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The renowned actor Ray Winstone, famous for his portrayals of men entangled in criminal activities, has a bulky torso and thin legs. His entrance into the breakfast lounge of a London hotel is akin to witnessing a barrel walking on stilts. Now 67, Winstone’s appearance mirrors the characters he has played throughout his career. He maintains the east London accent he picked up in his childhood and frequently swears in a rough manner. It would not be surprising if he were voted as the most recognizable figure in film and television. When I inquire about whether he is bothered by being typecast, he quickly responds, “Not at all – you pigeonhole yourself.” With a raunchy sense of humor that is always present, he adds, “I’ll even play a female role if you’d like. Although, my legs might not be to your liking.”
Winstone and I are currently discussing three new projects, including The Gentlemen, a series directed by Guy Ritchie where he portrays the head of a troubled criminal family; Damsel, a Netflix film where he plays the patriarch of a family facing the consequences of a difficult decision; and A Bit of Light, an independent movie based on Rebecca Callard’s play of the same name, described as “Mary Poppins with trauma.” Winstone’s reasons for taking on projects remain unchanged since his breakthrough role in the 1979 film Scum, where he played a rebellious teenager struggling for dominance in a young offenders institute. According to him, filming is a chance to have fun for six weeks and see how it turns out. If it’s successful, great, but if not, it’s not a big deal. However, he still believes in fulfilling his obligations and paying what he owes. As he puts it, there are times when he has to do films that he may not necessarily want to, but it’s necessary in order to make a living.
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According to Callard, Winstone’s performance in A Bit of Light is unlike anything audiences have seen from him before, showing a more vulnerable and less caricatured side. However, this diminishes his talent. Winstone views films such as Sexy Beast and Nil by Mouth, which were well-received, as complex love stories, even his gangster roles are intricate and unconventional. He believes that family dynamics are at the core of most compelling dramas and that our fascination with different types of families is universal. For Winstone, exploring family relationships has been the focus of his acting career, and A Bit of Light, where his character grapples with the loss of his wife and daughter, is a natural progression from his previous work. He reflects on the theme of loss and the accompanying feelings of guilt that come with it.
Winstone will be portraying a father involved in a tumultuous dynamic with his daughter in his upcoming projects. In real life, Winstone has three grown daughters who are all actors. He has a good relationship with all of them, but they have all tested him in some way. His eldest daughter Lois recently moved back to the family home in Essex with her boyfriend, while his youngest daughter Ellie still lives there. His middle child Jaime lives nearby. When asked if he drew from his personal experiences as a father to play the role, Winstone admits that he may have at times, before jokingly calling them “little troublemakers.”
Winstone’s delivery of this line is filled with a loving chuckle. He has a lighthearted personality that makes you feel at ease when joining in on the laughter while he describes his family in this manner.
Can you clarify, Ray? How are they little troublemakers? “Well,” he explains, “I have three daughters. Do you also have three daughters?”
I inform him that I possess only one. “What is the age?” he inquires. “Three,” I reply. “You’ll reach that point eventually,” he responds with a smile. “You’ll grasp it.”
Winstone and his spouse, Elaine, have been married for 44 years. They regularly invite their daughters to join them for Sunday lunches, although they do not always attend. Winstone recently spoke to his youngest daughter, 22-year-old Ellie, and asked if she would be coming over on Sunday. She declined, stating that she did not want to have Sunday dinner every week.
Winstone chuckles as he recounts this tale. (“Okay, okay, okay,” he reassured her in a tone parents often use to calm their children.) Yet, he continues to extend invitations. Sunday lunch is an important aspect of his beliefs: it is a part of his culture that he refuses to abandon, along with his accent and his adherence to a certain moral standard (show kindness, work diligently, and defend your loved ones – what he calls “cockney morality”) that was instilled in him during his childhood.
Born in 1957, Winstone grew up in Hackney with his family who, at times, faced financial struggles. In his memoir, Young Winstone, he shares that his father, also named Ray, worked as a greengrocer and later became a black-cab driver at the airport with his friends. When his mother wasn’t assisting her husband at the markets, she would often collect money from slot machines. Winstone fondly remembers his father as a hard worker, but credits his mother for her cleverness. On one occasion, she even showed Winstone how to pour lemonade on a specific spot of a fruit machine to cause it to malfunction and pay out its entire contents.
