From ICWales:
IOAN'S GOOD TIMES Dec 30 2001
By Suzie Brewer

IOAN Gruffudd, Ioan Gruffudd, Ioan Gruffudd - just saying the name gives me a lovely warm feeling that's very unusual for this time of year. It's almost like a mantra to me - I could be waiting at the bus stop on a freezing morning coming into work, but all I need do is think of those lovely brown eyes and say that name a couple of times and I'm a happy girl.

I make a point of buying any magazine I see with a pic of the stunning, rugged, perfect-in-every-way Ioan Gruffudd in it. For professional reasons, obviously. But to be honest I think I'm going to have to start obsessing about some other less celebrated Welsh actor, because this is getting too damn expensive.

Our Ioan is now the hottest of hot property on an international scale, and his face is everywhere. You'll spot him on the cover of Radio Times next month as one of the four major acting talents to appear on the small screen in the 2002 season. Seeing him standing there with TV heavyweights Nigel Havers, Michelle Collins and Amanda Burton, looking dark and brooding in his crisp white shirt, I got a bit misty-eyed when I thought about how far he'd come.

Remember those days of Pobol Y Cwm? When he was just a teen and nobody east of the Severn Bridge had even heard of him, let alone got their English stiff upper larynx around the pronunciation of his name.

Then came his big break in HTV's Poldark five years ago, and from then on his rise was meteoric. The world got to have a good look at RADA-trained Ioan in the Hollywood blockbuster Titanic, when he played Welsh officer Harold Lowe. After that it was Hornblower, Solomon a Gaenor, 102 Dalmatians, Very Annie Mary - what a distinguished list of credits. And if there was any doubt that he'd hit the big time, this year the 28-year-old's even earned an entry in posh society bible Debrett's, which explains who's who.

Ioan fans can get an eyeful of their fave celebrity Welshman in action on HTV in the coming months when he stars as Bosinney in the brand new remake of John Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga. Yet again it's a period drama, this time from the 1910s - but with those chiselled looks, I reckon Ioan's at his best when he's trussed up in costume from a bygone era. Anyway, have a look at our Ioan on the Radio Times when you're next at the newsagents. He's the astonishingly good-looking one who's at least 10 years younger than the other actors around him. And he's Welsh. Nice.

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Granada woos Gruffud for third Hornblower outing
Wednesday December 19, 2001
Ioan Gruffud

The title role in the romantic classic, Dr Zhivago, may have eluded the young Welsh actor but Ioan Gruffud is still top of ITV's A-list.

The broadcaster is courting Gruffud in the hope he will resume his role as the swashbuckling seaman, Horatio Hornblower, the hero of the CS Forrester novels.

The ITV network has just commissioned three two-hour dramas and have offered Gruffud the title role.

"We would really love him to do it but we haven't got a deal yet," said a spokeswoman for Granada, which is making the films. (My comments-No deal?-this sounds fishy since a couple of other articles have said he was under contract for a few years. Also, A&E commented that they couldn't go ahead with any future film planning until the second set of movies aired in the UK. A&E is the co-producer along with ITV/Granada/Meridian)

Gruffud was offered the role of Dr Zhivago. However, sources say he was "too expensive" for the £7m production, which already involves one expensive Hollywood star - Sam Neill. (My comments-I think this is a bunch of BS)

The 27-year-old actor, who has also been tipped as a future James Bond, made an impression when he starred the first Hornblower series in 1998. (comments-never get the age right and spelling)

One female critic, clearly still suffering from post-Pride and Prejudice "Darcyitis", gushed: "[Gruffud is a] slab of meat who can curl his upper lip, play whist and speak ancient Greek - a hearthrob in the vein of Rufus Sewell, Colin Firth and Greg Wise".

While the first series drew up to 8m viewers, Hornblower lacked romantic interest. It was considered to be a drama for the boys and suffered from erratic scheduling.

At £10m it was also the most expensive period drama ITV had ever undertaken and few believed the commercially conscious network bosses would have the stomach for more.

A second batch of two, two-hour Hornblowers was subsequently filmed but has never been broadcast.

However, ITV plans to repeat the entire first series and screen the second in February. (Let us all hope so...)

The third batch of films are based on the book, Hornblower and the Hotspur. They will chronicle the hero's escapades in South America, his rise from lieutenant to captain and his final transformation from lone seafarer to lover. (My comments-how dumb can you get-he doesn't go to South America as I recall until Beat to Quarters/Happy Return. Or is my brain jello?)

"We are delighted we are going to make Hornblower and equally excited that the first series is going to be repeated this spring," said Michelle Buck, head of drama for Granada south.

Filming is scheduled to start in the summer.

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icwales:

Ioan hits the big time with entry in `People of Today' Dec 21 2001

JUST a few years ago he was just another up-and-coming actor.

Now Ioan Gruffudd is not only a famous face on the big screen, he has also been named as one of Britain's most successful people.

The Cardiff-born actor is one of the new entries in the latest edition of Debrett's People of Today.

Among the other famous names making their debut in the 2002 edition are actresses Kate Beckinsale and Anna Friel, entertainer Rolf Harris, England football coach Sven Goran Eriksson.

The book, now celebrating its 15th anniversary, chronicles Britain's most notable and successful individuals.

Gruffudd, 28, a former member of the National Youth Theatre of Wales, started his career with S4C soap opera Pobol y Cwm.

