I want to express myself in a different way. I have a performing inclination. Rowan Atkinson More Quotes by Rowan Atkinson More Quotes From Rowan Atkinson Although the great frustration about this [role] is the fact that there's one thing Maigret never does, and that's drive. He's always driven, or he takes the train, or he gets the bus. I was saying 'Well, why don't we ring the changes for the 21st Century, and stick him in the car?'. [Executive Producer and son of the author, John Simenon] said, 'Well, you can if you want, but there'll be lots of people who won't like it'. So he's a non-driver ... But no, Top Gear was never a consideration for me; and neither was I asked Rowan Atkinson car frustration son I don't really have plans like that [move towards more dramatic acting]. Rowan Atkinson dramatic acting moving The arts community still has a long lasting cynicism of the importance, or the artistic value, of comedy. Comedy is just farting about for money. Rowan Atkinson community long art It is very linear storytelling, and I think that's not so much the fashion. I was watching a new drama the other night which was extremely non-linear, where you flash back and flash forward in ways that certainly keeps you on your toes as the audience. There's not much of that courage with the storytelling in our Maigret film. Rowan Atkinson fashion drama thinking We haven't made any particular decision [on Maigret], I haven't been asked if I want to carry on with it. All these things are a matter of whether you feel as though the idea is developing and whether it's still interesting to play. Rowan Atkinson play ideas interesting I've read about eight or ten of the original novels, and one of them is where Maigret's in bed for the entire story! His wife is running around and solving the case! Rowan Atkinson eight wife running I'm not looking for anything other than an interesting role to play. Rowan Atkinson roles play interesting One of the conventions that I always liked was Doctor Zhivago, where everything that's written on the screen is in Russian but everyone speaks English. That seemed to me to be quite a good convention to follow. Rowan Atkinson conventions speak-english doctors The Maigret stories are all very different in terms of the content and the way that the stories are told. They're not what I would call formulaic. Rowan Atkinson different stories way [Maigret Sets a Trap] was always going to be the first film, and it seemed to be quite a nice story. But of course it meant that here I was playing this new character for the first time, in a place where he had been a relative failure, as all these people had been murdered and the pressure was on. Rather than starting optimistically with his pipe in front of the fireplace, he was in quite a difficult place. Rowan Atkinson nice character people The first couple of weeks of filming were quite tricky for me to find my feet with the character [Maigret], which wasn't helped by the story that we were telling. Rowan Atkinson couple feet character I'm sure that a French production of this [Maigret series] would be different. For better or worse, who's to say, but probably not very good for 8 o'clock on ITV. Rowan Atkinson clock different would-be This is sort of inflection-free acting [playing Maigret], and I really wasn't sure if I could do it - you make your mind up on whether I've succeeded or not. But yes, I found it difficult when we were shooting; it was a couple of weeks before I settled into not worrying - to finding a way of delivering those lines - so my worries of many months before I think had been justified. I found it a difficult way of being. Rowan Atkinson couple worry thinking [Maigret] is terribly self-contained, not that I would ever wish him to be any more comic, particularly, but in the second film we've made you see he's a little more ironic from time to time. But as I say, that's just work in progress. Rowan Atkinson ironic self wish [Maigret] is more internal. I think if we made more of these I might let him out a bit. Rowan Atkinson made might thinking When you play a serious role, as far as I'm concerned, I feel I'm using exactly the same skills, whatever they are, to play the role as you do with something more obviously comic. It's slightly different muscles, but the same skill set. Rowan Atkinson serious skills play At the moment, I'm certainly not thinking 'never again', but neither am I thinking 'I can't wait to play that part again'. I'm somewhere in between. Rowan Atkinson waiting play thinking I like to relish words and sentences, and phraseology, and there's not much facility for that [playing Maigret]. Rowan Atkinson relish facility sentences I have always believed that there should be no subject about which one cannot make jokes, religion included. Clearly, one is always constricted by contemporary mores and trends because, after all, what one seeks above all is an appreciative audience. Rowan Atkinson appreciative trends atheism loved the show as a child and felt I could not do it justice. [on turning down the role of the new Doctor Who Rowan Atkinson doctors justice children
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