DISCOVERED' AGAIN WITH 'DISRAELI
FEATURE ARTICLE: L.A. TIMES, Aug. 25, 1982
by RODERICK MANN
Perhaps it's not only love that's better the second time abound. At least that's how it strikes Ian McShane, whose presence is very much in evidence these days. His television series, "Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic," is .now airing again at 9 p.m. on Sundays on PBS' "Masterpiece Theater," and he has just opened in "Betrayal" at the Matrix Theater.
"Disraeli" was first seen two years ago and earned fine reviews. McShane, understandably, got the lion's share of them. The critics all praised the "dark brooding intensity" that he brought to the role.
Very nice. But at that time Mc-Shane's leg was encased in plaster from an injury he sustained while making a movie in Egypt, and there was an actor's strike on. And so, although the series won plaudits everywhere, nothing much happened as far as its star was concerned.
This time it's been different. Thanks to some judicious advertising, the series again has been widely watched and McShane has caught everyone's attention.
McShane, whose dark good looks have reminded some of Tyrone Power, finds it all highly gratifying.
"Nothing much did happen when the series was first shown here," he said, relaxing in his apartment just off the Sunset Strip. "But this time there seems to have been great word of mouth. And it's fortunate that it's come out just when I'm doing 'Betrayal' on stage."
Like the other actors in this Harold Pinter play, McShane is working for no fee.
"And that's fine with me," he said. "It's a great chance to do a fine play. Anyway, I didn't become an actor just to try to make a lot of money, I did it because I wanted to act. And the chance to do high quality work always seems to go hand in hand with the lower end of the pay scale."
McShane, who built up a good reputation in his native England, returns there often to do plays and movies. Earlier thisyear he starred in "The Big Knife" on the English stage.
He was also in Paris this year making James Toback's film "Exposed," in which he will be seen with Nastassia Kinski, Rudolf Nureyev and Harvey Keitel.
In it, McShane plays an English photographer who discovers Kinski and turns her into an international cover girl. Toback changed the character into an Englishman in order to use McShane, whom he admires, but McShane would have been quite happy to play the role as an American. His accent is faultless.
"It's an interesting film," ha said, "an odd mixture of high fashion and terrorism. Harvey Keitel plays a character based on Carlos the terrorist, and the film has a really gruesome finale.
"Nastassia is terrific in it. Curiously enough I made a film with her father, Klaus Kinski, nearly 20 years ago ("Pleasure Girls") in which I also played a photographer.
"This one, I think, should do well. I hope so. It would be nice to have a big commercial success. It makes life easier."
Now married to American actress Gwen Humble, and with two children by a former marriage living this side of the Atlantic, McShane expects to spend more and more time in the United States.
"In the past, I've tended to live all over the place," he said. "And that confuses producers. Now I need people to know I am here."
He is, understandably, delighted that the series on Disraeli has been so well received this time around and that audiences are enjoying his work in "Betrayal."
"But I must say I'm getting a little tired of being rediscovered." he said with a smile. "After all, I've been an actor all my life (he is 39). I keep running into actors here who say: 'I went the usual route; I was a waiter, Or: 'I was a barman.' Me, I was never a waiter or a barman. I was always an actor. Do you think I missed anything?"