Article from May 1998 In Britain, the magazine of the British Tourist Authority

My bit of Britain

Why actor Charles Dance believes the West Country is the jewel in Britain�s crown

I don�t like to play types. Whether it�s film or television, I look for projects which are utterly believable, well written, well directed and are not formulaic -- unless I desperately need the money! Avoiding the formulaic means I go to wherever the work is that attracts me. That can also be a bit of an adventure. I get to places that I�d otherwise probably never see. I�ve been to Lithuania, Siberia. A recent film job was in Mexico -- not for a vast sum of money but it�s a very well written script, The Blood Oranges, by the director of Angels and Insects.

Charles Dance and Emilia Fox in "Rebecca"; The National Trust's Overbecks garden on the Devon coast near Salcombe

I always enjoy working in L.A. There�s an energy about the place which I find very positive and infectious. I last went out to do a small part in the Michael Collins movie and stayed on to play a pirate in Space Truckers. This is a wacky sci-fi comedy with Dennis Hopper which gave me a chance to be funny and go wildly over the top. Also to work with a living legend -- a man who�s done everything you are supposed not to do -- and survived! In his country-tweeds and flat cap, talking about golf, Dennis is very different from his old wild man of Hollywood image.

I�m continually trying to change my image so as to widen my range. You are what you�re seen to be in this business and I�ve played quite a number of romantic leading men, most recently Maxim de Winter in "Rebecca", the first television role that�s appealed in seven years. Alongside Mr. Rochester and Mr. Darcy, Maxim is one of the three great romantic lead roles. In Maxim�s case he also has a dark side. A fascinating, complex character, it�s difficult to evaluate whether he is an honourable man who is merely a victim of circumstance or genuinely evil. Many people still remember Laurence Olivier�s performance in the Hitchcock version of "Rebecca". I didn�t find it daunting to follow in his footsteps but working out how to make Maxim�s motives understandable to a modern audience was a real challenge. The rules of society, the notions of social disgrace and family honour have changed a great deal since Daphne du Maurier wrote the novel in the late 1930s.

Lantivet Bay in du Maurier Country

While the novel is set in Cornwall, not a million miles from where I grew up in Plymouth, Maxim�s beloved Manderley was a combination of several houses and locations including Rotherfield Park, just outside Alton in Hampshire, the county in which du Maurier finished her novel.

A thatched cottage in Branscombe, Devon

Mothecombe, a private beach in Devon, was the location for the cove and a beach which played such an important part in the story. My own favourite beach is in East Devon, at the picture postcard fishing village of Branscombe. It�s one of the prettiest villages you�ll ever see and luckily has been protected by the National Trust from over-development. There is a big car park at Branscombe Mouth but the only buildings by the sea are some old coastguard cottages and the Sea Shanty cafe. Branscombe has a great stretch of coastline, a wonderful shingle beach and, although it�s a great favourite of visitors, is never too crowded.

Although I was born in Birmingham, I grew up in the West Country. As a young actor seeking work, London was the place I had to be, but I love the countryside and seven years ago I moved back with my family (wife Jo, a painter and sculptor, 23-year-old son Oliver and daughter Becky, 17). Home is a flint built manor house that goes back to the 17th century, surrounded by farmland in the heart of Somerset. The feeling of space is marvellous. Nothing�s nicer than to look out on trees and grass -- rather than buildings -- and there�s such a wonderful quality to the air. The countryside is definitely a healthier place to live. Seeing the seasons change is another joy. From time to time I need the stimulation of the city but it�s in Somerset that I recharge my batteries.

Bolt Tail on the south Devon coast

A stroll around the Blackdown Hills, which border Somerset and extend into Devon, usually does the trick. The hills are officially an Area of Outstanding Beauty and, according to the Countryside Commission, constitute �archetypal English landscape�. Naturally, they�re a magnet for riders and walkers but happily never overrun.

Charles Dance in Alien3

Somerset�s part of the Blackdowns has the high ride of Staple Hill with The Wellington Monument on the highest point. Illuminated at night, it commemorates the Duke of Wellington, the victor of the Battle of Waterloo, who took his title from the nearby town. Even more steeped in history is Plymouth, where I misspent my youth before starting my theatrical career in weekly rep in Colwyn Bay, Wales. It was, of course, above Plymouth Sound where Sir Francis Drake, knowing the tides to be favourable, casually finished his game of bowls before descending to board ship and engage the might of the Spanish Armada. And Sir Walter Raleigh and the doomed explorer, Scott of the Antarctic, set sail from Plymouth.

A modern-day hero of mine is the painter Robert Lenkiewicz. He is a most extraordinary man and a major artist in every sense of the word. One of his enormous murals covers one complete wall of his three-storey studio in Southside Street in the Barbican area of Plymouth (the only part of the city to survive the heavy bombing in World War II).

Robert believes people should see art in operation. His studio and gallery are open to the public all year round and you can watch him working on his projects, each one involving literally thousands of paintings. He�s now painting me for his addiction project -- neither to illustrate drink nor drugs but as part of a creative addiction. I don�t see myself as particularly driven but I do want to do good work. It�s one reason I�ve done comparatively little television since "Jewel in the Crown". That was great television drama and I was delighted that it got a second showing recently.

Charles Dance in "Jewel in the Crown"; Cotohele Garden in Cornwall

Charles Dance and Greta Scacchi in White Mischief

But too often I�m offered yet another television detective series. I�d like to do more original work, a play or even a sitcom. For some reason, the quality of writing of American sitcoms such as "Friends", "Frasier" or "Cheers" is far better than our home-grown product but if someone has a great script, I�m always open to offers. Charles Dance was talking to Roz d�Ombraine Hewitt.

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� 1998 Premier Magazines, Ltd.
Photos � The Ronald Grant Archive/The National Trust Photographic Library, Joe Cornish, George Wright, Dick Makin
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