Are you environmentally sound? What do you do to help the planet?
I try to be, I make a really conscientious effort to reduce my individual impact on the planet and that’s really what it boils down to, each and every person making that effort to do their bit.
Plastic, I try to reduce as much as I can, the packaging that comes with my food, with anything I buy, it takes effort because it’s wrapped around everything. And my carbon foot print, that I try to reduce, just with switching off lights, with bulking down on the energy I’m using. Its little efforts like that make all the difference, will make all the difference.
When you see zero gravity in the script that must have be cool!
I thought I would actually get my time in the weightless machines, proper zero gravity that they use but you can only use them for an hour, two at a time, because they cost a fortune. The studios not made of money (laughs).
We went back to basics, with the whole pulley system which was a real test of acting, trying to look awestruck and weightless but all the while you’re being yanked and pulled around and a guy’s pushing your head into the right position because you’re suspended there awkwardly. I tell you, it’s the magic of the movies (laughs). It’s a workout. It’s a crazy intense workout. Your stomach muscles are literally shaking, your neck is twisted and you’re holding it up in this weird angle. It was six weeks of that. And I bloody loved it.
You did?
Six weeks flying around on wires. C’mon, that’s living the dream! It’s the greatest fun ever.
Yeah but in that awkward painful position, that’s got to hurt.
After Olympus? After breaking my neck?
You broke your neck in Olympus?
And I didn’t know I did it. I know, it sounds crazy but it was only when I went to the doctor with an issue with my voice – I couldn’t really sing which had me worried. Not like that, I’m not quite in the Adele stakes (laughs). But he looks down my throat and he says: “You know there’s something sticking out of your throat.’ So I just thought, shit… it’s a tumour. This is bad.
But it turned out to be two bones, sticking out from my thyroid. Which are still sticking out into my throat.
I’m in pain thinking about it. Can you feel them?
No, not at all. And you can’t really do anything for it. You can’t have surgery. So yeah…
Has the singing tone recovered? Will we be seeing you give Adele a run for billions?
Well funny you should say that – I’m actually guesting on her new album (laughs). No, no, I’ll leave that to the professionals.
Well you were the Phantom of the Opera.
That was really an accidental fluke more than anything. I winged it as much as I could. I would like to do another movie musical. I’ve always loved the Music Man. Always loved it so that would be one I’d like to do in the future.
This is another action role for you – you always say you’re done with that…
I keep saying I’m done. I feel like I am. I just did a movie where I put on 27 pounds of muscle – 27 pounds of muscle! That is not easy. And it’s not getting any easier. I feel like I’ve been saying I’m done for years now and something keeps bringing me back. Although in fairness, I firmly believe, I know if I wasn’t an actor, I’d be fat (laughs). But I feel like I want to use my mind more, I want to do more drama. I want to step away from the gym.
So more scientists please?
More scientists, more academics, more professors. More cerebrals types (laughs).
I saw an article in the Daily Mail not too long ago where they were trying to bodyshame you while you were at the beach. How does that make you feel?
They did. I didn’t see it (laughs). The rogues.
Does that kind of trolling hurt?
Couldn’t care less. I couldn’t care less what is written about me, what people say about me. I mean, water of a ducks back. Bigger fish to fry (laughs).
