JOHN HANNAH
LU
J
CK AND UDGEMENT
Scottish actor JOHN HANNAH is no stranger to good fortune. But his latest film —
whose central theme is fate versus choice — also had its lucky breaks.
‘.'.:;'::s: Hannah Fries
‘Blil-‘ORli .S'I./I)I.\'(} I)()()R.S' I hadn’t ex'er done this puhlieity tour thing.~ admits .lohn llannah. Bext known for the title role in .lltt'u/lum antl l'or reeiting .'\utlen in I-Uur lira/(lines .-lm/ :l I’M/tent]. the (ilaswegian aetor ltttx yet to taste major lame.
This time. though. he‘s one ol‘ the \tarx alongside (iwyneth l’altrow and John l._\neh. ‘\\'el|. I never thought til it like that hel’ore.‘ llannah say with genuine \tlt'pt'lse. llix ineretlihl} luminous e_\ es are at l’irxt a little e\'a.\i\'e. suggesting \h}ne\.\. hut llannah is artieulate and \er} engaging. .'\lltl llttixe e)e\ . . .
In the new Britiin eometl}; Slit/{Hg Hun/ix. he plays .lames. l’altrow".\ alternative l1t)_\l‘l’lelltl. Her other ehoiee. (ierr_\' (l._\'neh) is a spineless eheat. hut James is e\'er_\'thing a girl could hope to find. '.\'othing James tltiex is manipulative.‘ \;1}'.\ Hannah. ‘lle is really falling in lo\'e with Helen [l’ztlll't)\\".\ eharaeterl htit he isn’t sure it the feelings are reeiproeatetl. So it he tloexn't tell her ererything ahotit himsell I think he ean he l'orgiVen.’
Sliding Dun/1x is a lunn)‘ antl tmpretentious lilm typieal of Britain's resurgent industry. Set
The right choice: John Hannah and Gwyneth Paltrow
in Sliding Doors
6 THE lIST 3f,
1998
in London. tl\ main eharaeterx are ll‘l\lt. SL‘tllllSll tttttl l'iltgll\lt. ‘ll rel‘leetx the eosmopolitan realit} of a eity like London. \it}.\ llannah. who has li\etl there l‘or \e\eral _\ear\.
The eharaeters inhahit a reeognixahle young pi'ol‘esxional seene. htit Slit/mg [hum ttlxt) lltls an unttxual theme ol~ tlextin}. llelen t'ttttx for an underground train and as the tltltll'\ elose. her ttleltlll) splits. ()ne llelen lttixxex the tuhe. gets mugged and returns. \ia lttixpllill. to her Hat and (ierry. The other lleleu eatehes the tuhe. meets James and returns home to find (ierry in hetl with another woman. The neat wreenplay is written h_\' l‘ormer Ifl‘r'm/ aetor l’eter llowitt. who also tlireetx.
late is at the heart ol‘ the plot. _\‘et the film
reminds us that we hate option\ and our
identities are not fixed. '.\leeting James is such a gootl thing for Helen. and she ehanges antl hlossoms. heeoming a more eonl'itlent
woman.‘ sit}.\ llannah. ‘lt's through her
relationship with (ierry that the "other" llelen tlittttttisltex her potential.'
It the lilm tltte\ ha\ e a moral it ix that relationxhipx ean ehange _\ottr personality 'Yex.‘ agreex llannah w ho llLt\ heen married to aetrexs .loanna Roth l‘or l'il‘teen motttlh. 'it ix important to choose w isel). .lamex is a poxiti\ e eompanion heeauxe he i\ ahle to he himxell‘.’
l)ltl he \ee hix role in I’m/Ir lli'r/r/mex .-\m/.-\ I‘ll/It'ru/ as a \mile l‘rom l.atl} l.uek'.’ ‘.\'ot really‘ he \a}\. ‘unlexx )ou ean eount m} agent ringing up 11\ luek' Slit/rug /)(H)I‘.\ \\Ll\ rather tlllilel'eltl. lll lltttl ease. heeathe tl ehanee
'It is important to choose your partner wisely. My character is a positive companion because he is able to he himself.’ John Hannah
introtluetion to leading lloll_\wootl protlueer- tlireetor Sylnq l’ollaek \il\L‘tl the lilm l‘rom a l'inaneial et‘lxlx.
‘lt was good l‘ortune l‘or tix.‘ llannah agrees. ’although oh\iou\l_\ Sylne) onl) tleeitletl to haek the film heeauxe he heliexetl in it. I met him in his .’\ngele\ at a time when the mone} we had heen promised l‘or the lilm hatl l'allen through. .'\l‘ter Sylne} had read the seript the mone} \\;l\ in plaee within \e\eu tlayx.~
'l‘lte tttltlition ol- l’allt‘ow to the east also hegan with a l‘ot'ttiitoux meeting. when llowitt lotintl himself at the premiere part} l‘or limmu. 'She\ not like §our arehet}pal llollptood star] \il}\ llannah. 'She likes to tlt) \mall
lilmx.’ Whether Slit/me /)(H)/‘.\ prm e\ to he a\ \tteeexxltll ax I'UHI'
Her/(lines or not. llannali now eonxitlerx himxell a film aetol‘ rather than a tele\i\ion \tar. ‘ln tele\i\ion the po\\et'\-lltttl—lk‘ are more interextetl in e\pantling their power haxe. whereax the Britixh l'ilm llltlll\[l'_\ l\ \er} e\eiting.’ he say. "l'here are more and more opportunitiex. antl ol'eourse there ha\'e heen ttll these \ueeexxex reeentl}. So long its l get a hit ol‘ luek and make the l'iglll ehoieex. lill \llll he in there.‘
Sliding Doors is on general release form Friday 1 May. See review, page 23.