JONNY LEE MILLER INTERVIEWED BY INSTYLE MAGAZINE

UK INSTYLE magazine June 2001. By Polly Williams. Photographed by Neil Kirk

Man's world

He's played a drug addict, a soldier and (now) a vampire slayer, but what is he like offscreen? Edible, actually

As far as vein-hungry vamps go, this month's Dracula 2001 may have its tongue firmly in its cheek, but it is dead-on ahout one thing:acting is in star Jonny Lee Miller's blood. His grandfather played M in the early James Bond films. His father was a stage actor. His great-great-grandfather did the music halls. The 2-year-old Miller is following the male line, centre stage. After triumphing as Sick Boy in Trainspotting, he has developed his range in films as diverse as period pieces Mansfield Park and Regeneration where he won praise for his portrayal of a shell-shocked soldier. Meanwhile, back in London after a stint in LA, he is quietly at the epicentre of the city's starscape: Natural Nylon, the production company he owns with friends Jude Law, Sadie Frost, Ewan McGregor and Sean Pertwee, is expanding to develop theatre projects as well as films, and its celebrity pantheon - "the Primrose Hill mafia' - is still the most snappable in London. And, much to his chagrin, Miller's love affairs are almost celebrities in their own right. There was the wedding to his now ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, his co-star on Hackers (she famously scrawled Miller's name in blood across her wedding attire), not to mention the tabloid frenzy around the Natalie Appleton affair -"London's coolest couple". Nevertheless, be would rather discuss anything other than him-self ("Is anyone really interested?") - whether it be Thai food, getting older, or even clothes.

Define your style...

Utilising the nearest available clean clothes. I don't consider myself to be stylish at all. The last thing I bought were some baggy Levi's. I always find jeans really constrictive, so I decided to buy an enormous pair.

If money were no object, how would you splurge?

At the moment, I've got a two-bedroom flat and the one thing I hanker after is a proper house with a garden, so I could have animals. I'd spend a lot employing someone else to do it up for me. If it was left to me, nothing would get done. I wouldn't take the minimal route. I don't like all these wooden floors. I like to walk around barefoot on carpet.

And would it be in Primrose Hill?

I like Primrose Hill so much I can't imagine living anywhere else in London. My friend, Ewan [McGregor], lived in Primrose Hill [before I did]. I remember visiting him and thinking that the main street was so lovely, villagey and quiet, yet only 10 minutes away from the West End. So when I came back from LA, it was the obvious place to live.

Would you live in America again?

New York and LA are both great places to visit, but I wouldn't want to live in either of them now. I find New York extremely claus-trophobic and dirty. LA is quite a nice place. But there's no hustle and bustle, no street life. Everyone's going from A to B in a car. Why did I leave? My relationship [with Angelina Jolie] was going bad and I missed England, simple things like smells and major things like the British sense of humour.

Does that marriage seem odd now?

People find it bizarre and extraordinary that we were together. To me, it's not. Angelina's image is of a wild, crazy femme fatale. She's not. She's a very nice, very generous person. A big-hearted girl. She just says what she's feeling. She doesn't get up to any more mischief than your average person... well, maybe a little bit.

In relationships, are you normally the lover or the loved?

The lover. But it's swings and roundabouts.

How often do you go out?

It varies. I spent three months travelling in India. When I got back, I went out to those kind of nights [that are photographed] as I hadn't seen that scene for a long time. I really enjoyed myself. But now I'm working really hard filming The Escapist in Dublin, so I'm not going out at all. Well, one night a week. The last one was in a Dublin pub.

You're known as a ladies man...

I don't like the sound of "ladies man". It's kind of creepy. I'm just looking for the same thing as everyone else. And it doesn't feel like I get a lot of attention. Still, I'd much rather people approach me, because I can't approach anyone. I'm not really like that.

You're shy?

Most of the time. It's not an issue when I act. That's about not being yourself. I find it harder to talk about myself and what I do.

Does stardom make you more self-conscious?

It can do. But really it makes you think about things that you wouldn't normally have to think about. Like my friends have to think twice about where they take their kids as they've got some idiot following them. Some of them get hounded. It's not that bad for me, which is a good thing.

Do your ambitions lie with the Holly-wood blockbuster?

I can honestly say, no... Although I'm not saying I wouldn't do one. Really, I want to play a part - one little cog in the machinery -in improving our film industry. And I want to build a big film studio. Kind of similar to what Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fair-banks did with United Artists. We need one. In the future, I see myself doing more theatre, directing. And I'm going to give writing a go. If it's rubbish, I'll stop.

Describe your perfect day...

I'd get up and go running in a wood as the sun comes up. Then work. Then a Thai dinner. Before going to bed, I'd watch a video. The best films are the supposedly art house ones that I put off watching because I think I won't enjoy them and then I watch them and they're great. The last video I watched? Dark Days, a documentary about the homeless living in the subway tunnels of New York. Fantastic.

What keeps you awake at night?

At the moment, drunk people. I'm living in Dublin. But although I occasionally have my moments, I'm too happy to be anxious.

Were you born happy?

Yes, then I made myself unhappy for a few years and now I've realised everything will be just fine! And I'm looking forward to turning 30. I feel like I've been in my late twenties for years.