JONNY LEE MILLER INTERVIEW


JONNY SINKS HIS TEETH IN PART

Their marriage was regarded as one of the most bizarre in showbusiness - the shy, young British actor and the Hollywood wild child. Consequently most people weren't surprised when the union between Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie broke down after just a couple of years.

But far from regretting his short-lived marriage Miller has nothing but glowing praise for his ex-wife.

"Angelina's image is of a wild, crazy, femme fatale," he says. "But she's not. She's a very nice big hearted girl. It wasn't extraordinary at all that we were together."

The pair were unknowns when they met on the set of the movie Hackers, but since then they've both gone on to achieve international success.

Jolie is now an Oscar winning star and will soon be seen in one of this year's most eagerly awaited movies Tomb Raider while Miller has a string of successes behind him, including Trainspotting and Regeneration. But while Jolie has embarked on another, much-publicised second marriage to actor Billy Bob Thornton, Miller has remained single.

Despite a high-profile romance with All Saints singer Natalie Appleton - they were dubbed 'London's coolest couple' - the 29-year-old star says he's still looking for love.

"I'm looking for the same kind of thing as everyone else," he admits. "But I can't approach women, I'm not really like that."

In fact Miller is possibly one of the shyest and most self-effacing people in showbusiness who says he not only finds it difficult to talk about himself but also can't bear to watch his on screen performances.

"I'm never that pleased with anything I do," he admits. "I find it very confusing and tend not to like my own performances very much. It's a work in progress, really, you always look at it and think you could do it better. I'm very critical about my own work."

Despite his own self-criticism Miller is regarded as one of Britain's hottest young actors and is now in big demand in Hollywood too.

His latest starring role is in the big budget blockbuster horror Dracula 2001 and comes from horror maestro Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street).

In the film Miller plays vampire slayer Simon Sheppard, who takes on thewrath of Dracula (Gerard Butler) after the Prince of Darkness rises from the dead again causing murder and mayhem in contemporary London and in New Orleans.

It's the latest big-screen outing for the eponymous blood-sucker and as a big fan of the genre, Miller says he'd always wanted a part in a horror movie.

"I can remember seeing An American Werewolf in London when I was little and it was terrifying," he recalls gleefully. "One of the scariest movies I've ever seen is Jacob's Ladder.

"I think the Dracula story remains popular because it's to do with the attractive side of evil, you're immortal, you can do whatever you want and get away with it. It's the seduction side of it, people are into that. Sex is a big thing these days and that's a big part of the vampire thing.

"I really wanted to do this because it was something I hadn't done before, and I thought the script had a lot of humour in it. I thought it would be really interesting."

But even though he enjoyed getting his teeth into Dracula 2001 Miller says his love of experimenting means he probably won't be embarking on another horror movie.

"I don't go in for doing the same kind of thing twice generally," he explains. His varied career has included successes on the big screen, in theatre and on TV and he's also a member of the esteemed Nylon Production team, along with his good friends and fellow Britpackers Jude Law, Sadie Frost, Ewan McGregor and Sean Pertwee.

The entrepreneurial bunch, who have a number of projects on the go, all live in London's Primrose Hill and Miller says that's where he intends to stay, despite a flourishing career in Hollywood.

"I really wouldn't want to live in America," he says. "I found New York claustrophobic and dirty. I missed England when I was there, simple things like smells and the British sense of humour."

But even though he doesn't intend to move to LA permanently Miller says he does want to branch out on the career front.

"I'm currently working on a film in Ireland called The Escapist," he says. "But in the future I see myself doing more theatre, directing and I'm going to give writing a go."

And not even the prospect of hitting 30 next year can dampen his enthusiasm. "I m looking forward to turning 30," he beams. "I feel like I've been in my late 20s forever."

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