| Radio Times Interview 2 |
| Continued |
| In The Krays, he and Gary played the notorious criminal twins to much acclaim. "The movie brought us closer than we'd ever been. It was the first time we stood on even ground. It was a nice springboard for me and everyone said, 'Come on over to Hollywood. The opportunities are massive.' I'd been in a very successful rock band with red carpets wherever I went, and next minute I was queuing at casting sessions with 30 others. I didn't have to be there, but it was the path I chose because I wanted to act. I made a bunch of independent films. Some were terrible, some good. The problem is that it's the bad ones that pay the money." I assume he'd earned enough for the rest of his life, but he draws a veil. "I don't want to talk about money." Nor will he discuss the court case last year, when three former band members - Tony Hadley, Steve Norman and John Keeble - sued Gary unsuccessfully for alleged unpaid royalties from 57 songs. "That's too delicate. It's terrible it ended that way." He, Shirlie and their two children, a girl, Haley, now ten, and a boy, Roman, seven, lived in Los Angeles for three years. "I loved it. Everyone in LA, even the gardener, has a plan to better themselves. The problem is that it's a mining town with only one industry and if you're not involved, like Shirlie, you feel on the outside. People won't even talk to you, because they know they can't get anything from you. It was nice to go there, but even nicer to return home. I didn't crack it as I wanted to, but I'm not upset. I feel maybe it's there for me again." He spent a year commuting to America for acting jobs, but then, in February 1995, a brain tumor was diagnosed and he spent the next three years undergoing four operations, followed by therapy. "For a couple of years I denied I needed it. I'd been keeping down all that pain and anguish. You want to be strong for your family and not let them see you weep because it weakens them. But I'd cry my eyes out every day for a couple of months, and it all needed to come out. I was only in therapy for a couple of moths, but it was the best thing I've ever done." During the illness there were obvious periods of readjustment, when he looked at his life and reorganized his priorities: "I remember watching the Oscar ceremony and thinking, 'What a pile of crap, all those people clapping each other when there are far more important things.' Now I'm back to real life I 'd give anything for an Oscar. If this sort of crisis hits you, you move on when it's over and leave all that stuff in the past as you gradually get back to normal. I'm very lucky. I have a great family, which is what you need for a stable life. The secret is trust, and we love each other. Basic things. I'm changed in other ways. As a kid I was always in a rush to get to the next stage. If the band played to a 10,000-seater, I wanted 20,000. When we had that, I wasn't happy because I wanted 100,000. I could never sit back and enjoy the moment, but now I'm able to do that. I never look back, though, and think I might not have survived. You don't. It's rather like being in a car crash, or a woman having a baby. Something in your brain tells your body not to remember any of it - but continue forward with life. It's much harder for those around you because they can't forget it in the same way. Shirlie had a terrible time." She has now re-formed her group and they are backing singers on the next Geri Halliwell record - "Maybe that will start her off again and she can keep me in my old age." EastEnders is his first work since his convalescence. He'd been offered a part several years ago when George Michael, a fan of the program, said to Michelle Collins, "Get Martin on, he'd be perfect." "I met the casting directors, but the time wasn't right for me. Now it's different. The part is the biggest thing I've ever taken on, and gave me back my life, really. I'm more recognized than when I was with the band. Now my mistakes are seen by 20 million people. Being an actor is quite lonely, and some days I miss the band. It's nice to go on stage with five mates, nudge them, in the back and say, 'Did you see what I did then? Wasn't that great?' It's like an old marriage, which is what we had. People miss their 'ex' at first and it takes a few years to get over her, but then you move on to new pastures that are just as exciting. That's what I've done." He started his autobiography during therapy. "All those stories kept pouring out, and it was a chance for me to go home and put it on paper, which helped my recovery." He doesn't know how long he'll continue in EastEnders. "When I took on the part I didn't want it to be short term because I felt I'd have to go into it properly. I want to leave a mark. You can't do that in a year, although the storylines have allowed me to leave some impression. The murder gripped the whole country, and the trial was more fun than OJ's. I'm enjoying myself like crazy and wouldn't want to leave for anything at the moment." In spite of a chirpy attitude he claims to be still insecure. "Everyone is. And when you become successful it's even worse. Because you think, 'Why me? I'm not special' and that drives you on to better yourself. I always wonder how I'm getting away with it. I bet you do, too. Sometimes you think you've written a load of rubbish and hope no one notices." Nonsense, I lie, and then he adds he is only trying to be complimentary. "It's a good attitude to have. If you lose it, you become complacent." First published in Radio Times |
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