This is a little interview I found, and instead of posting the link, I figure I better post it here directly. link (The website is EXTREMLEY SLOW)
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Tim Roth brings his movie star talents to television in Fox's new drama Lie to Me. Each week, several times per show, Roth uses facial micro-expressions to tell who's lying, and therefore solve the mystery they're trying to cover up. Or find out if his waiter has washed his hands.
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Crave Online: Does learning these indicators give you a different view of acting?
Tim Roth: I don't learn it. I learn what shows up in an episode, any given episode I deal with, but I try not to study too much of it.
Crave Online: Is acting a kind of lie?
Tim Roth: Oh yeah, I think absolutely it's all smoke and mirrors. It's all deception so absolutely. That's why I think actors do use his books, so they can read the audience maybe or to help them with character work but no, I think it's very useful if you're that kind of actor. I don't want to take this stuff home. I don't want to know too much about it. Keeps it fresh for me.
Crave Online: But can you see now when your face is betraying the performance you're trying to give?
Tim Roth: I had to do one the other day. In the script, it gave you "This is how you express it, this is how you show it." And I started doing it, monkeying around with this, with that. Anyway, it was the worst acting I'd ever done, but as soon as you just abandon that and went through the feeling of it, it all came naturally and came together, and it was a little bit better. I get really freaked out sometimes when I'm around Paul. I think I'm the worst one. "I've left something in my jacket. I've got to go." It's like traveling with a critic from the New York Times and wherever you go, there's the guy going, "No, I don't believe you. The performance was terrible." I said, "I only said I'm going to go to the toilet." "Well, I don't believe you. You betrayed the fact that you are completely piss-free at the moment." It's an extraordinary feeling of nakedness.
Crave Online: If you don't want to learn it, what attracted you to a show about this science?
Tim Roth: Well, I thought that somebody like that, playing somebody like that would be just quite disturbing on many levels. I talked to Paul about it. He's happy. He's a happy camper. He really enjoys this stuff and still enjoys this stuff, Paul Ekman. What is disturbing to me is that you can't switch it off. If you really studied this stuff, once you learn it, you can't unlearn it.
Crave Online: Are you worried that by season three or four you'll learn it all?
Tim Roth: No, I have such a lousy memory, as a lot of the actors will tell you who work around me. No, I'm all right with it. I don't bring it into the house. I think it's - - the science and the fun of the science happens on the day for me. It doesn't happen at home. When I get home, all I want to do right now is sleep. I've got to do the homework with the boys, so really, you don't take it home and it keeps it fresh.
Crave Online: Do you worry about how many different lies you can still detect a few seasons down the line?
Tim Roth: I mean, there is so much of it actually. There's so much to what Paul does that there is plenty of room. There's plenty of room for plenty of episodes about different things, and so it does keep surprising me.
Crave Online: Do you think the show might make people think they can read people, and go out mis-identifying "lies?"
Tim Roth: Is this dangerous if you misuse it, right? I think it is. I think that's kind of a part of what's interesting about it, and, of course, of doing a website that goes right along side of it. Because we're messing around with some of it is real and some of is not, and you get to find out what is and what isn't. But I do think it's dangerous, and I think that's why opening this up and playing around with it and actually following it through is kind of fun. That's part of the fun of the thing for me.
Crave Online: How did you prepare for the character?
Tim Roth: I find that he has a very, very strong and firm idea about a line that you don't cross. That was actually part of the appeal. If it had just been sort of peeping through people's windows or whatever, then it would've been a completely kind of tedious series. What he's interested in is the bigger story, even if it happens in a very small way. So for me, I find him fascinating in that first of all, if you look back at the character that I'm playing, he can't hold down a marriage, can't hold down a relationship, probably because of what he's studying. But Paul, although it took a while, a lot of practice, finally when he cracked it, he really cracked it. He's been in a very, very long relationship because they set down the law. They set down the rules and they follow them. It's very interesting. We'll get to that later I guess in the series.
Crave Online: Why did you decide to delve into TV now?
