Interview: Billy Howle on murder mysteries, Ian McEwan and playing villains

The Witness for the Prosecution star speaks to Gentleman's Journal about becoming Britain's literary film star

You appeared in last year’s Boxing Day Agatha Christie adaptation, Witness for the Prosecution, and you will be in two of the biggest novel adaptations of this year [Ian McEwan’s On Chesil Beach and Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending]. How did you become Britain’s literary film star?

Suffice to say it wasn’t planned. It’s just sort of happened that way. While I grew up in a house surrounded by books, I wasn’t an avid reader. That said, I was a fan of novelists like Ian [McEwan] and Julian [Barnes]. When scripts of their books turned up, I had to go for it.

While researching characters, do you read the books or do you prefer to stick to the script?

I read the books. Scripts and novels are like brothers and sisters in the way they influence the character. But there comes a point when you have to put the book down. It’s like having a very in-depth glossary for the script, but the script is always your blueprint.

Is it difficult, transforming a novel into a film?

You would think it would be easier to adapt something that has already been written, but its an entirely new skill. Working closely with people like Ian [McEwan] was such an honour because he let me investigate and interrogate every facet of the character. But with Witness it’s just a whole new ball game. I have a new appreciation for writing after seeing what the screenwriter Sarah [Phelps] accomplished by creating such three-dimensional, complex characters out of a 15-minute read.

Was it fun playing the villain of the story?

I’ve always had a fascination with Iago from Othello. Often the people who are perceived to be bad are the most interesting. That’s the beauty of crime dramas and murder mysteries: they make us question the motives of characters we’d normally just condemn. In Witness, Leonard [Vole] is a great example. He returned home from WWI and was promised a lot that he doesn’t think he received. He’s acting on a dire set of circumstances and that makes him desperate and hungry.

What were your fellow cast members like on Witness for the Prosecution?

I’m honoured to be working alongside actors I’ve admired from afar. I play the lover of both Andrea Riseborough and Kim Cattrall, so I spent a far bit of time with both of them, which was unforgettable. But everyone was very enthusiastic and collaborative.

Who did you most like working with?

Toby Jones is someone who always produces the most interesting performances. He is ludicrously good. I did tell him that in exactly those words. He enjoyed that.

What are you reading right now?

I always have a pile of books, but at the moment I’m not reading much. Sometimes the words can get a bit much and I have been reading a lot for the roles I have been playing. Actually I’m looking at books of photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank. I love looking at pictures.

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