Q&A with Miles Anderson

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen
Photo Credits by Guido Karp

Miles Anderson is a British actor who has appeared in television series and movies. He played Alistair the photographer in the movie “La La Land” and Lennox in “The Tragedy of Macbeth” with Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. In the UK he is best known as Lieutenant Colonel Dan Fortune in the series “Soldier Soldier”. During Covid he wrote a book called “Colonels, Cads and Charmers” which is available on Amazon. He currently stars as Foster in “Days of Our Lives”.

KB: Did you always want to be an actor growing up?

Not at all. I wanted to be a jockey at first. Then, because I failed all my exams for university entrance, I juggled a few ideas, the first of which was that I’d like to be a game ranger. This choice, however, was interrupted by a certain event in our family, wherein my father, Jock – the General Officer Commanding the Rhodesian Army – was fired on October 23,1964 by the then Prime Minister, Ian Smith, for his refusal to support Smith’s intended unilateral declaration of independence. It was then that my mother, Daph, said that I needed to choose a career path that wasn’t in Rhodesia. Since I had flourished in various Gilbert and Sullivan plays at school, I chose to go to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. And the rest is history.

KB: You were born in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and your father was a Major General of the army: What was it like growing up in a military household?

It was very strict. No one argued with my dad. He was an utterly principled man, which in a way led to his downfall. But I admire him more than I’ve ever admired anybody. My mother was more of a rebel, which is maybe where I get my adventurous spirit from, particularly when I’m making choices about a character. I like to find their unexpected side and bring out all the complexities of their humanity.

KB: What was your first real acting role and how did you feel about it?

It was in Peter Ustinov’s “The Unknown Soldier and His Wife” in the West End of London. Ustinov was a great influence on me. He was hugely generous as an actor, and he took the most amazingly daring choices with his characters. I loved him very much.

KB: Lt. Col. Dan Fortune in “Soldier Soldier”: How did you get the part and what is your fondest memory of that show?

I went for an interview and explained that I was very familiar with the role of Lt. Colonel, as my father had at one stage been one and my elder brother, John, at that time commanded the Sixth Gurkha Rifles. I think the directors were rather impressed by that and I was given the part almost immediately. My fondest memory was filming the scene of Colonel Fortune’s address to his fellow officers before he left the regiment. In the most strange coincidence, there was on the table a large silver rhinoceros that had been presented some years previously to my father and had been held by the Welsh Regiment (in whose barracks we were filming) for safekeeping. The collision of past and present, reality and fiction, was just too extraordinary for words. Filming Fortune’s sorrow at his departure needed little emotional prompting. Of course, performing opposite Lesley Manville, Jerome Flynn and Robson Green was always delightful. It was a very wonderful time.

KB: Terry Fox in “Holby City”: How do you prepare to play a patient with an illness who asks his wife to end his life to make it look authentic?

As it happened, a fan of the show – with whom I had become very friendly – had a very similar cancer to Terry Fox. I used to ask him about how he was feeling and how the illness was affecting him. It was a very sincere and heartfelt friendship, and I was grateful for his honesty about what he was going through. Some months later, I attended his funeral. I should add that my amazing screen partner, Jan Pearson, is an extraordinary actress, and she made the whole journey deeply authentic and curiously easy.

KB: Alistair in “La La Land”: How did you get the part and what is your fondest memory of that movie?

I was called to audition for the director, Damien Chazelle, who said to me, ‘There’s no script for your character – I just want you to improvise a scene with Ryan Gosling.’ I immediately latched on to the idea of the British photographer David Bailey. On the day of the filming, Ryan Gosling was an absolute joy to work with. I kept coming up with mischievous ideas, like that “Bite your lip” line, and Ryan simply went with me. It was a real delight to work with such a collaborative A-list movie star. My fondest memory of all, though, is enabling the young man playing my assistant – Bobo Chang, who was a “day player” (i.e. not supposed to say any lines) – to secure his SAG-AFTRA union membership: he’d made a great quip with me in rehearsals but hadn’t been able to repeat it when we came to shoot. I asked Damien if there was any chance for us to keep the quip and “upgrade” Bobo’s union status. After a few words with the producers, Damien agreed, and Bobo was over the moon: “You’ve changed my life,” he said to me. That was truly rewarding.

KB: You played Lennox in “The Tragedy of Macbeth”: what was it like to work with Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand?

Funnily enough, I’d worked with Denzel some years earlier in the Richard Attenborough movie “Cry Freedom”, so it was rather lovely to come back to work with him on Joel Coen’s Shakespeare adaptation. He’s a very humble and sincere man, and he generously sought my thoughts about the characters’ relationship in rehearsals. Frances was also one of the producers, and she worked diligently to ensure the company was bonded and integrated. The final product is so stylish and beautiful, it was a pleasure to be a part of it.

KB: You’ve played in series, movies and theatre: What is the highlight of your career so far and why?

Every role I take produces a new highlight. Series are great because you get to live with a character for a while on an unfurling narrative. It’s always fun with movies, especially if you’re filming in a far-flung place – like Namibia, India, Bulgaria – or even far-flung places in your own imagination. In “Ultimate Force”, we ended up in the Yemen, Zimbabwe, Bosnia, to name but three – and all shot in England! Theatre can often mean a much deeper connection with your fellow actors as you’re in rehearsal – and often performance – for a much longer time. You can perform the role over and over again, and discover new layers and nuances, depending on your fellow actors, the audience and your own discoveries. My career highlight is possibly the original BBC series “House of Cards”: I truly loved playing Roger O’Neill and working with such a stellar director – Paul Seed – wonderful actors including Ian Richardson, and a great writer, Andrew Davies. I also love directing. I’ve actually just directed actress, Bella Merlin (also my wife) in her stunning one-person play “Tilly No-Body” (including an award-winning run at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe): that’s a treasured highlight.

KB: You currently play Foster in “Days of Our Lives”: What else are you up to?

I’ve always got projects on the go and in my brain. I have a couple of independent movies coming up over the next few months, with collaborators I’ve known for a while, so that’s very gratifying. I’m also working on a project exploring Shakespeare’s portrayal of marriage called “If You Will”, inspired by acclaimed actor-director Tina Packer’s “Women of Will”, and performed with Bella, which is fun: we’ll be premiering in Malta in November, and then we’ll see what happens next. I’m also excited to see how Foster’s story unfurls in “Days of Our Lives”. There’s always much to be grateful for and much to keep striving towards. These are indeed the days of our lives. And it has been a pleasure answering these questions for you. Thank you for inviting me!

Check out Miles’s book “Colonels,Cads and Charmers” on Amazon: HERE

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