A 20-question interview with British actor and BIFA award winner James Floyd
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
“Be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here…” From the poem Desiderata by Max Ehrmann – it’s my bible.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
Life is too serious to be taken seriously.
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2017?
Donald Trump’s hair. And Donald Trump.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
The blissful ignorance of childhood.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
More wealth. Ain’t got much.
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the state of the financial system?
When you say ‘system’ do you mean Texas hold ’em poker? We live under the umbrella of ‘democratic capitalism’ but the game is neither as free or as meritocratic as the term suggests. The game is mostly rigged. The mortals at the bottom of the socio-economic spectrum pick up a tabloid (that’s fed them mostly lies for years) in 2007 and it says the global economy is screwed and everyone’s job is at risk. Jump cut to a decade later and the same people who took down the economy have jobs and bonuses, and the tabloid-reading mortals have no jobs.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
‘System’.
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
Depends who lives at your home. Some people don’t deserve charity. I support many causes including Kiva, It Gets Better Project and Disasters Emergency Committee.
The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?
I just Googled that movie scene. Those writers’ careers should be blown up. Along with all high ranking members of the Islamic State.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
If I get to murder them? Every singer who uses auto-tune. If there is no murder and just great conversation? Nina Simone, Gandhi, Oscar Wilde, Bayard Rustin and Hatshepsut.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
Moroccan lamb tagine by the ocean.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
Water? Immediately. Baileys? Immediately after the water.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A Negroni.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
The party my 9 month old son throws every morning at 6am when he wakes. It’s called the ‘Dada dada dada’ party.
Who is the most positive person you know?
My grandma. She has Alzheimer’s but is fortunate to be stuck in a loop of positivity.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
White chocolate cheesecake.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
A skunk. With a quote from Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet wrapped around it.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
A Pontiac: Old school but creative.
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I’ve married twice.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
I don’t have a mantelpiece. If I did it would be a picture of my son smiling in nature.
Actor James Floyd describes himself as “a professional liar trying to seek the truth, AKA an actor”. He won a BIFA award for Best Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards for his role as Rashid in ‘My Brother the Devil’ and played Freddie Mercury in ‘The Best Possible Taste’ in 2013. Other more recent credits include roles in ‘City of Tiny Lights’, ‘Rogue Agent’ and ‘Of Kings and Prophets’.
Follow him on Twitter at @iJamesFloyd and like his page on Facebook at @JamesFloydOfficial.