I feel very happy about playing Perks. He is a very warm character; a Victorian who has a dignity and pride that people of his class would have of that era. In the production he is a father figure for the railway children Bobbie, Phyllis and Peter, and is a ‘way in’ for the audience – not quite an MC but used to breaking down any barriers there are.
Because I am in the play most of the time, I am at rehearsals every day. For breakfast I’ll alternate museli and toast one day with scrambled eggs the next. I’ve lived in London for 33 years – I sort of consider myself a Londoner; I drive in because it’s the most convenient way for me through busy traffic. I can’t get my kids (son and daughter) to school because of rehearsals so my wife is doing that.
We’re rehearsing in a studio in Bromley-by-Bow where two films are being made – and Masterchef (though we’re not having Masterchef lunches). This is the biggest rehearsal space I’ve ever been in – it’s enormous.
The stage is being built now [at King’s Cross station]. It’s unique – about 90 metres long yet quite intimate. It’s a station with platforms either side. The locomotive we use has been driven down the M1 surrounded by a police escort. It couldn’t cross the M25 until after 7pm and couldn’t go by the railway line because it would cost too much, so it had to come by road!
We start at 9.30am; we play patball which is a great way to physically warm-up. It’s a good way for the company to have a little bond – there are a few people in the cast who have relatively little to do but are understudying so they can end up sticking around for quite a long time. We haven’t done voice warm-ups but will do once we open; because we’re talking all day.
The director, Damian Cruden, is here for 80 per cent of the time but is also directing a pantomime in York so he’s commuting between the two jobs. We go over things in detail; trying to finesse, for example, walking along to music and ending the cue with a particular punctuation whether it’s a line or a prop. This is a very ‘proppy’ show and we have to get used to that now because when we come to the technical [rehearsal] we have to get used to the trucks which slide in with various pieces of furniture and props. We work on notes with the assistant director, getting clarity and timing with entrances, music cues; just tidying mainly.
I do eat lunch. I have a veggie sandwich meal deal with a packet of crisps that my wife says I shouldn’t have and a bottle of water.
This afternoon we’re going to do a run-through. We have two days with kids coming in and there are four teams of them; for example yesterday we did about four scenes four times with each team. This is only the second week of rehearsals and we were pretty much off the book after just over a week which is pretty good. I do work hard on my lines; I don’t do an awful lot of theatre. When you do telly or films you learn the scene for that day then it’s done with. You shouldn’t leave it too long as an actor without doing theatre.
By the time I get home I’m cream-crackered and hope to see my son, have some tea, catch up with the wife and tell my daughter to get off to bed early. I have a glass of wine; my ideal meal would be to have something a little unusual either myself or my wife has cooked – I’m veggie. Then we usually we watch a box set and in bed early – about 9.30.
Here are Jeremy’s thoughts on…
DOWNTON ABBEY: ‘Playing Spratt has not been a burden; I’m not sure how long Downton will go on for; I’ve enjoyed it – it’s a strong show and unbelievably big. I’ve still have not worked out why – it’s the glamour of it maybe; it’s not like The Village which is probably more truthful.’
ACTING: ‘I was acting in my early teens. We had a local arts centre in Stockton-on- Tees where I was brought up. When it opened in 1971 I was member number 1! I went to improvisation classes then dropped it for a bit; got in the school play. I really liked doing it and felt I could work all day in it without losing concentration and never got tired of it.’
THE RAILWAY CHILDREN Jeremy stars with Caroline Harker and will be recreating the role of Mike Kenny’s stage adaptation of E. Nesbit’s novel The Railway Children. The play is directed by Damian Cruden. For more information visit www.railwaychildrenlondon.com