An Interview with actor Sir Hugh Elliot

by Peggy Kopman-Owens

“Acting? It is a calling. You either love it or you don’t.”

Bonjour, Sir Hugh, Merci for agreeing to this interview. Before we begin, s’ il vous pla?t, allow me to thank you publicly for accepting the lead role in the noir mystery

Waiting in Paris.

Bonjour, Madame Peg,

C’est une grande plaisir. (It’s a great pleasure).

I am delighted to have been chosen by you to narrate this marvelous story, set in the City of Light, Paris; a city I know very well. Your chief protagonist Simon Pennington” is a natural fit for me, and I hope I have rendered his outlook well. I am so in tune with Simon, it’s almost “art imitating life.” He is charming, debonair, a brilliant detective, he loves Paris, he loves wine, and he is confused about women. It couldn’t be better. They say the closer one is, as an actor, to the character to be portrayed, the better it comes out. I hope you agree.

Peg: You have captured the essence of Simon Pennington at this particular age and stage of his career, instinctively bestowing upon the famous sleuth just the right amount of sophistication, while never abandoning sympathy for his occasional missteps. You’ve made him into an endearingly memorable hero.

But I fear I may have made a misstep of my own, if so, please forgive me. What is the proper English form of address for an individual of your honoured rank? Should I have introduced you to our audience by a less auspicious French moniker...Monsieur Elliot, perhaps?

Sir Hugh: "Sir" is an appellation, a "title" that I have acquired along the way. I have not been formally knighted by HRH Queen Elizabeth II, not yet anyway!

Audiobook coming to Amazon, Audible, iTunes September 2021

Has your life as the son and grandson of well-known individuals prepared you for the life of an actor?

I was blessed to have extraordinary parents and grandparents. There were “thespians” and theatrical types on both sides of my family. My American maternal grandmother Estelle was from Texas, but she went across the “pond” in the other direction. She met my maternal grandfather Jack on board ship, playing badminton, sailing from New York to Southampton, England in 1923. While not an actress herself, she was hugely involved in the Theatre Guild, in New York, back in the 1920s, so this way of life was imbued in my childhood home. In London, Grandma Estelle gave soirees at her town house, where the famous literati and thespians of the day came. Notable, was her friendship with the incredible African American singer Paul Robeson, who sang “Summer Time” and “Old Man River” in her living room, to an enthralled audience.

My father was French, though he was actually born in London. His English mother “Madame Heliane” was a quite famous opera singer in Paris and so drama and song were in our blood. My father wanted me to “get a real job” though, just in case, and so after University I went into business and corporate work, but later, when I first set foot on the stage and then a movie set, in Los Angeles, I realized there was another part of me that was undernourished, and I was “in love” and so I made a career change, and became an actor, writer and story teller.

And I am particularly grateful you made that decision. Is it not still a mystery that we should be celebrating the completion of our first project, considering the challenges we faced while working remotely this past year? It was serendipity that you and I should meet virtually during a pandemic.

I agree completely. Out of the blue, as it were, you found me, as a possible voice for the sleuth Simon Pennington in your wonderful story. That you asked me to audition to narrate your book, was extremely flattering, but also, a perfect match for the characters in the story.

An audition was never needed. I was drawn to your voice from the moment I first heard it. I am still wondering why you risked a leap of faith on a relatively unknown Paris mystery writer.

Clearly, I was an ideal candidate for Waiting in Paris, I can modestly suggest. That I have been able to voice all the other French, Russian and Bohemian accents in this story is, of course, the icing on the cake, as it were. I thank the late Robin Williams for that ability. He was the master of all accents.

Do you believe, as some people do, that all famous musicians, writers, artists, and actors share a common thread of melancholy in their lives, and that the creative process becomes our lifeline, a way to survive personal tragedy?

Before one enters the shark infested waters of acting, one needs some prior training. I have been blessed. A happy childhood and loving parents. I don’t have a sob story about being from the ghetto and then making it. And I don’t get star struck. Most “famous” people I have met are really quite normal, though I have met a few jerks along the way (no names). That said, there are, of course, melancholy and depression, and a feeling of utter failure, sometimes. It goes with the territory, but I’ve been trained as to how to deal with those darker forces, when they come my way. You recognize this for what it is, and (hopefully) use the energy, creatively, and then, something even better can manifest. This work is not for everyone. It is a calling. You either love it or you don’t. If you can’t give it your all, come hell or high water, my advice then is to get a real job, and of course, directors and agents all advise good actors and bad, to “keep the day job”, just in case!