Tim Roth: I was ready. I was ready to see if I could play a character for a long period of time. I was ready to go home after work and not to go back to a hotel room. It was the time, it came at a time I think that the story, the character and the people around him were kind of interesting and might have some shelf life, might actually last and might hold my interest for a long amount of time. But really, mostly for me it was these are good stories. Maybe it'll be fun to tell them but I can go home when I'm done. That's nice. It's a nice feeling. I think they get us in our 40s. They're waiting, then they pounce on us. "There he is, he's got kids, get him." I was looking for a reason to stay, a way of working and stay home because I've been doing so much traveling and so many films abroad. My kids are coming to the end of their kid bit, so I was looking for something like that and then this came along. I thought, well, the character actually has some longevity if we're careful. We could actually play around with some good stories, good ideas and it will keep it interesting for me. So I thought I'd give it a go.
Crave Online: Has anything surprised you about TV yet?
Tim Roth: You work a lot harder than when you're a film actor. You work a lot harder at this. I'm doing at the moment, I suppose it'll ease up, but I'm doing seven day weeks pretty much. That'll change as it settles in, and we're doing very, very long hours. Once they've got you, they use you.
Crave Online: Do you have a memorably unsuccessful lie you've tried to tell?
Tim Roth: Yes, why would I tell you that? I'll tell you what, actually, you know what I did? I used to lie to the press all the time because I never read what you guys right or anything. So I used to lie but it's amazing how if you plant one, there's a couple of lies that I planted years ago, it's extraordinary how they keep coming up. Sometimes you forget that you've done that and you go, "I never said that!" And of course you did, see.
Crave Online: Do you still?
Tim Roth: I might be lying to you now.
Crave Online: Most Brits do American accents on TV. What was the decision to keep you British?
Tim Roth: I've done dialects a lot, and I know the work that goes into it and that you have to get pretty specific to convince some people that that's where you're from. Do you want that added work when you're working seven days a week? I don't know where you're going to fit it. I don't know how Hugh Laurie does that, but he has to do that. So feeling was it's the kind of character that you've got to be really flexible with and play around with and you have to be really light on your feet when you're doing him. And to have that added weight on you of trying to get the accent right would just be a waste of time, so it was a deal-breaker for me.
Crave Online: Did you worry about competition from The Mentalist, who's also using his powers of perception?
Tim Roth: You know what? I haven't seen the show. I haven't seen The Mentalist. I think the proof's in the pudding. Let's just see what they like. I've heard about it but we are what we are. We're our own thing, and ours is based on something the polls kind of studied for a long time. I don't think we need to get too worried about it really.
Crave Online: Are you on tap for another Hulk?
Tim Roth: Yeah, they've got me for three, that is if we do them. Louis, I liked working with Louis very much, the director, so if he's up to anything, I'll probably jump in with him.
Crave Online: So you're open to doing films in the breaks?
Tim Roth: Yeah, I did one just before, I did between the pilot and when we started, I did one. And then in the hiatus I'm going to do one as well, so I'll be in and out of film and then they'll let us know around some point in February if we're going to carry on doing this.
Crave Online: Are you concerned about the potential strike?
Tim Roth: Of course I am. I think on the one hand, it's a terrible time to have to go through that. On the other hand, they've got us over a barrel, or that's what they think. The reasons for a strike are quite real. It's an awful time to do it.
Crave Online: Do people understand those reasons?
Tim Roth: No. I'm not saying I would want to go on strike. Actually, I wouldn't want to go on strike right now but I would. I'm a big supporter of unions, but the reason, no. I don't think they've pitched well enough to people who are really going through a particularly rough time, and that's not me. I'm getting paid and I'm getting paid well. But most of my mates who are in one form or another, not in the big business version of this, it would hurt them badly. It's a tough time. We've had eight years of Bush, so if we can come out of the other end of that and settle things down, then maybe a strike would be a good thing.
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Great interview, is it not? I LOVE that little mention of Hugh Laurie in there, it's nice to see that the 'accent' issue is finally being talked about.
