Rufus Sewell
Birthday:
29 October 1967, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK
Birth Name:
Rufus Frederick Sewell
Height:
183 cm
Rufus Sewell was born on the 29th of October 1967 in Twickenham, England. His mother, Jo, was Welsh, and was an artist and painter. His father, Bill, was an Australian animator who died when Rufus was 10. He has one brother, Caspar. He attended London's Central School of Speech and Drama and left in June of 1989 after completing three years of...
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Rufus Sewell was born on the 29th of October 1967 in Twickenham, England. His mother, Jo, was Welsh, and was an artist and painter. His father, Bill, was an Australian animator who died when Rufus was 10. He has one brother, Caspar. He attended London's Central School of Speech and Drama and left in June of 1989 after completing three years of training. He made his London Stage debut in "Making It Better" for which he won the "Best Newcomer Award"; he also originated the role of Septimus Hodge in Tom Stoppards "Arcadia" and was nominated for an Oliver Award. On the Broadway stage, he debuted in "Translations" and received the Broadway Theater World Award. His film work has been has been equally varied and acclaimed from the junkie in Twenty-One (1991), the sweet bus driver in A Man of No Importance (1994), and the volatile artist in Carrington (1995). The lustful son in Cold Comfort Farm (1995), the protagonist hounded Dostoevsky-like in Dark City (1998), the star-crossed suitor in Dangerous Beauty (1998), to the the bitter, acidic, alcoholic cokehead of Martha - Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence (1998), he has appeared in some of the most acclaimed theatre, film and television productions. Show less «
I think the only thing I've got going for me as an actor specifically is the fact that I can change.
I think the only thing I've got going for me as an actor specifically is the fact that I can change.
First I was seen as a brooding bloke on a horse, and then a baddie, and then a king.
First I was seen as a brooding bloke on a horse, and then a baddie, and then a king.
My career has suddenly started to be the one that I'd always wanted, not in terms of level of success, but in terms of - and this is what I'...Show more »
My career has suddenly started to be the one that I'd always wanted, not in terms of level of success, but in terms of - and this is what I've been banging on about - playing different parts in different media. I was very frustrated, in a physical sense, by people seeing me in a way that I wasn't. And I was beginning to find myself boxed into a corner. Hopefully things have loosed up a bit, and I've gotten better and become more relaxed as an actor. Show less «
It's important to me to be in a relationship when I'm in one, but I'm not someone who needs to be in a relationship. I don't actively look f...Show more »
It's important to me to be in a relationship when I'm in one, but I'm not someone who needs to be in a relationship. I don't actively look for it, I've never been like that. I've gone through long periods without being with someone and got a bit lonely, but not for a while. Show less «
When I left drama school, my fear was that I'd get pigeon holed into comic acting and I did so much to counter it that I got stuck in the op...Show more »
When I left drama school, my fear was that I'd get pigeon holed into comic acting and I did so much to counter it that I got stuck in the opposite. Show less «
People talk about opportunity knocking, but the gate was always swinging in the breeze before I got to the door.
People talk about opportunity knocking, but the gate was always swinging in the breeze before I got to the door.
I recognize myself to a lesser or greater extent in everything I read, good and bad, and that's part of being a human being if you're honest...Show more »
I recognize myself to a lesser or greater extent in everything I read, good and bad, and that's part of being a human being if you're honest enough. And obviously the darker parts are the things you don't let control you. Show less «
I was the lead in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), until Tom Cruise decided he was interested. I was in The Wings ...Show more »
I was the lead in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), until Tom Cruise decided he was interested. I was in The Wings Of The Dove with 'Uma Thurman, until that got canceled. I was in Shakespeare in Love (1998) with Julia Roberts, until that fell apart. Show less «
I've gone through long periods without being with someone and got a bit lonely, but not for a while.
I've gone through long periods without being with someone and got a bit lonely, but not for a while.
I've always believed very, very strongly that the way you treat people is more important than anything, professionally or otherwise.
I've always believed very, very strongly that the way you treat people is more important than anything, professionally or otherwise.
Yes, years of compromise and disappointment have added depth to my acting.
Yes, years of compromise and disappointment have added depth to my acting.
