In an interview by the Times this week, Mackenzie Crook, goggle-eyed Gareth from The Office, came out and declared what we've always secretly thought. On acting in theatre, compared with acting in film or TV, Crook claimed: "You feel as if you are actually working for a living, not just mucking about."
He makes a good point. Is the physicality and spontaneity of stage acting a more noble pursuit than acting for the screen? Well, yes it is. Of course. But perhaps the more important question is this: who'd want to actually work for a living? Mucking about sounds brilliant.
Mackenzie Crook seems to be one of those rare, established screen actors who actively makes time for the stage. He has, in recent years, built up quite an impressive stage portfolio. He's played Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, he was internationally acclaimed following his Broadway run of The Seagull, and he's now appearing in Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem at the Royal Court.
Honesty like this is a breath of fresh air, but perhaps Crook is doing film and TV acting a disservice. There can't be many people willing to spend vast stretches of time sitting across from Ricky Gervais as he shrieks and babbles without succumbing to the urge to throttle him. And in one of his most recent films – last year's Three and Out – Crook had to film a scene opposite Kerry Katona. If that's not a task calling for superhuman endurance, I'm not sure what is.
