Stephen Tompkinson - Inspiration

Inspiration

Throughout his career he has tended toward understating his own talent and accomplishments, in favor of praising or giving credit to those from whom he has taken inspiration, including fellow cast and crew members. He is quick to deflect attention away from himself by saying that he has been fortunate to work with great scripts provided by talented writers, and with exceptional actors and directors.

His long-term friend Pete Postlethwaite had an undoubted influence on him. He tells of a scene in Brassed Off where Pete, as the character Danny, is lying in a hospital bed: "I watched him working and, without a word of a lie, I turned away with tears in my eyes, it was so moving....I learnt that less is more."

When Pete died in January 2011, tributes poured in from around the world. Stephen said, "He was deeply generous with his time and cared about all aspects of his craft passionately. Like all great teachers, he was inspirational and ultimately unforgettable. He will be dearly missed." And when Pete's memoirs were later published, he appeared on BBC Breakfast to once again praise his friend: VIDEO: Pete Postlethwaite: best actor in the world. He also participated in a special tribute to the great actor that aired on BBC Two: VIDEO: Pete Postlethwaite: A Tribute.

Later, he dedicated his performance in Faith and Cold Reading to Pete:

"It was at two very pivotal points in my career that I got to work with Pete. The first was my first-ever television series called Tales of Sherwood Forest, and the second was my first film role in Brassed Off, where we worked very closely as father and son. It was amazing to watch him rehearse and see how much time he spent getting the scripts absolutely right. Not in a selfish way, but for the overall project. He obviously reached much dizzier heights that I ever have with Oscar nominations and Spielberg saying he was the best actor in the world. But even when he was doing Hollywood films, if the right theatre job came up, he would stop everything to do it, which I really admired. I really think that Pete would have loved Faith and Cold Reading and hopefully he’ll still be guiding me through." And in October 2012, he said, ""I always think of Pete....I always try and think, 'What would Pete do at this moment?'. I'm not as good as him, I never will be, but I do keep trying."

Speaking of Brassed Off writer/director Mark Herman, he said, " is terrific: he gave us enough rope to interpret the roles ourselves....it’s rare that your emotional and political beliefs don't get compromised. It's nice to be able to speak your mind through your character."

About working under the direction of Kevin Spacey on Cloaca at The Old Vic:

"Kevin Spacey is absolutely brilliant. It's hard to think of many actors that appeal to every generation, but he is one of them. He has this wonderful ability to play the everyman so when he's directing and has a suggestion about a part, he immediately commands a level of respect because you know he could play the part 10 times better than anyone else. He is open to your suggestions as well though, which is always good. Cloaca is the first show that Kevin Spacey has professionally directed, and it really has been the happiest stage work I've ever done."

Taking it a bit further, he defended Mr. Spacey when his productions received mixed reviews and critics accused him of poor management as the theatre's Artistic Director:

"Kevin came to the Old Vic with his parents when he was a child and when he heard that it was in financial trouble he took himself out of Hollywood for four years to stop the place being turned into a car park because no one in this country was prepared to save it. For him to take himself out of films for four years at the rate of pay he could command per film, Kevin is probably doing himself out of £50m in loss of earnings, which is a very big-hearted gesture."

When asked about co-starring with Michael Richards in Arsenic and Old Lace, he replied:

"It's been a delight. To be honest with you, that was the real big carrot that was dangled in front of me before I took the role! I'm a huge, huge fan, and this is the closest I'll ever get to working alongside somebody like Buster Keaton or Jacques Tati. That sort of opportunity only comes along once in a lifetime, and I grabbed it with both hands. He's a wonderful fellow."

He was "absolutely devastated" and in tears when he was asked to comment the day after Irish actor Tony Doyle died suddenly, just a few hours after he had been with Tony and his wife Sally at a London stage premiere and first-night party. They had worked very closely together for three series of Ballykissangel. He told a reporter, "Tony was on very good form — as usual the life and soul of the party. As I always did with Tony, I had a great night out. We were laughing and joking at the party and he was full of life. I just can't take it in that he's gone. He was one of the most generous actors I have ever worked with and he was one of my very closest friends. My heart goes out to his family."

Of his co-star Nick Berry in In Deep: "I've known Nick Berry for six years . Our backgrounds are very different but I was in no way apprehensive about working with him — he's a friend and he drew one of the best TV performances I've given out of me."

Of Tim Firth, with whom he worked on both television (The Flint Street Nativity) and stage (Sign of the Times) productions:

"Tim's a great friend, I have always had an affinity with his work, so when he asked me to star in the play I was more than happy. Tim's a national treasure, he has the ability to speak to everyone — he’s a worldwide success. Working with him doesn’t feel like work, I enjoy it so much."

"...to be doing Tim's words is a real honour. I’ve always found a real affinity with his work. If I ever get a call from someone like Tim, who is a writer that has always spoken to me somehow, then it doesn't feel like work. It's just an absolute treat. The phone conversations don't last too long if I know he's responsible for it."

And, "I've known Tim for about 17 years now so it's just like putting on a pair of your favourite shoes. It's like having a safety net. I know exactly where he's coming from with all of his dialogue. He knows my capabilities as well."

During the early series of Wild At Heart, he downplayed his own contribution in favor of praising his furry friends: "Neither of us (referring to his co-star Amanda Holden) would dare say that we are the stars of the series — the animals are, and so is the land....I wake up in the mornings and look around me, and there would be wild giraffe, elephants and zebras and lord knows what other marvellous beasts, and when the morning chill had gone it was always gloriously sunny, and I think to myself 'Tompkinson, are you really getting paid to do this?' and I just cannot believe my luck."

Speaking of actor and writer Shaun Prendergast, one gets a sense of his mildly self-deprecating humour: "Shaun is one of my oldest and dearest friends and I think is some of the best work he's ever done. The part was written with me in mind so I could hardly say 'no'. I said ‘what do you want me to do?', and he said 'play a psychopath'. I don't know what that says about our relationship."

Taking inspiration from the character of DCI Banks, he said, " could be the show I end up being most proud of. I really admire the character for doing the job he does. I could think of no one better that you'd want on your side."

Regarding the film Harrigan,:

"The script, which was given to me by the director Vince Woods, is brilliant. You start with a really good script with great writing and that transports the story for everyone. The whole team involved in the project are extremely passionate about it, and I am thrilled to be part of that."

Praising his agent, he said, "I have been very lucky. From the early days my agent and I wanted to take on a variety of roles so that I didn’t become pigeon holed. It stemmed from my time in radio when we did plays across all the genres."