Robert Vaughn plays Albert Stroller
Best known as the international crime fighter Napoleon Solo in The
Man From U.N.C.L.E and being the last surviving member of The Magnificent
Seven, Robert's vast career spans television, film and theatre.
His CV spans four decades and numerous awards and nominations including
an Emmy Award for his performance in Washington, an Academy Award nomination
for The Young Philadelphians and a Bafta nomination for Bullitt.
Other feature films include The Towering Inferno and Superman III.
He is currently finishing off his autobiography, Christ, Shakespeare,
Ho Chi Minh: As I Knew Them.
How has Albert changed from the last series?
Well, as with any character that you play over time, you start doing
different things.
I'm much more free to experiment with comedy. In the last series I
was trying to mix between serious and not so serious. But now I'm going
for some laughs this year - I like to make people laugh.
How has Albert's role within the team changed?
The others think that he is like the Godfather, like Marlon Brando
in the movie with the same name.
I haven't a clue what they are talking about! I'm not playing him as
a Mafioso, but when Mickey or Danny have a question they will come to
Albert and he offers them nuggets of wisdom from his life as a con man.
What was your favourite storyline to film?
I think the storyline with Max Beesley is my favourite of this series.
He plays Jake, Stacie's ex-husband, and the gang target him as revenge
for when he left Stacie and ran off with all their money.
Though I think my favourite storyline of all was in the last series.
I loved the one where Albert went to an art class to rope in a mark,
played by the beautiful Tamsin Outhwaite.
Because he was the newest member of the class he had to take his clothes
off and be the model. I didn't enjoy taking off all my clothes, but
I did enjoy the script!
How did you find working with Max?
I spent a lot of time with him on and off set. He's delightful and
enormously talented. I'm only acquainted with him as an actor - I don't
know much about his music side, but I think he's going to have a great
career.
I could've seen him as Alfie, more than Jude Law, although he is also
a great actor.
Max is much more of an operator. Max said that he and Jude are friends,
so I'm sure they both discussed the movie and I'm sure they both probably
wanted the part.
That's one of the downsides of being friends with fellow actors!
Now Stacie has been a superhero, who would you like to be?
As a child I didn't read comics or watch cartoons apart from one comic
book called Captain Marvel.
He was a normal person until he said the word Shazam! I was totally
wrapped up in that particular character and I remember having Captain
Marvel stationery with Captain Marvel pictures on it and Shazam! across
the side, so that's the only superhero I'd like to be.
Flying would be my superpower as well as being able to hear people's
conversations.
I think my wife is actually Super Woman. She can sit in a restaurant
and be able to hear three different conversations in a room full of
people and be able to repeat each conversation word for word - there's
nothing she can't hear.
Women remember too - that's even worse!
Have you kept up the pickpocket and card tricks you learnt
in series one?
I haven't but Marc, who's really gifted at doing card tricks, always
has a new one to show us.
He will even tell you how to do them if you hang in there long enough
and I made sure I learnt a few from him before I flew back to the US
so I could teach my son.