inside the mind of...

STEVEN MACKINTOSH

Red Magazine May 2003

Steven Mackintosh didn't go into acting for the perks. You won't catch him loitering for cameras on the red carpet, or flirting with fans in the gossip pages. Married to actress Lisa Jacobs, this 35-year-old prefers to stay at home with his wife and their two daughters. And although his trademark is his intensity, he doesn't restrict it to serious drama. For example, when it comes to Dickens, he's done the proper BBC kind (1998's Our Mutual Friend) as well as the comic variety (The Muppet Christmas Carol). Next up. he puts on his serious hat in The Other Boleyn Girl, the tragic story of Anne's sister.

What's on your mind?

I've done three films this year, including The Other Boleyn Girl. The idea with that was to do a historical drama in a slightly different way. In a lot of them, people tend to walk into rooms and make huge exclamations, like 'I have just come from the ambassador of Spain, the treaty has been signed!' Instead, the intention was to strip it of its 'big-ness', and get down to the bare emotions. The story is historically accurate, but all the dialogue is improvised. We're talking about relationships and betrayals and people - universal stuff, except it happens to be going on in the Tudor court.

What keeps you motivated?

Things that fire my imagination. I ask myself if it's the sort of work I would actually like to watch. I'm not ambitious to be well known, or for the accolades, but I am to do the stuff I like. If there was any way of having one without the other, I'd be very happy. I know there's a certain amount of promotional work which is necessary, so I'm fully prepared to do that, but all the trimmings - the party circuit, openings - I'm not at all interested in. I genuinely don't enjoy it.

Who in your family are you closest to?

A single person? That's really difficult. My wife and I have been married 14 years - which is pretty astounding, particularly in this business - and we're really close. Outside of work, I tend to retreat and spend time with my family.

What event from your childhood has stayed meaningful?

Discovering music. My parents bought me a gramophone. I had the single 'Sugar Sugar' by The Archies and played it until it broke. Music is still a huge part of my life.

What do you value most in friendships?

My mates, obviously, have to be able to talk about music quite a lot. [Laughs.] Anyone who can talk about some obscure gospel poetry record from 1967 is my kind of person.

When did you first fall in love?

I was hit bang in the face with it when I first worked wifn Lisa at 19. We did a play called Brighton Beach Memoirs at the National Theatre. I was playing a guy who has an infatuation for his older cousin; Lisa played the cousin. It was one of those things where the play and real life start to blur. It was very strong, it was amazing.

What has experience taught you about making relationships work?

The old adage of talking things through, giving them time, and riding out the difficult stages. That's the way we've always approached it, and that way, things will come good.

How do you cope with stress?

I go on a bit of a march. I live in Camden, and quite often I walk into the West End and home again. I also go to the gym occasionally, and that does have a release effect, but it's dragging myself there in the first place which I always find difficult.

What gives you pleasure?

Being at home with my family with something damn fine to listen to and good food. I'm a foodie, but I'm a dreadful cook.

What keeps you awake at night?

Noise outside my bedroom window. A lot of strange people come out of the woodwork in Camden at about 1am, and start screaming at each other.

Do you have any particular regrets?

I wish I'd applied myself at school. I left quite early, and I wish I knew more about history, especially with things like The Other Boleyn Girl. I obviously did some reading when I got the role, but I'd love to have known more from the start.

What's next for you?

I've done another film for the BBC called The Mother, which was written by Hanif Kureishi and directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill), and one by Peter Greenaway. I'm in discussion about three interesting things and I don't know which one it's going to be, but for the next couple of months, I'm going to be laying low

The Last Best

...CD I BOUGHT

Jaga Jazzist A Living Room Hush (Ninja Tune) It's really good electronic jazz.

...FILM I SAW

The Deep End A creepy little murder story with Tilda Swinton, who is brilliant.

...BOOK I READ

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (Arrow, £4.99) I love the simplicity of the language - it doesn't have to be dressed up.

...TV I WATCHED

The Office beautifully executed - the perfect balance between laughing and cringing.