大象传媒

Count Rostov is a warm-hearted, genial man more comfortable with his family in Moscow than in glittering Petersburg society. The only thing that could be said against the Count is that he is generous to a fault: with so many people to look after and entertain, he isn’t always as careful as he could be about the family finances.

How would you characterise Count Rostov?

He’s described in the book as a man who loves life and knows how to live it. He’s always very positive. I based him on my father-in-law, a very positive man. That’s a very empowering attitude and it’s really nice to play.

The Count tries to ignore trouble and is a very generous human being. Whenever he’s presented with a problem, he just mortgages another part of his property, so he ruins the family single-handedly through his generosity but I really like his spirit. He’s also very generous with his heart and always making sure other people are having a good time.

Even though the Rostovs are aristocrats, will we be able to identify with them?

Yes. War & Peace is a very universal story about a family. The behaviour of the Rostovs is no weirder than the behaviour of a lot of families. They are not a peculiarly Russian 19th Century family; they are simply a very human family.

Were you daunted by the sheer scale of this production?

No, and it’s a testament to the director, Tom Harper, that it doesn’t feel intimidating. He’s very calm and knows exactly what he’s doing. He ensures that we make it all about the story. If the story is true and modern, everything else will follow. You don’t think about the palaces and the armies. You think about the story.

Tell us about the Count’s costumes?

He wears a smoking cap, and he’s by the far the most eccentric dresser. But it was a very flattering age of clothing for the older, slightly portly man! You look smart and it’s very comfortable. Pity we don’t dress like that now!

Why has War & Peace proved so enduring?

It’s just a fantastic book. I’ve never read anyone who writes so eloquently about people falling in and out of love. It’s a very modern story that just happens to be set in a 19th Russian aristocratic milieu. Andrew Davies has been faithful to the text in his script, but he has written it in a slightly more English vernacular.

After many highly successful years in comedy, you seem to be moving more into straight acting these days. What prompted that?

A year or two ago, I made a decision to do more acting, and I’m loving it. I really enjoy the discipline of it. It’s great fun trying to convince people that you’re someone else for a while.