--
Tim Roth brings his movie star talents to television in Fox's new drama Lie to Me. Each week, several times per show, Roth uses facial micro-expressions to tell who's lying, and therefore solve the mystery they're trying to cover up. Or find out if his waiter has washed his hands.
--
Crave Online: Does learning these indicators give you a different view of acting?
Tim Roth: I don't learn it. I learn what shows up in an episode, any given episode I deal with, but I try not to study too much of it.
Crave Online: Is acting a kind of lie?
Tim Roth: Oh yeah, I think absolutely it's all smoke and mirrors. It's all deception so absolutely. That's why I think actors do use his books, so they can read the audience maybe or to help them with character work but no, I think it's very useful if you're that kind of actor. I don't want to take this stuff home. I don't want to know too much about it. Keeps it fresh for me.
Crave Online: But can you see now when your face is betraying the performance you're trying to give?
Tim Roth: I had to do one the other day. In the script, it gave you "This is how you express it, this is how you show it." And I started doing it, monkeying around with this, with that. Anyway, it was the worst acting I'd ever done, but as soon as you just abandon that and went through the feeling of it, it all came naturally and came together, and it was a little bit better. I get really freaked out sometimes when I'm around Paul. I think I'm the worst one. "I've left something in my jacket. I've got to go." It's like traveling with a critic from the New York Times and wherever you go, there's the guy going, "No, I don't believe you. The performance was terrible." I said, "I only said I'm going to go to the toilet." "Well, I don't believe you. You betrayed the fact that you are completely piss-free at the moment." It's an extraordinary feeling of nakedness.
Crave Online: If you don't want to learn it, what attracted you to a show about this science?
Tim Roth: Well, I thought that somebody like that, playing somebody like that would be just quite disturbing on many levels. I talked to Paul about it. He's happy. He's a happy camper. He really enjoys this stuff and still enjoys this stuff, Paul Ekman. What is disturbing to me is that you can't switch it off. If you really studied this stuff, once you learn it, you can't unlearn it.
Crave Online: Are you worried that by season three or four you'll learn it all?
Tim Roth: No, I have such a lousy memory, as a lot of the actors will tell you who work around me. No, I'm all right with it. I don't bring it into the house. I think it's - - the science and the fun of the science happens on the day for me. It doesn't happen at home. When I get home, all I want to do right now is sleep. I've got to do the homework with the boys, so really, you don't take it home and it keeps it fresh.
Crave Online: Do you worry about how many different lies you can still detect a few seasons down the line?
Tim Roth: I mean, there is so much of it actually. There's so much to what Paul does that there is plenty of room. There's plenty of room for plenty of episodes about different things, and so it does keep surprising me.
Crave Online: Do you think the show might make people think they can read people, and go out mis-identifying "lies?"
Tim Roth: Is this dangerous if you misuse it, right? I think it is. I think that's kind of a part of what's interesting about it, and, of course, of doing a website that goes right along side of it. Because we're messing around with some of it is real and some of is not, and you get to find out what is and what isn't. But I do think it's dangerous, and I think that's why opening this up and playing around with it and actually following it through is kind of fun. That's part of the fun of the thing for me.
Crave Online: How did you prepare for the character?
Tim Roth: I find that he has a very, very strong and firm idea about a line that you don't cross. That was actually part of the appeal. If it had just been sort of peeping through people's windows or whatever, then it would've been a completely kind of tedious series. What he's interested in is the bigger story, even if it happens in a very small way. So for me, I find him fascinating in that first of all, if you look back at the character that I'm playing, he can't hold down a marriage, can't hold down a relationship, probably because of what he's studying. But Paul, although it took a while, a lot of practice, finally when he cracked it, he really cracked it. He's been in a very, very long relationship because they set down the law. They set down the rules and they follow them. It's very interesting. We'll get to that later I guess in the series.
Crave Online: Why did you decide to delve into TV now?
