The Bruce Bits - The 1980's

MS London 1986

With four major parts in films this Summer, no young actor is busier than 26-year-old Bruce Payne. We've already seen him as Flikker, the blond fascist thug, in Absolute Beginners and as T.D., the sinister manager in Billy the Kid and The Green Baize Vampire. Come October he will appear in the BBC production, Smart Money, a thriller in which he plays a top security scrutineer. Solar Babies, a Mel Brooks film in which Bruce and Alexei Sayle are futuristic bounty hunters in the Mad Max mould, is likewise slotted for an Autumn release. A determined character who endured months in hospital when spina bifida was diagnosed when he was 15, he learned about the film industry by gatecrashing Shepperton Studios on the principle that there are always so many people hanging round a set that one more won't be noticed. His official film career began with small roles in Privates on Parade, The Keep and Oxford Blues and, at the same time, he established himself in London's fringe theater.

Taken from Microfiche hence the fuzzy image.

Bright prospects 1985

It is good to welcome an authentic new British musical, BILLY THE KID AND THE GREEN BAIZE VAMPIRE (15 certificate, 93 minutes) after the disappointment provided by Absolute Beginners.As the title may suggest this is a larkier piece and it is achieved more successfully on a much smaller budget, again largely filmed in studios, but atmospherically directed by Alan Clarke who proved himself a master of confined spaces with Scum.

Fantasy

There are a few nods to cowboy and Dracula movies amusingly wrapped into a present-day fantasy set in the world of snooker contest. Trevor Preston's script and lyrics and George Fenton's original music are pleasing. The main parts are well taken by Phil Daniels as a cocky Cockney challenger and Alan Armstrong as a flamboyant Northern champ but it is a newish actor, chillingly seen as a thug in Absolute Beginners, who more or less steals the show here. Bruce Payne is a charismatic presence, with a capable voice, who is perfectly cast as The One, Billy's manager, and it is a performance which ranks with those handful of evil genius' - but basically likeable - impresario parts seen in classic Hollywood "showbiz" dramas and most recently essayed so effectively by Adam Faith in Stardust. Here is a new British star (not sure about the last word, wasn't clear in the text) in the making, and with a role in the next Mel Brooks' comediy, soon to be seen, it seemed a good moment to discuss his career so far.

Enjoyment

"At the time I was growing up it seemed to be a rarity for people to enjoy their work, and actors, and film-makers seemed to do that. Films and theatre always interested me, but in theatre one of the advantages is you edit your own performance, and there is far more of an ensemble feeling. "I used to go down to different film studios and basically bluff my way in.If you can look quite confident on a film set you can usually lose yourself and I used to take a little black book and anything I heard of real value I'd write down. "When I was 15 I did a lot of auditions for fringe companies but they said I was too young and should go to drama school, Drama school would say I was too young and should go away and get some experience! "So I did loads of different kinds of jobs and when I was 19 I went to RADA which I enjoyed very much. I first did a season at Nottingham and achieved my Equity there, with mainly classical pieces; directly after that I did my first film which was Privates on Parade, playing the part Ben Cross had taken in the stage version. "I took to it like a duck to water! John Cleese and Dennis Quilley were very encouraging to me. I sang and was to do a pastiche of the Andrews Sisters! Overexposure to a suntanning lamp, though, spoiled that chance." He then went back to theatre and began to research extensively his parts, working with Mike Newell in television and subsequently doing Birth of a Nation and The Bill. "I did a tiny, tiny part - probably edited out - in Michael Mann's film of The Keep, went back to TV for some 'physical' roles and a lot of things came to a head when I did Steve Berkoff's West at the ?onmar Warehouse. I then had a total contrast playing the Captain of Boats in the film Oxford Blues.

Character

"My part in Billy the Kid is terrific and I think it came off best in the musical sections, particularly the song "White Lines" at the end which is very different from the number I have earlier, 'Green Stamps'. You see the character Move which is what musicals should really be about. "George Fenton and Trevor Preston are real Brecht-freaks and deliberately gave the songs a cutting edge and clipped style. I play a man who - I feel - exploits himself more than he does anyone else. To earn money to pay off his debts he takes a kid he discovered off the streets and brings him to the focus of world snooker." Whether or not Bruce Payne has his own clever agent, bringing this immensely personable young actor to wide attention, he certainly has the talent and ability to merit the exposure, and, I am sure, the capacity to survive it all.

Cosmopolitan 1987

DO NOT COPY FOR OTHER BRUCE PAYNE FAN SITES!

Payne Threshold

Sexily sinister and dangerously good-looking, this cool, confident character is set to make it all the way to the top. To say Bruce Payne is a good actor is like saying Fred Astaire is a good dancer. Roles as the fascist aggressor in Absolute Beginners and the computer security expert in the TV-play Smart Money have ensured a spotlight for this charismatic, prize-winning RADA graduate.

