He’s played some of the biggest characters in film, from Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter to Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, but Oscar-nominated actor Ralph Fiennes says he has never been offered a role on a TV series.
The 61-year-old Schindler’s List star is set to play a Cardinal in the forthcoming movie Conclave, and says that despite his huge and ongoing success in film, the TV industry doesn’t seem interested.
In an interview with The Times, he revealed he has never been offered a regular part on a long-form TV show.
“Weirdly. That’s interesting. I can’t think of a time I’ve been approached,” he said, sharing that he has only ever been offered roles in movies.
He has, however, appeared in multiple made-for-TV movies, and enjoyed fleeeting guest appearances on British series Prime Suspect and Rev.
Since the advent of streaming platforms, more and more Hollywood A-Listers have made the switch to starring on TV series.
But Fiennes and Conclave director Edward Berger – whose new film about an election for the pope drew crowds when it premiered and is being tipped for the Oscars – say they have no time or interest in the format anyway.
“Things are just extended when they don’t have to be,” Fiennes said, saying they had received suggestions that their new film could be made into a TV series created in multiple parts.
“So a show can have great performances, writing, camera, but it’s sort of dead, bubbling along, like somebody’s keeping it on simmer for ever for, I sometimes wonder, non-creative elements that might make viewing figures go up,” he continued.
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“I watched a TV series recently that was well-received and I just thought, ‘Why is it so long?’ It seemed so odd. My natural taste is for film.”
Expanding on his love for movies, he explained “I just love the classic format of the movie. That is 90 minutes, 120 minutes.”
Sharing the name of his favourite title, he added: “People ask what my favourite film is and if there’s one that sums up a succinctness, accessibility and carries a sort of fable, it is [1952 western] High Noon.
“It’s just the perfect film. Everyone relates to it. It’s a myth. It’s beautifully acted and composed. It’s a personal thing, isn’t it? But I just love that experience of being immersed for a couple of hours — where there’s a total arc.”
Conclave will be released in cinemas on 29 November.