ROBERT STRANGE
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you are up to right now.
I am Robert Strange - actor, creature performer, Earthperson. I've just wrapped on filming a rather special project, where I was taught by real cowboys how to ride a horse; and lately I've been popping up on screens each week in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, as Glûg, 'the orc with an arc'. I'm exceedingly thankful.
What made you go into acting?
I've performed for as long as I can remember, in some way or another - but really it all ramped up when I was cast as the titular role in The Pied Piper of Hamelin in Year 3 (aged around 7). My then-and-still best friend was furious because we were hyper-competitive at school and she was cast as a mere rat, doomed to follow me round and round the stage as I skipped in circles playing the recorder. Mesmerising. But it all worked out as a couple of years later we played Mr & Mrs Twit in The Twits and won a silver medal in the Cheltenham Festival. Later, I studied Biochemistry, which called to me and certainly still shapes a huge part of who I am today - but it was always performing. I never truly considered anything else seriously.
You're best known as a creature actor. What led you down this path?
I always tell the story that the creatures came out of nowhere when I was cast as The Master Vampire in Penny Dreadful - and to a certain extent, in terms of welcoming me to the world of screen and prosthetics, that is true; but when I look back, I was always drawn to the somewhat unusual, physical roles. I played Gregor who turns into a beetle in Metamorphosis, I played a character raised by pigs in a play called Pork at the Edinburgh Festival. At drama school I was a walrus in animal studies. I love a challenge.
What challenges does being a creature actor bring?
Nothing has tested my physical limits more than creature performing - in the way that acting, and the scenarios that a character finds himself in, will push you to emotional limits you've never been to before. As people I think it feels healthy to explore these boundaries, just a little, while we are gifted this time on this Earth. I think that's why I'm drawn to it. I learn more about myself each time!
Your screen credits are rich and varied - from The Crown to Star Wars. How does playing a creature differ from playing a human?
It's all acting, performing: developing a character, delivering dialogue, figuring out how they walk or breathe or steal a glance. So I approach them in the same way! Creatures just get to push those boundaries of imagination and physicality that little bit further - although, humans are the most alien of all, sometimes. Practically there's also just the consideration of conveying story and emotion, still in a nuanced way, through an extra layer of silicone on your face, or even through a body that has a completely different shape to yours. But that's mask work, and puppetry! It's all one big Venn diagram. Which is why all sorts of performances can make you feel something, even in the most unlikely of moments; whether it's blockbuster cinema or street theatre.
What is the most interesting thing you have read or seen lately?
Okay so I have been telling this to anyone who will listen - which is precious few - so maybe this is the perfect place to talk about it. I was thinking about QR codes recently. What will happen when we run out? Or why do no two codes generated ever accidentally lead to the same link? Well - if I've piqued your interest - I strongly encourage you to Google how many QR codes are possible. Spoiler: it's more than our tiny minds can possibly fathom. Or as someone on Reddit put it: "an ungodly large number". Also, anyone who knows me knows I always have a banana nearby and I recently discovered that bananas produce antimatter, roughly once an hour. Anything's possible.
What is your favourite memory and why?
Holding my newborn nephew for the first time. Also when I told my mum I was going to be a guest on the Graham Norton Show. That one hasn't happened yet but I am manifesting it...
What is the one thing you'd like to be remembered for?
The first creature character to win an Oscar?
What is it about the way you do what you do that you think separates you from others?
I think I have a sometimes unusual memory, which is both a blessing and a curse. I have absolutely no idea what I did last week for example but I can still recall all the lyrics to the Fairy Godmother's Song from Shrek 2 and the equation triangles from my Physics GCSE. However one of the perks is that I don't have a natural inclination to dwell too much in the past or future - I stay quite present.
What do you like doing in your spare time?
Eating Marmite, on a fresh warm crusty white loaf, with real salted butter. I've spent too much time in the USA lately and so I think about this a lot.
Who is your inspiration?
The remarkable women in my life: my mum who was a nurse and cared for others for over 50 years, and who I can always chat to about Shakespeare one minute and Eastenders the next. My sister who is and has always been my aesthetic & creative inspiration and made me feel outrageously cool by association when she was the first in her year to pass her driving test. My friends who face the world with such resilience, and grace. And who make me laugh! Which is my all-time favourite thing.
What's the weirdest thing that's ever happened to you while working on a project?
I did once have to lie naked in the wet mud, in a grave. And once a trained rat sat on my very bald head. Rapping Nicki Minaj with The Doctor whilst dressed as The Bogeyman (made of literal bogeys) was pretty absurd. And because people are always curious - I've never freaked myself out or forgotten what I look like while wearing full prosthetics, but once I was playing a character who was furry from head to toe, and as I was eating my lunch I lifted my arm and for a good thirty seconds my brain just glitched and it just wasn't my arm any more. I don't know how to describe it other than my mind said - that's not your arm. I just stared at it. Then it clicked back and I just carried on eating my salad.
What's the role you're most proud of to date?
Like choosing a favourite child! But right now I am thoroughly loving the impact Glûg has had - not least because I do believe the debates that have ignited from his appearances, around morality and the nature of evil, would have fascinated Tolkien.
Where would you like to be in 5 years time?
On a cooler, more peaceful planet.
What's next for you?
Some more goodies are in the pipeline, including some creatures that will make certain fans of certain franchises extremely excited. I also just finished filming the lead role in a beautiful period film called Medora: Empress of the Badlands - the true story of the Marquis de Morès and his wife, Medora. I just spent a month in the Badlands of North Dakota with the most magnificent people and I am still reeling from the beauty of it all.
Robert Strange @strange.robert Managed by Zero Gravity management
Watch Rings Of Power on Amazon
Photographed by Erica Bergsmeds @ericabergsmeds
