M: Do you still feel you’ve got your feet pretty firmly placed? You're not going to get all lovey and in need of a good slap? C: I hope not. I’m pretty sure I’m working on level Earth at the moment and I think working at UCI helps with that. It’s mundane stuff – I wash up, I clean the floors, I clear up sick after small children. It’s kinda handy and they treat me like a normal person. M: Come December we dispel the magic of Hogwarts and create the magic of panto at Norwich’s Theatre Royal. That’s going to be a bit of a jump isn’t it? C: It’ll be tiring, but fun. I’ve never done panto before. It’s Jack and the Beanstalk and I’m playing the King’s valet, who presumably because he’s the King’s valet he’s a good guy. The baddy then comes along and hypnotises him and turns him into a nasty guy which could be incredibly good fun. I’ve always wanted to play a bad guy. M: In the run up to all of this, it was the Dereham Operatics? C: Yeah, I joined Dereham Operatic Society Youth Theatre Company and Northgate High School at the same time in 1995 so I’ve always been doing two musicals a year and play with them until last year when I left. I suppose Dereham is well renowned for it’s drama and Northgate is well known throughout Europe for it quality. M: What happens next for you? C: I don’t know. My agent says the next stage is theatre school, but it’s catch 22 really. You can’t get jobs in decent stage shows or theatre companies unless you’ve had proper classical training. 
Brushing up on the plot |
They won’t take for training unless you can give 100% of your time for three years and I can’t do that at the moment as I’m contracted for whatever Warner Brothers want me to do with Harry Potter for however long it takes. If anything else comes along in the meantime, all the better. M: What would you like to do next? C: I’d like to do some stage work, proper stage work, I don’t count panto. I’d like to do a bit of classical theatre. Shakespear, Ibsen, Checkhov – that kind of thing, a bit of comedy and professional musical stuff. I’d like to do some more films, but normal –not quite so huge. Something British and low budget would be nice. I don’t know what the attraction is, I just like it. M: Finally Chris, what do you like about living in Norfolk? C: I like it as it’s quiet, there’s not much to do but it’s quiet, it’s nice, secluded. When we’re filming I go down and spend five days in a hotel in London, it’s very loud and noisy. It’s nice just to come home, have a cup of tea and put your feet up. It’s just a nice place really. Return to start of interview
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