Given the choice between someone saying I was handsome in a role or ugly but good, I know which I'd choose.
Given the choice between someone saying I was handsome in a role or ugly but good, I know which I'd choose.
I'm hoping that a lifetime of compromise and disappointment will read as extra depth and layers in my work.
I'm hoping that a lifetime of compromise and disappointment will read as extra depth and layers in my work.
I'd like an omelet named after me.
I'd like an omelet named after me.
Well, thing is, after they canceled 'Zen', I didn't work for eight months. And in that case, it was not my choice. After I've done something...Show more »
Well, thing is, after they canceled 'Zen', I didn't work for eight months. And in that case, it was not my choice. After I've done something that I'm really proud of and I think changes the way I'm perceived, the immediate reaction is: nothing. Show less «
For a long time, I didn't give anything my all. I was so afraid that I'd be crap, so I held myself back.
For a long time, I didn't give anything my all. I was so afraid that I'd be crap, so I held myself back.
For a long time, I've had to hustle. If a film role is obviously great, then it's been difficult for me to get a look-in.
For a long time, I've had to hustle. If a film role is obviously great, then it's been difficult for me to get a look-in.
I don't have any shame about the way I conducted my professional life.
I don't have any shame about the way I conducted my professional life.
People talk about me in 'Arcadia' and I think I was okay in it but I've given better performances in other productions that didn't have the ...Show more »
People talk about me in 'Arcadia' and I think I was okay in it but I've given better performances in other productions that didn't have the same impact. But I knew 'Arcadia' was going to be an event and I wanted to be part of it. Show less «
Billy is a funny, cheeky, lovely boy and I love being with him. Parenthood is terrifying though. I can barely walk past a building without p...Show more »
Billy is a funny, cheeky, lovely boy and I love being with him. Parenthood is terrifying though. I can barely walk past a building without panicking that it's going to collapse on his head. Show less «
It's nice when women fancy me, but I think I will only disappoint them so I prefer it if they don't know who I am.
It's nice when women fancy me, but I think I will only disappoint them so I prefer it if they don't know who I am.
I want to be able to do anything. I know it's probably not reasonable to expect, but that's what I'd like to do.
I want to be able to do anything. I know it's probably not reasonable to expect, but that's what I'd like to do.
I wasn't a model schoolboy. Of course, I was forced to sit through Shakespeare and I really got into some of it, though it depended on who w...Show more »
I wasn't a model schoolboy. Of course, I was forced to sit through Shakespeare and I really got into some of it, though it depended on who was reading it out. Show less «
A large part of my adolescence was spent doing my very best to draw attention to myself.
A large part of my adolescence was spent doing my very best to draw attention to myself.
I was a very undisciplined person but acting was something that actually motivated me to get up in the morning. I hadn't experienced that be...Show more »
I was a very undisciplined person but acting was something that actually motivated me to get up in the morning. I hadn't experienced that before, but it was something that really excited me. I think I could be quite self-conscious and it gave me a release. Show less «
As a person I'm perfectly vain, I'm just vainer as an actor about my ability. My acting vanity trumps my human vanity.
As a person I'm perfectly vain, I'm just vainer as an actor about my ability. My acting vanity trumps my human vanity.
The reason I am unemployed for six months out of every year is because I have to turn down most of the films I'm offered. If I didn't, I'd o...Show more »
The reason I am unemployed for six months out of every year is because I have to turn down most of the films I'm offered. If I didn't, I'd only ever play a dark, satanic count on a horse. Show less «
I do as much comedy as I possibly can, but I'm basically limited by the imagination of the secretaries who make the decisions.
I do as much comedy as I possibly can, but I'm basically limited by the imagination of the secretaries who make the decisions.
For me, if I were to be at home in any kind of style, it is more comedy than anything else.
For me, if I were to be at home in any kind of style, it is more comedy than anything else.
I no longer have a style to maintain. I rent a little flat in Los Angeles, I don't take holidays, I don't dine out and I take cheap flights.
I no longer have a style to maintain. I rent a little flat in Los Angeles, I don't take holidays, I don't dine out and I take cheap flights.
I think if a character appeals to you, there are certain parts of yourself will come to the fore and other parts that will play down.
