scene Mark Strong as Matai Shang in John Carter of Mars
“I’ve only a small role in that, and in Punch, I’m sort of a good guy. Mark my words though, a cuddly Disney character’s on the way!” Strong, who slogged for years in the theatre before landing his break in BBC’s Our Friends In The North, had an even busier 12 months last year with Oscar-worthy Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Ryan Reynold’s mega flop The Green Lantern and Peter Weir epic The Way Back, yet he still enjoys a level of anonymity in his home borough of Queen’s Park, where he lives with Channel 4 exec Liza Marshall and sons Gabriel, seven, and Roman, five. It’s a lack of fame envied by good friends Guy Richie, Jamie Oliver, and Daniel Craig, (who is godfather to Strong’s youngest). But is he concerned he’ll choose a role that’ll eventually land him firmly in the spotlight? “I’m happy to stay where I am, working consistently without dealing with the bullsh*t. But if I get offered something that will take me above the radar, I’m not going to turn it down; I’m available for it at this stage. I’m nearly 50, after all, and I don’t care if they hack my phone. I’ll happily take Bond!” Born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia to an Austrian/Italian household, the actor’s father flew the nest before he was born, leaving mother, Waltraud, struggling as an au pair to raise her young son, whose name she changed by deed poll in order to help settle him with his peers. When Strong was a child, the two of them lived in a single room in Stoke Newington with a sheet hung up in the middle to give them both some privacy. During the day, his mother worked in a factory; by night she’d go out and work in a bar. “I don’t remember it being a difficult childhood, I knew nothing better. I was happy and, as a child, you take what you’re given, don’t you? You just try to make the best of it. It’s only in retrospect, when I’ve spoken to my mum, that I’ve realised just how many sacrifices she had to make.” Now the actor is one of Tinseltown’s busiest with, he reveals, seven movies on the go: would he ever quit London for the lure of a six-bedroom LA mansion? “How much do you think I earn,” he laughs loudly, slapping his thigh. “My God, I wish, but I can’t imagine that scenario ever. I work a lot because I love the roles coming my way, but more importantly, to keep a roof over our heads. “Besides, London is my home and I don’t want to leave my home. I love bringing my kids to the swings in Queen’s Park or playing with my footy team in Wormwood Scrubs. My roots are buried deep, so it just wouldn’t happen. Los Angeles – not for me. Fine for work, but for home life, not so much.” Time’s a ticking and Strong’s overzealous publicist reminds him he needs to leave for a train to Liverpool within the hour, where he’s filming cop drama Blood with Paul Bettany. Maybe it’s time for a little deceleration on the pedal perhaps? “The idea of turning down a film to me – because I came from a background of no money – is just a crazy notion. I’m scared they’ll figure out that I actually bluffed my way into this job and I’m just a deep voice and bushy eyebrows with no acting skills whatsoever. Until that day comes, I’m going to keep working!” n Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is now available on DVD
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“I’m scared they’ll figure out that I actually bluffed my way into this job and I’m just a deep voice and bushy eyebrows with no acting skills whatsoever. Until that day comes, I’m going to keep working.”
Strong in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Image: STUDIOCANAL