worked with Sian Phillips before and we knew each other well. She plays Lady
Annabel, my first wife, but all my wives, both present and ex, were wonderful
and charming.
Adds Joss: I love being offered larger than life characters. In Hollywood I
always play the bad guy killing everyone. But in England the films I have
enjoyed are Shadowlands which was an absolute gem, and First and Last, playing
very inoffensive little men. And in White Mischief, even though I did kill,
everything was concealed within me. These are the most interesting roles.
Joss's latest role is playing Churchill in the film Above and Beyond, shot in
Newfoundland, Canada. At the age of 78, he shows no signs of slowing down.
I promised my wife that I wouldn't give up work she was always the boss.
I enjoy working still. From Churchill to Onassis to Goerring pretty strong
characters but very different.
Joss has appeared in over 100 movies, scores of plays and a plethora of
television programmes. His many credits include Mad Dogs and Englishmen, The
Hunt for Red October, Lethal Weapon 2, The Justice Game, Tinker Tailor Soldier
Spy and These Foolish Things. He is the father of seven children and was awarded
the CBE in 2001.