I think if a character appeals to you, there are certain parts of yourself will come to the fore and other parts that will play down.
I don't know if the money I've earned is going to need to last me for the next few weeks or the rest of my life.
I don't know if the money I've earned is going to need to last me for the next few weeks or the rest of my life.
I think I was a bit frightened of having to be a grownup and tried to put that off for as long as I could.
I think I was a bit frightened of having to be a grownup and tried to put that off for as long as I could.
I've always liked the idea of regularly doing a play but I was offered things which I felt were too 'celebie' and West Endy.
I've always liked the idea of regularly doing a play but I was offered things which I felt were too 'celebie' and West Endy.
I was very frustrated, in a physical sense, by people seeing me in a way that I wasn't. And I was beginning to find myself boxed into a corn...Show more »
I was very frustrated, in a physical sense, by people seeing me in a way that I wasn't. And I was beginning to find myself boxed into a corner. Hopefully things have loosed up a bit, and I've gotten better and become more relaxed as an actor. Show less «
Of course, I want to look good, as that helped me get jobs. But it didn't get me the jobs I wanted and it held me back.
Of course, I want to look good, as that helped me get jobs. But it didn't get me the jobs I wanted and it held me back.
If my British film career was a girl, then I'd been hanging around outside her apartment a little bit too long.
If my British film career was a girl, then I'd been hanging around outside her apartment a little bit too long.
Lazy journalists, they'll read stuff and get a quote then ask the same question again hoping I'll say a similar thing; it's very tiresome.
Lazy journalists, they'll read stuff and get a quote then ask the same question again hoping I'll say a similar thing; it's very tiresome.
Hollywood is my domestic idyll.
Hollywood is my domestic idyll.
I don't know why the universe is so determined to keep my feet on the ground.
I don't know why the universe is so determined to keep my feet on the ground.
At times, I think of my career as a map. The closer you get to the map, the more you know where you are, but the closer I get to my career, ...Show more »
At times, I think of my career as a map. The closer you get to the map, the more you know where you are, but the closer I get to my career, the less happy I feel. At the same time, I have carved out the career for myself which I wanted. Show less «
I don't think the roles that I'm necessarily known for in this country are my best work, or even anywhere near it. I didn't think I was grea...Show more »
I don't think the roles that I'm necessarily known for in this country are my best work, or even anywhere near it. I didn't think I was great in 'Arcadia.' I think it's a great part and a great play and had a lot of attention. Show less «
I'm very, very happy with my recognition/lack of recognition in England in terms of my life. In terms of household name-age. The public's me...Show more »
I'm very, very happy with my recognition/lack of recognition in England in terms of my life. In terms of household name-age. The public's memory is very short, luckily. Show less «
My feelings about my mortality are less selfish than they used to be. I used to affect a cavalier attitude to death; now I see it from my so...Show more »
My feelings about my mortality are less selfish than they used to be. I used to affect a cavalier attitude to death; now I see it from my son's perspective. Show less «
'The Taming Of The Shrew' is probably the first time I've worked in this country for about ten years, apart from theatre, and it's not for w...Show more »
'The Taming Of The Shrew' is probably the first time I've worked in this country for about ten years, apart from theatre, and it's not for want of trying. It was so fantastic to work in London - it felt really glamorous. Show less «
I'm in a position where I'm being continually knocked back for the kind of independent films I want to be in because people don't know who I...Show more »
I'm in a position where I'm being continually knocked back for the kind of independent films I want to be in because people don't know who I am. Show less «
My career has suddenly started to be the one that I'd always wanted, not in terms of level of success, but in terms of - and this is what I'...Show more »
My career has suddenly started to be the one that I'd always wanted, not in terms of level of success, but in terms of - and this is what I've been banging on about - playing different parts in different media. Show less «
I've discovered that I've never had much respect for money, and that has meant that money has ended up ruling me a little bit more than it s...Show more »
I've discovered that I've never had much respect for money, and that has meant that money has ended up ruling me a little bit more than it should have. So I'm trying to learn - at this late stage in life! - to actually control that. Show less «
I'm only based in L.A. because I couldn't get any work in England.
I'm only based in L.A. because I couldn't get any work in England.
Rufus Sewell's Photos
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