In his memoir, Winstone reflects on his childhood with a mix of affection and turmoil. He recalls being expelled from nursery for getting into a physical altercation, which he dismisses as a minor incident. He jokingly refers to his younger self as a “little troublemaker,” clarifying that he was never cruel or dishonest. Winstone attributes his behavior to his upbringing, as his father, a former boxer, had a history of violence and even engaged in fights in front of him. Although Winstone admits to making mistakes, he chooses not to delve into details and instead acknowledges that these experiences have shaped who he is today. As an actor, Winstone wonders about the alternative paths his life could have taken, but ultimately remains uncertain about what could have been.
In his memoir, Winstone discusses violence with a sense of fondness. When I inquire about the potential impact of witnessing his father’s aggressive behavior on his younger self, he does not disregard it as shocking. In Young Winstone, he acknowledges that while he does not support violence, he can empathize with it. Reflecting on his father, he now states, “It is what it is. Fight or get beaten. He was familiar with that world, and he and his friends lived by a certain code. It wasn’t a harmful code; no one ever lost their life.”
When Winstone was 28, his mother passed away at the age of 52. His father also passed away six years ago. Winstone reflects on his father, saying, “It’s interesting how you perceive your father as the boss and in control when you’re growing up. But when they’re gone, it’s a relief in a way. It’s all up to you now and you don’t have to worry about disappointing them.”
During his teenage years, Winstone became a member of the Repton Boxing Club located in east London. He believes that boxing provided him with an education, especially because he had struggled in school. Through his experience at Repton, he learned discipline and gained respect. Winstone also values the way boxing clubs are run and how they guide and elevate young individuals. He represented England in boxing twice, and he believes that this experience helped him in his acting career. Winstone explains that boxing taught him to be brave and face his fears head-on instead of showing it. He learned to put on a tough exterior, stand tall, and look his opponents in the eye.
While attending Repton, Winstone enrolled in the Corona drama school, with his parents covering the tuition fees. They were motivated by seeing him perform in a school play and hoped it would keep him out of trouble on the streets. However, Winstone was expelled after one year and had already faced segregation from his peers due to his manner of speaking, which he refers to as “elocution”. When asked if he was a negative influence, he admits to being so in some ways, with a slight smile. In one early job as an extra on the ITV sitcom Get Some In!, he even physically confronted a director who had physically picked him up instead of simply asking him to move. This resulted in him being banned from work for a period of time and causing his tutors to lose hope in him. Despite these challenges, Winstone looks back on his time at drama school with fondness. He reflects on his classmates, noting that none of them came from a similar background as him, which he found to be a positive experience.
On the day Winstone was scheduled to depart from the Corona, he agreed to join some friends for a drink. A few of them were visiting the BBC for an audition for an upcoming production by Alan Clarke, which was to take place in a borstal. Winstone decided to go along and there, he struck up a conversation with a receptionist who encouraged him to meet Clarke. Though he was hesitant, Winstone eventually agreed. “I was the last one in,” Winstone remembers, “and we just had a good time.” As he was leaving, Clarke watched Winstone, who had transformed into a muscular and confident figure, walk down the corridor and offered him the part of Carlin in Scum. Winstone considers this moment to be life-changing.
In the early stages of his acting career, Winstone frequently felt like he didn’t belong on set. Even now, he often feels uneasy. He admits, “I’m not a typical actor” and laughs. “I don’t talk like one.” Sometimes, when he’s having dinner with his colleagues, they only want to discuss work, but he would rather talk about other things. “Who’s fighting in the boxing match tonight? Is there a soccer game on?” Most of his closest friends are people he’s known outside of the entertainment industry for many years. “I don’t want to spend all my time talking about acting. When I go home at night, my wife doesn’t even ask about it.”
I inquire, “What is the topic of conversation?”
“Us!” he says. “How her day’s been. What she’s been up to. She’s got a good radar. Whenever I’ve had to kiss someone on set, she knows. I must give it away when I come in. There’s something witchy about her.” He pauses… “Or she’s got a tag on me.”
