Nigel Havers, the stylish British actor who claims to hold the record of appearing in more ”Masterpiece Theatres” than anyone, breezed into the London hotel tearoom, late and breathless, for an interview about ”A Perfect Hero,” his next series to be seen on PBS-Ch. 11.
But long before we got down to the business of discussing the
”Masterpiece” four-parter, which opens with a 90-minute episode at 9 p.m. Sunday, he had other things on his mind. For instance, the endless newspaper articles about the royal split between Prince Andrew and Fergie, the Duchess of York.
”One weekend, while on a shooting outing, I had my picture taken with Fergie and her companion. I was just offered 200 pounds (about $360) by one of our newspapers for it. Of course I said no. I`m an honorable man. She`s a very nice girl, terribly nice as a matter of fact.”
Not even tempted? ”Not at all,” replied Havers, who insists that the only newspaper he reads is The Independent. Unlike the British tabloids that trumpeted the royal couple`s travails daily, he proudly notes, the highbrow Independent gave the story only one column. ”After all,” he says, ”It`s not important and nobody`s business. It`s only important to newspapers and television.”
OK, now are we ready for ”The Perfect Hero”? Not quite.
Havers, who starred in many major British films, including ”Chariots of Fire,” ”A Passage to India,” ”Farewell to the King” and ”Naked Under Capricorn,” had lots more on his mind, including the dominance of American actors in films.
”What happened to variety?” he asks. ”Why, for instance, do we have to put up with Kevin Costner playing `Robin Hood`? Then there`s Nick Nolte and Robert De Niro. All I see is Nolte giving the same performance over again. Or De Niro playing the same guy 88,000 times. I`m bored and fed up with it. It`s a pain in the neck. He`s in everything.”
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Now comes ”A Perfect Hero.” The series is an adaptation of ”The Long Haired Boy,” about a disfigured Royal Air Force Spitfire pilot and his relationship with his plastic surgeon, Dr. Angus Meikle (James Fox). It is based on a doctor who treated the wounded World War II flying aces.
”What I remember most about making it is, I cried a lot,” confessed the slim, handsome actor. ”Playing a disfigured flier made me very vulnerable and that`s why I cried so much. The director finally had to tell me to stop. But whenever someone would react to me, I`d cry.
”I warn people to take along a handkerchief when they view it. The series is very moving and makes a strong statement about how people react to someone disfigured.”
.British actor Nigel Havers plays the title role in ”A Perfect Hero,” a four-part ”Masterpiece Theatre” series that begins at 9 p.m. Sunday on PBS- Ch. 11.