Sep 11 2004

AFTER BEING BRUTALLY KNIFED 17 YEARS AGO, EASTERHOUSE'S TOMMY FLANAGAN: A SELF-CONFESSED TOE-RAG, TOOK UP ACTING AND FOUND A NEW LIFE, HE REVEALS TO JOHN MILLAR

TOMMY FLANAGAN, almost an hour late for our meeting, is sporting dyed blond hair and wearing designer tinted glasses when he breezes into the lounge of Edinburgh's plush Sheraton Hotel.

But the 38-year-old Scot, who went from Easterhouse to the big screen, is quick to point out that none of the aforementioned should be taken to mean he has forgotten his humble roots and fallen victim to Hollywood glitz and glamour. The specs, he explains, are an essential part of his recovery after a blinding migraine struck midway through a premiere screening of his latest movie, Trauma. The headache is also the reason he rose later than planned from his bed because he had only managed a few hours' sleep.

While Tommy is wearing glasses to get over his migraine, he does need them to see with. 'I used to rehearse with specs on and then take them off for the filming of the scene. 'Everyone was smudges, which actually helped, because if you couldn't really see them, you weren't so self-conscious about being surrounded by such a big group of people. 'Then I decided to get brave and see how the world really looks by wearing contact lenses. But I couldn't put the lenses in this morning, so that's why I've got on this pair of tinted glasses.'

But what about the beach boy blond hair?

A grinning Tommy insists that the dye job isn't a display of vanity, but was done for his roles in the forthcoming blockbuster Alien Vs Predator and comic-book epic Sin City, which Tommy has just finished making in Texas with Robert Rodriguez, creator of the Spy Kids hits. Working with Rodriguez, who is famous for his guerrilla style of film-making - he does everything from creating the script and directing to editing the movie - was an exciting experience for Tommy. 'Everything was filmed on green screen. That meant that when I filmed a car crash scene, there wasn't even a car there. It was bizarre.'

Sipping a coffee, Tommy insists that despite the migraine, he is feeling great. 'Life is absolutely wonderful, I'm really enjoying it,' says the actor who, with the pain of a failed marriage behind him, is thrilled to be in love again. After appearances in films such as “The Saint”, starring Val Kilmer, the John Travolta- Nicolas Cage hit “Face/Off”, Mel Gibson's “Braveheart” and Russell Crowe's Oscar-winning “Gladiator” took him to Hollywood, Tommy set up home in California and married Rachel, a producer. Sadly, it didn't work out, but Tommy says the break-up of the marriage has all been handled amicably.

Now he has a new love in his life, Jane Ford, an American girl who is in the music business. Tommy wears his love for Jane on his sleeve, proudly showing off a silver Gothic cross and bracelet that are gifts from his girlfriend. 'They are by Chrome Hearts, a really funky designer in Los Angeles and I like them,' he says. 'Jane and I met at a do in Los Angeles and that was it. 'She's just moved over here to London where I have a place. She is the best thing that ever happened to me. She's totally off the wall, gorgeous and crazy and so funny.' When I wonder if his intention is to take Jane down the aisle, he smiles and nods. 'That will happen, as soon as we have time to organise it. I want to have kids.'

As he's considering what the future might hold, I ask if the Glaswegian who has become a gypsy since film-making took him all over the world plans a move back to Scotland. 'Undoubtedly,' says Tommy. 'This is my home, everything else is temporary. At the moment I have the best of both worlds with places in Los Angeles and London, but eventually, I will settle here.' Even the vagaries of our weather don't appear to trouble Tommy. He says: 'I don't miss the Los Angeles sunshine at all. In fact, when I decided to come back to Britain, I was looking forward to a bit of rain, but I arrived in the middle of a heatwave.'

Tommy, whose latest run of movies includes playing the baddie opposite Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, continues to be in demand. And he'll next be seen on the big screen in Trauma, a psychological thriller which stars Colin Firth and American Pie star Mena Suvari. For Trauma, in which he plays Colin Firth's best friend, Tommy took a trip down memory lane.

'When they told me my character was a painter and decorator I said that was fine, because I used to be one. 'It was the first time in 15 years I had pulled on overalls and started working with a paint roller,' he says.

Right on the heels of Trauma, Tommy is in Alien Vs Predator, the hotly-anticipated thriller in which two of science fiction's most dreaded monsters fight a battle to the end. Tommy, fellow Scot Ewen Bremner and Bond star Colin Salmon are just some of the poor sods caught in the middle of this terrifying alien encounter, in which you wouldn't bet much on many of the humans emerging unscathed.

It all sounds like a dream come true, yet just 17 years ago, Tommy was in the middle of a hellish nightmare.

He was fighting for survival after being the victim of a knife attack in Glasgow that left him with vivid scars down either side of his face. It could all have gone horribly wrong. Instead, he rebuilt his life. He tried acting after being persuaded by Robert Carlyle and River City star Caroline Paterson to join the Raindog Theatre Company. 'Acting became my tonic. It stopped me feeling sorry for myself and gave me an objective,' says Tommy. 'I have to thank Bobby and Caroline and everyone at Raindog. If it was not for them, God knows what I would have been doing now.'

Tackling that bit of acting turned out to be the most significant landmark in his life. His tale is just so remarkable that an American producer is trying to persuade him to let him bring his life story to the big screen. 'It's something I'd like to do, but right now I'm focusing on the acting roles I'm being offered,' he says. It delights him that his family have been able to enjoy his screen success. He took his sister and niece to the premiere of Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. 'My niece ended up having her photograph appear in a teen magazine. She was chuffed by that,' he says.

Big brother Danny, who went to the premiere of Trauma, summed up how the family feel about Tommy. 'We are all very proud of him - even though I fall asleep at his films,' jokes Danny. 'I wasn't really surprised when this was what Tommy decided to do, but I was perhaps a bit surprised that he has actually stuck with it.'

Tommy's biggest fan is his mum, but he's embarrassed when the subject of his generosity comes up. 'I hate to sound like I'm Mr Lovely Guy, but being able to do things for my family is great,' he says. 'I bought my mum a wee house in Milton for Christmas. Being able to do something like that wasone of the best things in the world. 'What I've done since I started acting isn't bad for a wee toe-rag from Easterhouse. I just thank God for it all.'

Trauma is out on September 17.

Alien Vs Predator opens on October 22.