Tim Roth is a treasure. I used to be so obsessed with him as an actor, mostly because of my obsession with Quentin Tarantino’s films. Roth is one of Tarantino’s favorite actors, and those are probably Roth’s most famous roles (Mr. Orange in Reservoir Dogs, Pumpkin in Pulp Fiction, Oswaldo in The Hateful Eight), although Roth’s filmography is extensive. He’s been a working character actor for decades, and he’s pretty much capable of anything, although he’s often typecast as the bad guy. He’s English, but many people think he’s American because he’s worked so much in America and he lives in California with his family now. Anyway, Roth is promoting something (he’s got like seven projects coming out), and he chatted with The Guardian about life and politics. Remember, he’s been living in America for years. So he paid attention to the election. And he has many thoughts. Let me just say: this interview is an absolute delight!
He hates Trump: “I hate Trump. I hate everything that he stands for. He should never be forgotten or forgiven for anything he said on the road to the White House. There should be no concession to him. No ‘Let’s give him a chance’. None of it. ‘Grab them by the p-ssy,’ right? Look at where we are now and who is in charge of this country and, by extension, a good chunk of the world – someone with misogynistic tendencies.” Roth rooted first for Bernie Sanders, then Hillary Clinton (although, as a non-citizen, he could not vote). He says he predicted a Trump victory early on. “If you neglect the working class for so f–king long they will rebel against you. There was a dire need to stop a rise of fascism in America and we didn’t take it seriously enough.”
He think Great Britain is going down a dark path too: “I like working there, but I’m done living there. I fell out of love with it. I think the tabloid sensationalism world of it just became too overwhelming for me. It’s here, too, but you don’t notice it so much. And now with Brexit … I don’t know what to make of it all. Strange thing. It’s been taken over. It’s The X Factor, Murdoch, Rebekah Brooks, Tony Blair nature of it all.” He fancies Jeremy Corbyn, who may peel off his usual vote for the Greens, but he plans to remain in the US, even though he cannot vote here. “I can handle this a bit better, weirdly. There are a lot more lefties out here.”
He was part of the working-class actor wave: “It was an extraordinary thing … none were toffs.” They thrived, but the gates seemed to shut behind them. The wealthy and middle class now dominate Britain’s creative industries. “Rich people have a safety net … so they can afford to fail, they can afford to be unemployed, which is most of what you are when you’re an actor. I’m not sure it’s about the toffs so much as cost. You’re in debt for f–king life if you want to go to drama school. The government isn’t going to support you any more; that’s all over. There are no grants.”
He likes everyone, will work with anyone: “My father-in-law is a Republican. He’s one of the most decent men I’ve ever met. He’s a good human being. I work with Scientologists; it doesn’t matter to me. I work with Catholics; Jesus, figure that one out. If people are good, they’re good. If they have different political convictions, it’s irrelevant, unless they’re harmful. If they can bend a bit … I think you’re all right.”
He doesn’t believe in being beautiful: “You want to have real men, not fake men … none of that gym culture.” He pities hostages to six-pack tyranny. “If beauty is your worth, or that version of beauty is what you’re paid for, you have to keep that f–king up.” Ryan Gosling, for one, is too savvy to be trapped, he says. “He’s used it well and will absolutely escape that nonsense. Fortunately, I make a living not out of that.”
He also says that he doesn’t care about the critics, but he loves chatting with the guys who work at his local supermarket in LA, and that the grocery guys tell him what they think of his movies and he enjoys the chat. Which… I don’t know, I actually believe that. I believe Tim Roth, character actor extraordinaire, goes to his local Whole Foods and does the weekly shopping, and chats with the cashiers, produce guys and shelf-stockers. As for what he says about politics… yeah, all of that. I would pay to watch Tim Roth and Michael Shannon sit on stage for two hours and talk about politics. That would be money well-spent.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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