Tim Roth gained recognition during the 1980s as part of British cinema’s cutting edge wave that fervently opposed Margaret Thatcher’s reign. Alongside Daniel Day-Lewis, Gary Oldman and Colin Firth, he was part of a group, labelled the Brit Pack, by the now inactive Face magazine in 1986.
His performance in the 1984 movie ‘The Hit’, brought him a BAFTA for the most promising newcomer, and his representations of dissatisfied young people in the 1982 film ‘Made in Britain’ by Alan Clarke, as well as Mike Leigh’s ‘Meantime’ in 1983, received high praises. Walter Goodman, in his 1986 New York Times article, admired ‘Meantime’ and complimented Roth’s “solid and intense performance.”
Roth reminisces nostalgically about the golden age of British television. He laments how shows such as ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’ and ‘Made in Britain’ wouldn’t be created today, both considered pioneers in portraying the British education system under Thatcher.
Now at the age of 63, the actor reflectively views the brash macho roles that rocketed his career in Britain and Ireland. Notable roles include a youthful skinhead in ‘Made in Britain’, a ringleader amongst the Brick Lane squatters in ‘King of the Ghetto’ and a punk persona in Ray Davies’ musical ‘Return to Waterloo’.
Roth discusses the candid and masculine nature of his early work in cinema, noting a paradoxical reality as many of these male-centric productions were bolstered by the labor of formidable women producers, particularly highlighting the phenomenal work of Margaret Matheson. Matheson was the producer for Roth’s initial venture, ‘Made in Britain’. Totally in her element, Matheson later progressed to manage Central Television.
Roth reminisces on how Alan frequently spoke of the cohort of women from the BBC who held significant decision-making power behind the scenes. These women were instrumental in navigating the political drama unfolding during that period, but they, unfortunately, missed out on directing roles.
In recent times, Roth has collaborated with notable women talents like Ava DuVernay and Mia Hansen-Løve, among others. Most recently, he worked on ‘Poison’, a touching adaptation of Lot Vekemans’s critically-acclaimed play ‘Gif’. This adaptation marked a directorial debut for Désirée Nosbusch, a Dutch woman. ‘Poison’, which premiered in Ireland at the Galway Film Fleadh in July, features Roth and Trine Dyrholm playing a separated couple who reunite many years following their son’s demise.
Roth finds the idea of this long-separated couple having a conversation as the centerpiece of the story very compelling, signifying the appeal of the script for him. The script’s potent and theatrical nature was thoroughly explored in their preparations. Roth was left in awe of the script but pondered on who he would be cast alongside. Upon meeting Trine, who embodies toughness and an infectious humour, Roth’s worry was alleviated. He describes his dalliance with ‘Poison’ as an incredible experience.
Roth had committed to Nosbusch’s emotionally intense premiere film project at the same time his son Cormac was diagnosed with an advanced germ cell tumour in November 2021. Sadly, Cormac Roth, a musician known for his skills as a composer and guitarist, passed away at 25 years old, on October 16th, 2022. Roth discussed the film’s intriguing premise and his participation in it with Cormac before leaving to commence shooting in a Luxembourg graveyard.
Roth shares, “We had our discussions about the subject and theme of the movie. We also talked about his thoughts on my decision to act in the film. We even had conversations while I was on the set. It was a quick production process, just about six or seven weeks long, allowing me to frequently return home to be with my son. It was challenging due to the deeply personal nature of the film. But we both thought it was significant. At that point, we were holding on to hope about Cormac’s recovery. In many ways, he supported me through the filmmaking process, and he wanted to see me complete it.”
Roth also mentions the female-led crew, including renowned cinematographer Judith Kaufmann. Their presence, he believes, helped him navigate this heart-rending period in his life.
According to Roth, “I was incredibly fortunate to be in such a setting. I was so engrossed in the script and my role when I realised that the crew was made up predominantly of women. It was a welcome change, marking a decidedly efficient atmosphere. I’ve had the opportunity to work with women before but not with so many leading various departments. Remarkably, we managed to wrap up early – a rarity in the film industry. The fact that the film is helmed by a debutante director was also appealing. I’ve always believed everyone starts somewhere and never mind if it’s someone’s first film or if they are an unknown entity to me. The only criteria I hold dear is talent and skill. In the past, I had the opportunity to work with James Gray for his first film, down to Quentin.”
The Quentin he refers to is, of course, the celebrated Quentin Tarantino, under whose direction Roth has worked on five out of nine of the director’s feature films. However, Roth’s part in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was cut when Tarantino was forced to abridge his original five-hour version. It is worth noting that Roth was already establishing his name in the industry when he was cast for a key character in Tarantino’s first venture, Reservoir Dogs.
Roth reveals that only a mere twenty pages into Reservoir Dogs he was already awestruck by Quentin’s incredible talent. Even before he had finished the script, he was on the phone in anticipation. The dialogue was phenomenal, with all improvisations already written in – a method not often seen. The thrill was real, since none of us knew how the story would unfold. Quentin and I noticed the cinema walkouts, but the audience reaction beyond this was nothing short of thunderous.
Continuing his career in America, Roth went on to bag an Oscar nomination for his role in Rob Roy and later played the villain Abomination in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s shared screen with eminent figures like Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola and Michael Haneke, even contributing to the English version of Haneke’s notorious film Funny Games.
This career trajectory, however, wasn’t part of Roth’s original plan. While discussing the idea of relocating to Hollywood with co-star Gary [Oldman] during the shooting of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Roth confessed he wasn’t inclined towards the idea. He aspired to be a versatile character actor and work with Ken Loach, instead of becoming typecast as a film star. The goal was to play as many diverse roles as humanly possible.
Roth’s experience of filming Vincent & Theo with Robert Altman left him longing for home, with no keenness to be in Hollywood. Despite this, Roth’s manager continued to navigate his career in Hollywood until Reservoir Dogs cropped up. It was then that he realised he could ply his trade anywhere in the world.
A highlight of his career was when Harold Pinter penned a variant of King Lear expressly for him. Many years into his career, Roth still maintains the on-screen charisma which once moved Pauline Kael to portray his acting talent as a kinetic discharge.
In an affable manner, Roth says: “Whether it’s praise or criticism, reviews aren’t something I pay attention to. Once my involvement in the film concludes, it belongs to someone else. I stay away from all promotional photographs and also abstain from social media. This allows me to devote my undivided attention to my work.”
Despite his roles in big franchise movies like Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes and Marvel’s The Incredible Hulk and having worked with stars like Tupac Shakur, Roth remains undeviatingly devoted to indie cinema, as demonstrated by his recent introspective work in Julius Onah’s Luce and the sardonically amusing Sundown, directed by Michel Franco.
Roth finds the humour in it, still. The sheer wonder of being permitted to engage in his profession bemuses him. He acknowledges that he doesn’t hold any specific acting qualifications, beyond his experience in a supermarket job. Fascinatingly, it all came together for him. He never relishes in complacency. Certainly, he is at ease performing his duties. Yet, he never overlooks the value of it. It continues to startle him and he anticipates that it always will.
The film Poison is scheduled to be exhibited at the Dinard British & Irish Film Festival. The festival is set to occur from the 2nd to the 6th of October, starting on a Wednesday and concluding on a Sunday.