Currently to be seen in Nemesis (part of the Miss Marple TV series) and in the movie Solarbabies, 26-year-old Payne is on the verge of stardom. With mock modesty, he disclaims his special presence, but his staged expressions with furrowed brow and flash of perfect, even, white teeth show he is fully aware of the effect - especially on women. Mention Bruce Payne to any aware young female and the phrase "sinister sex appeal" will crop up again and again. After constantly being delivered portions of brainless brawny boys, it's refreshing (and exciting) to see such a strong, sexual and intelligent performer. Like all smart, sharp and talented actors, Bruce Payne is a manipulator. The techniques he learned at drama school have resulted in a fine performance, whether he's acting on stage or talking to an acquaintance on the street. He uses his tall, tanned, lithe frame expressively and with controlled energy to illustrate a point; and his voice, always deep, ponderous and confident, to create a favorable impression or drive home an opinion with force. A conversation with Bruce Payne is interrupted by meaningful pauses mixed with head-throwing, teeth-flashing hearty laughs, guaranteed to send you reeling. It's an impressive act.

Although one feels Payne has been acting since he leapt from the womb, he was a relatively late starter. He was confined to bed for months and out of action for two years when, at the age of 15, it was suspected he had spina bifida. It was only then he began to consider acting. "In that time I did a lot of thinking. I toyed around with the idea, but I wasn't sure if it was me." Neither was anyone else when he broached the subject. "Most people said: 'Sleep on it. You'll wake up feeling all right!'" When Bruce finally awoke from his long illness he was told of a place at the National Youth Theatre. "I thought this might be the testing of the water. But as always I took the unusual approach. A much quicker way was to go to a film set and see what it was really like. So I paid a few visits to Shepperton and sat in on the filming." Inspired by what he saw, Payne then went on to do two seasons at the National Youth Theatre and a season at the Edinburgh Festival. "All the time I was auditioning for drama schools," said Bruce, whose approach to most things is an academic one, RADA soon followed.

Acting is now an essential ingredient in his life. He approaches it with care and an interest verging on obsession. "Everything I'd ever been interested in was to do with chemistry, whether it was physics or marine biology. The chemistry of people, and acting in particular, was a natural progression."

Bruce's faith in his body's ability to keep pace with time is an indication of the faith he has in himself. Bruce has also learnt how to make the best of himself professionally as well as physically. Behind those dark brown eyes is an inner strength that's almost frightening. Quiet determination has always been a Payne hallmark but it seems that getting by and getting his own way have come relatively easily. "I don't see life as a fight, I just do what I do."

Payne the actor is currently making the most of his talents, converting his theatrical knowledge into writing. He spent Christmas in LA checking out an already growing interest in a screenplay he's written. Penned last year and influenced by his role in Operation Julie, it's a "drug story". His trip was "laying seeds" for a prospective dual career. "I never envisaged myself as a writer - I was always too physical to be that disciplined! But I think there's a nerve ending there for everyone. Recently, I've just picked up on it."

It's a throwaway comment. He tells me it's just something he's trying, but it's obvious Bruce is excited about his new venture. The illusion is one of indifference, the demeanour cool and controlled, but fierce ambition and a taste for success fire his enthusiasm and any failure would be taken to heart. That radiant smile masks extremely sharp teeth. Dangerous and dangerously good-looking, his sexy appeal may make him a star, but it's the force behind the sinister side of Bruce Payne that will ultimately ensure his success.

Bruce Payne plays Echo in Wonderland 1988

Bruce Payne plays Echo, a silent, threatening presence that pursues Eddie and Michael throughout the film.

"The character has changed quite a lot since I first read the script. It's become very clean and pristine," says Bruce. "You can perceive it in two ways: as a real person, a murderer who is pursuing the two boys because they have witnessed his crime; or as a paranoid threat that only exists in their minds. Frank sees Echo as the Angel of Darkness which counter-balances the Angel of Mercy contained in the spirit of the dolphin. It's almost a surreal area, you're constantly treading a fine line between theatrical truth and reality truth. I've tried to make him as charming as possible, very European, very slick. He has an ethereal quality; he could come from anywhere." Before training at RADA, Bruce Payne was involved in a lot of amateur theatre and was a member of the National Youth Theatre. Extensive work on television has included "Tales Out of School" for Central, "West", "Operation Julie", "Smart Money", "Lost Belongings" and, most recently, "The Bell Run". His film credits include "Privates on Parade", "The Keep", "Oxford Blues", "Billy The Kid and the Green Baize Vampire", "Absolute Beginners" and "Solar Babies". As well as his role in "The Fruit Machine", he has just completed "For Queen and Country". In the theatre he has appeared in "Piaf" at the Theatre Royal, York, "The Rocky Horror Show" at the Palace Theatre, Westcliffe, "West" at the Donmar Warehouse, and "Alice" at the Playhouse Theatre, Leeds. Payne is currently appearing in "Greek" at the Wyndham Theatre.