| "It was quite simple. I was appearing in a university production of The Knight of the Burning Pestle when the head of drama came backstage. 'Why on earth are you reading law?' he asked me. And all I could say was 'I don't know'. So he asked me if I'd like to come and read drama with him, and the scales just fell from my eyes." As it happened he didn't even bother with the degrees and went straight into rep at the Victoria Theatre, Stoke. "I never went back to university," he recalls. "I stayed at Stoke for 14 months, and I got my degree 28 yeras later." Not from Manchester, but from his home town of Salford. An honorary MA. "But my father was still alive to see it," says Powell with a catch to his voice. "It was about nine months before he died, and he saw me, in cap and gown, finally recieve my MA." He could not have sounded prouder if he had been talking of an Acedemy Award. And it's more than sceptical of showbiz plaudits. He knows his own worth and is not especially interested in other people's opinions of it. "I'm not as sentimental as some are about the joys of the theatre. Actors can sometimes be a little precious about that. But I will say that I accept work now absolutely and only on the basis that I'm going to enjoy it. I will not take anything on the grounds that it might do me good, or improve my career. If that makes me sound difficult, so be it." It doesn't, of course, as he well knows. But what does make him sound, if not difficult, a little eccentric, is a story he tells me about contracts. This is only the fourth time he has toured in his entire career, and he confesses that he does not feel he organised himself particularly well. "When I toured in '95, I had a clause in my contract that they simply didn't believe at first. They laughed. But I said no. I mean it. I mean precisely what I say." And the clause? Powell stipulated that he would not tour unless there was at least one member of the paid staff who had a golf handicap of 15 or under. "I'll never, ever, sign another touring contract without that," he says, without a flicker of irony. "Golf makes a massive difference to touring. It's the most relaxing sport invented. It's not tiring and it clears your mind wonderfully. You get all the fresh air you need. It's perfect. "And if you don't have that, you need somebody else in the company who is a bit energetic. Who enjoys exploring, like I do." He sighs. "But I don't even have that in this company. I'm afraid these youngsters just don't have the energy I do." And for the first time in the entire conversation, Robert Powell suddenly sounds all of his 53 years. All he needs is a "Bah, humbug" to round things off. But he grins instead. "Actually, I'm very content," he concludes. [Previous] [Main] |