Tim Roth: I was ready. I was ready to see if I could play a character for a long period of time. I was ready to go home after work and not to go back to a hotel room. It was the time, it came at a time I think that the story, the character and the people around him were kind of interesting and might have some shelf life, might actually last and might hold my interest for a long amount of time. But really, mostly for me it was these are good stories. Maybe it'll be fun to tell them but I can go home when I'm done. That's nice. It's a nice feeling. I think they get us in our 40s. They're waiting, then they pounce on us. "There he is, he's got kids, get him." I was looking for a reason to stay, a way of working and stay home because I've been doing so much traveling and so many films abroad. My kids are coming to the end of their kid bit, so I was looking for something like that and then this came along. I thought, well, the character actually has some longevity if we're careful. We could actually play around with some good stories, good ideas and it will keep it interesting for me. So I thought I'd give it a go.
Crave Online: Has anything surprised you about TV yet?
Tim Roth: You work a lot harder than when you're a film actor. You work a lot harder at this. I'm doing at the moment, I suppose it'll ease up, but I'm doing seven day weeks pretty much. That'll change as it settles in, and we're doing very, very long hours. Once they've got you, they use you.
Crave Online: Do you have a memorably unsuccessful lie you've tried to tell?
Tim Roth: Yes, why would I tell you that? I'll tell you what, actually, you know what I did? I used to lie to the press all the time because I never read what you guys right or anything. So I used to lie but it's amazing how if you plant one, there's a couple of lies that I planted years ago, it's extraordinary how they keep coming up. Sometimes you forget that you've done that and you go, "I never said that!" And of course you did, see.
Crave Online: Do you still?
Tim Roth: I might be lying to you now.
Crave Online: Most Brits do American accents on TV. What was the decision to keep you British?
Tim Roth: I've done dialects a lot, and I know the work that goes into it and that you have to get pretty specific to convince some people that that's where you're from. Do you want that added work when you're working seven days a week? I don't know where you're going to fit it. I don't know how Hugh Laurie does that, but he has to do that. So feeling was it's the kind of character that you've got to be really flexible with and play around with and you have to be really light on your feet when you're doing him. And to have that added weight on you of trying to get the accent right would just be a waste of time, so it was a deal-breaker for me.
Crave Online: Did you worry about competition from The Mentalist, who's also using his powers of perception?
Tim Roth: You know what? I haven't seen the show. I haven't seen The Mentalist. I think the proof's in the pudding. Let's just see what they like. I've heard about it but we are what we are. We're our own thing, and ours is based on something the polls kind of studied for a long time. I don't think we need to get too worried about it really.
Crave Online: Are you on tap for another Hulk?
Tim Roth: Yeah, they've got me for three, that is if we do them. Louis, I liked working with Louis very much, the director, so if he's up to anything, I'll probably jump in with him.
Crave Online: So you're open to doing films in the breaks?
Tim Roth: Yeah, I did one just before, I did between the pilot and when we started, I did one. And then in the hiatus I'm going to do one as well, so I'll be in and out of film and then they'll let us know around some point in February if we're going to carry on doing this.
Crave Online: Are you concerned about the potential strike?
Tim Roth: Of course I am. I think on the one hand, it's a terrible time to have to go through that. On the other hand, they've got us over a barrel, or that's what they think. The reasons for a strike are quite real. It's an awful time to do it.
Crave Online: Do people understand those reasons?
Tim Roth: No. I'm not saying I would want to go on strike. Actually, I wouldn't want to go on strike right now but I would. I'm a big supporter of unions, but the reason, no. I don't think they've pitched well enough to people who are really going through a particularly rough time, and that's not me. I'm getting paid and I'm getting paid well. But most of my mates who are in one form or another, not in the big business version of this, it would hurt them badly. It's a tough time. We've had eight years of Bush, so if we can come out of the other end of that and settle things down, then maybe a strike would be a good thing.
---
Great interview, is it not? I LOVE that little mention of Hugh Laurie in there, it's nice to see that the 'accent' issue is finally being talked about.