In the middle of our discussion, a server comes to our table with coffee. Winstone pauses and gazes at the server. “Do you want an Americano?” the server asks.
Winstone is sipping breakfast tea from delicate china.
He states that the coffee is not for him.
The server pauses, momentarily perplexed, and Winstone continues speaking in a British-Italian dialect in an attempt to imitate hers.
“I am from England,” he states. “No Americano.”
I interpret the gesture as affectionate and not insulting – a way to alleviate awkwardness. (The waitress, who is fluent in English and is often referred to as “darling” by Winstone, does not appear offended at all.) Winstone has a residence in Sicily that he frequents “when the weather here is terrible like this,” he explains while motioning to the rain outside. He enjoys driving there. (“Straight through France,” he shared with a friend of mine, because it’s “full of French people.”)
Reworded: It is easy to envision Winstone as a British person living abroad. While he has mentioned the possibility of moving in the future, such as to Sicily or to farm olives, in order to avoid what he sees as excessive taxation, he still takes great pride in being English. Our conversation primarily revolves around the current state of the country, which he feels disappointed about.
Winstone made the decision to vote for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union during the 2016 referendum. He expressed his reasons for this decision, stating that he did not want to be dictated to by other countries, specifically mentioning France. He does not explicitly state whether he still stands by this decision, but he is very outspoken about his views on British politics. He refers to those in charge as “cunts”, regardless of their political party, and believes they are out of touch with the wants and needs of the people. He chooses not to vote and believes it is his right to do so. Winstone draws a comparison between politicians not fulfilling their promises and someone getting fired for not completing their job responsibilities. He also expresses his belief that the NHS needs more funding, particularly for nurses who work tirelessly and are not adequately compensated for their efforts.
Midway through our conversation, Winstone mentions the importance of a political “overhaul”. When I inquire about what this overhaul might entail, given the example of Donald Trump, Winstone expresses shock. “Let’s not even discuss that,” he says. “But things need to change. We need change. We need someone – I’m not sure who they are or where they come from – who is going to be completely honest, and if they don’t know the answer to a question, they admit it and pledge to find out. Most of them just refuse to answer questions. Excuse me? You are supposed to represent us. If we ask a question, you should answer it.”
I inquire about his perception of a romanticized version of England.
“Yes,” he states. “Of course.” This memory originates from his childhood. “When you’re a kid, you don’t have the weight of the world on your shoulders,” he elaborates. “You have carefree summers, beautiful hay fields, and the freedom to explore the countryside…” When Winstone was young, his family often went to Southend and Shoeburyness, seaside towns in Essex. “That version of England still exists,” he remarks. “It’s not the citizens of England who are causing harm to the country. It’s the incompetent leaders who are in charge.”
While conversing, Winstone presents himself as a man who relates to the common people, but I have reservations about this. (When discussing his plans for Sunday dinner, Winstone mentioned the possibility of ordering sashimi, indicating that money is not a concern for him.) Winstone’s beliefs tend to appeal to the masses and are influenced by his generation. When asked about his children’s thoughts on his views, he acknowledges that they may not always agree with him and values their independent thinking. He even admits to learning a great deal from his children, as it should be.
I mention during our Sunday dinner.
“We often argue about Sunday dinner,” he states. Previously, he had mentioned, “We are not like the Waltons.”
I inquire about his thoughts on inheritance.
“What is ‘legacy’?” he asks.
“Have you considered what you will be leaving behind?” I inquire.
“No,” he says. “Things change so much that work can date very quickly. There are new ways of working now, new ways of acting. Some things I’ve done hold up and that’s great. Some things don’t.” He pauses for a while, then moves in a different direction. “I guess my legacy is my kids. They’re the ones that carry on, do whatever they’re doing. And, hopefully, I’ll leave them something that will help them along the way.”
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On Friday, March 8th, Damsel will be available on Netflix. The Gentleman is already streaming on Netflix as of Thursday, March 7th. Friday, April 5th marks the release of A Bit of Light on Netflix.
Source: theguardian.com
