Ralph Fiennes interview pages 12

The BAFTA award winning actor Ralph Fiennes

classically-trained thespian, which included acclaimed stage performances (he was at the National Theatre before transferring with great success to the Royal Shakespeare Company) Fiennes landed the part of a Nazi concentration camp commander in Schindler’s List, a role he performed with such brilliance he became on overnight sensation.

“Schindler’s List was a marvellous piece of filmmaking. It was very disturbing in places and because Steven Spielberg was going off piste, so to speak, it garnered a lot more attention that it might have.

“Selfishly, to be able to use that vehicle to really thrust myself into the limelight was an incredible break, and one that might have taken me four or five times as long had I been in other films. The attention, actually, was in some ways quite uncomfortable – there’s nothing that can prepare you for it – though as an actor you would never turn it down.”

The English Patient, in 1996, further enhanced Fiennes’s reputation, and he has followed his own idiosyncratic path ever since, not least in turning to work behind the camera as a producer, notably in 2021’s The King’s Man, and more recently back on stage in TS Eliot’s Four Quartets.

It all begs the question as to what comes next for someone who, 60 in December, still has creativity and energy abound.

“First and foremost I always want to continue to work. I love work. I think that means I will always want to keep on. After all, work is the best of human traits,” says Fiennes.

“I’m constantly trying to discover what’s lurking underneath… and by that I mean, what’s underneath a character and, just as importantly, what’s underneath myself!”

Styles for a winter glow

Chestnut pubs provide the perfect backdrop for Velvet magazine’s latest fashion shoots

Whether you’re staying in or going out, the festive season is filled with reasons to dress up. Showcasing preloved pieces from Brooks, the designer dress agency in Saffron Walden, Velvet’s contributing fashion editor Rohiny Belani pulls together looks for every occasion.

ON LOCATION Part of the Chestnut collection - which has 15 (and counting) properties across East Anglia, including Moulton’s The Packhorse and The Rupert Brooke in Grantchester - The Westleton Crown sits on a quintessential village green close to the Suffolk coast.

Its decor inspired by the surrounding countryside, the inn has just had a floorto-rafters refurbishment, making it the ideal location for this year’s festive fashion shoot.

Like all properties in Chestnut’s portfolio, The Westleton Crown has its own distinctive personality while offering the same high standard of hospitality as its sister sites. Designed to be the perfect destination for both dining out and staying away, it has an acclaimed restaurant (with a head chef known for hero-ing local and seasonal produce) and rooms (which, equal parts chic and comfy, are dogfriendly, too).

Our fashion shoot also took in the 16th century Saffron Walden pub The Eight Bells. This Chestnut property mixes olde worlde exterior with a fun and modern interior.

For more information and to book visit westletoncrown.co.uk and theeightbellssaffronwalden.com