“To have worked with the likes of Dame Helen Mirren or Pierce Brosnan or Jeff Bridges, was simply ‘free film school’ for me.”

Having performed in more than 30 film and television productions, did you find one role more enjoyable than the others, more challenging, perhaps?

For me, working on a movie set, or in a play, was always about learning from those who know more. To have worked with the likes of Dame Helen Mirren or Pierce Brosnan or Jeff Bridges, was simply “free film school,” for me. Watching these great actors work, and to be in their presence and try to contribute something to a scene, has been an immense privilege. To answer your question specifically, I would say working with Dame Helen Mirren, playing a boxing newspaper reporter was the best role I’ve had, so far.

Was there ever a part you did not wish to play, or a point at which you wanted to put down the script, take your leave and abandon the profession altogether?

Of course, there are always moments to ask yourself, “What am I doing here? This makes no sense.” And then someone in the audience or on the set comes up to you and says: “That was fantastic. The emotion you put into that... really came across… the audience loved you.” You just really never know. No, I’ve never put down a script... Well, that’s not entirely true. I have turned down a script or two, because they were really hideous, turgid and/or badly written stories, but on the whole, I like a challenge and have worked intensively with what’s been put in front of me. I have to thank my amazing agent for that.

Were you ever caught off guard by an unexpectedly odd response from an audience?

I am a “little person” like the famous Peter Dinklage of “Game of Thrones” fame, who I know well. So people like “us” have a certain “handicap” – a word I detest, but thus, we feel we have to work harder to be accepted. I was once at a script reading in Los Angeles. We actors each read. Then, the director, clearly trying to decide who would fit which part, asked me a question, which I answered in front of 30 people. As I answered, his assistant asked if I could please stand up so everyone could see me. I answered, “But I am standing up.” At which point the meeting collapsed into laughter on one side and embarrassment on the other. I knew then, that I could use this handicap to my advantage. It was hilarious. That and my British accent, of course, which Americans so seem to love.

“As to the future? I would like to do some comedic storytelling on television.”

You’ve already enjoyed an enviable career as a film and television actor, performed on stage, been a writer, and hosted your own 2-hour daily radio show. What more could be hiding on your bucket list that you haven’t already accomplished or shared publicly?

Hmm. That’s a good question. I’ve worked in Hollywood and have met some of the greats in the industry. However, to be honest, I think, as to the future, I would like to find a means to do some comedic storytelling on television, working with superior talent and seeing if my skills as a storyteller, a “raconteur” rather than as a straight actor, could find an audience that would appreciate my very British humour; full of irony and even sarcasm. Oscar Wilde, the great Irish writer explained that “the English and Americans are separated by a common language,” and I would like to explore that more, since I am both British and American.

Any regrets?

None. I’ve had a rich and extraordinary life, so far.

You’ve already taken that journey of a million miles. What role has travel played in developing your talents and influencing your world view?

The great fortune I have had, instilled in me by my parents, was to travel and experience other cultures around the world, and this has been a huge influence in my life. Such “wanderlust” continues to this day and I have been fortunate to have done just that... wander all over the world. I think travel teaches us, especially, tolerance of other ways of life, other ways of doing things, other ways of preparing food, other ways of romance, and so on.

What gives you the most pleasure at this point in your life?

Planning travels to places I have not been to yet. Floating down the Mekong river on a flat bottomed boat has been one fantasy…or eating well, again, in Paris. I’d like to take the Trans-Siberian train from east to west across Russia, starting at Vladivostok. Above all, what gives me the most pleasure, at this moment, is spending time with my Argentinian "portena" and muse, who looks after me so well in her own way.

Let’s end on that romantic note, which could come only from the lips of a true Parisian, or someone playing the role of Simon Pennington. Until we meet again, à votre santé! And best wishes for your continued success!

And to you too, Madame. It has been a wonderful journey. I hope your audio listeners will enjoy Waiting in Paris, brought to life by our efforts.

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For more info: Sir Hugh email: [email protected]

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Cover Art ? Roger Kopman Online gallery: www.KOPMANPHOTOS.com

Twenty-six novels by Peggy Kopman-Owens, including the Simon Pennington Mysteries series are available in eBook, Paperback, Hardcover, or Audiobook at Amazon, Audible, iTunes

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