Indiana Jones' henchman played by Ray Winstone
Posted by Lorrie Lynch
I still remember vividly sitting in a Palo Alto, Calif., movie theater with my then-new boyfriend watching Raiders of the Lost Ark completely spellbound. So, you'll understand that I am delighted to be reading critics around the country mostly praising the new Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. One of my favorites, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times, puts it so eloquently: " I can say that if you liked the other Indiana Jones movies, you will
like this one, and that if you did not, there is no talking to you."
The movie belongs to Harrison Ford, of course, but he does have a henchman in Crystal Skull, played by Ray Winstone (above left, with Ford), a British boxer-turned-actor who played the title character Beowulf opposite Angelina Jolie, last fall, banged Leonardo DiCaprio around in The Departed and was a memorable Henry VIII on PBS a few years ago. Winstone, 51, knows how to project menace, even if he thinks violence in movies is awful. Read below for more on Winstone.
We can’t say too much about Winstone’s character Mac without giving anything away, but it is safe to say that Winstone the moviegoer might not agree with the film’s cartoon violence. “Violence is horrible and nasty, and it affects everyone,” he told our writer Nancy Mills earlier this year. “If you start hitting people with chairs and they get up and hit you with a chair, that’s a really bad message. That’s not real. You’ve got to take some responsibility. I’ve had conversations with directors where I’ve said, ‘Look, the first one in usually wins, unless he misses. It’s horrible and nasty.’ I don’t argue, but I state my case.”
Winstone has already filmed another as-yet-untitled action adventure directed by Jason Connery (yes, he’s Sean’s son). And he hopes to film 44-Inch Chest with Ian McShane and John Hurt, his Crystal Skull co-star. He describes it as “a love story. It’s about a man who loves his wife too much. It’s the difference between men who can kill and who can’t.”
One thing is certain: Winstone will not use his boxing skills in real life. “Age has made me modify my behavior,” he says. He would rather spend time with his wife Elaine and their three daughters, Lois (26), Jaime (22) and Ellie Rae (7), whom, he says, “I love to bits. I like being at home. I get pampered and looked after. I’m like the lion who sits there with a pride around him. And when they all get the hump (Cockney for irritable), I go down the pub.”
(photo by David James/™ & © 2008 Lucasfilm Ltd.)
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for a personally signed dvid of scum signed by Ray Winstone see www.supportline.org.uk click link for BuyOnceGiveTwice and go to Arts and Culture section. raising funds for reg.charity SupportLine.