He later made his name as the leading actor in the successful TV series Hornblower before going on to star in a number of hit films, including Titanic, 102 Dalmatians and the Oscar-nominated Welsh-language production Solomon a Gaenor.

Next year he will be seen in a number of high-profile TV projects, including the remake of The Forsyte Saga and Man and Boy, based on the best-selling book by Tony Parsons.

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Interview: GMTV 14th December 2001

Intro Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd first caused a stir when he donned a uniform and adopted the role of Horatio Hornblower. Hollywood sat up and paid attention and soon came calling and a string of films led to Disney's 102 Dalmations, and now with blockbusters such as Mad and Boy, The Forsyte Saga and The Gathering in the pipeline he's every girl's favourite pin-up.

Int Now Ioan we've come down and interrupted your photo-shoot

IG That's quite alright, quite alright.

Int How's it going?

IG We're having a great time, thank you, yes. My friend Damien and I, we're doing a little photo-shoot here and, er, having lots of fun.

Int Now since the last Hornblower 3 years ago, your career catapulted you from being a good actor to being an international name. So how has your lifer changed?

IG Erm, my personal life hasn't really changed at all really. Erm people do recognise you a little bit more, as you said, because of the success of the series, but, er, it hasn't affected my day-to-day life at all.

Int Hornblower basically is a boy's story, you know, it's war and battle scenes, but why do you think women like it so much? Because it is very popular.

IG I think women like it because it's showing men in a very vulnerable position. You know? They are actually out at war, they're away from their families and their loved ones and their wives and so on.

Int You don't think it's got anything to do with the fact there's a lot of gorgeous young men in it?

IG (Laughs) Well, maybe. If, if you're going to look at it in that sense then I'm sure, yes, there is, you know, some beautiful actors out there as well. So er… I must admit, you know, those uniforms are incredibly complimentary to, to guys especially, I mean I love wearing them, you know? You do feel a bit more confident.

Int Now I read that you want to settle down and get married and have children. Is this true?

IG Well I, I must admit I have said that in interviews where I've, you now, I, I can see myself doing that, you know? It's one of my ambitions, you know, to settle down, have a family and to just be settled in my life. Because I must admit I've had such a great time in the last sort of five or six years, you know? Jet-setting off here and there shooting these fantastic series and, and, er, I think I was a little bit exhausted when I had that interview and I just thought oh I wish for that sort of peace and that calm and that security.

Int And who would your ideal woman be?

IG There are so many! (Big grin)

Int (Laughs)

IG So many to choose from! No, erm…

Int What about Britney?

IG Britney I think is gorgeous but a little bit too young I think. And I think she's already taken isn't she with erm, Justin Timberlake?

Int Yeah. It's just when Matthew Rhys…

IG …Oh right, yes, yes…

Int … you know, your flatmate, we gave him a Britney doll.

IG Britney is in our kitchen in pride of place, singing to us at every opportunity. So yeah, could be Britney.

Int I have to say, you and Matthew living together - that would be great. I'd love to be in the middle of that sandwich.

IG Would you really? (Laughs) Well… phew! No.

Int Is there rivalry between you - I mean with regard to women?

IG Gosh no, no. And we both have completely different tastes in women and in a lot of things, and I think that is why we get on so well. We're the best of friends - we've known each other for years and er… there's a, there's a sort of healthy competitiveness on, you know, in our working lives and in our, you know, daily lives. We're sort of, we're sort of, we're just the best of friends, you know, as mates are.

Cut to studio
Int2 Is this true Matthew?

MR He's a compulsive liar.
Laughter

MR I mean we haven't lived together for about 4 years now!

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The Mirror
HE'S GRUFF AND READY

HEARTTHROB actor Ioan Gruffudd turned out to be the ligger of the night at the aftershow bash.He happily made the most of the hospitality on offer with flatmate Matthew Rhys but when we asked what he thought of the film he whispered: "I didn't actually go to see it, I just came to the party with Matthew to hang out."

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icwales Friday Nov. 23:

"Festival opens with world premiere of Gruffudd movie

Nov 23 2001

Karen Price Arts And Media Correspondent

IT may not have been the star-studded launch that London and Edinburgh would have enjoyed but the 13th International Film Festival of Wales opened last night full of confidence.

Hundreds of people made the trip to its new city centre venue, the UGC cinema in Cardiff, for the Welsh premiere of Ioan Gruffudd's new film Happy Now, which officially launched the festival.

Although Gruffudd could not attend due to filming commitments, he sent a message to the organisers wishing them luck for the seven-day event, which will showcase around 50 films from Wales, the UK and abroad.

Belinda Bauer, a former journalist with The Western Mail who wrote Happy Now, said she was honoured that her film had been chosen to launch the festival.

"It's great to have the opening film at the film festival and I'm delighted by the turnout," she said.

In fact, the demand for tickets from the public meant the film had to be moved to a bigger screen.

Film festival director David Clarke said he was not disappointed that the stars of the film, including Om Puri and Robert Pugh had been unable to attend.

"It's one of those things with the film industry that people have to film," he said.

"Lots of people from the area where the film was made, the crew and producers and the writer have all turned up."

Before Happy Now was screened the audience watched a short film by Chris Forster, the winner of the D M Davies Award in 1999 for Best New Director.

The International Film Festival of Wales runs until November 29."

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IG Wales
Ioan Gruffudd to present programme on Titanic hero
Nov 16 2001

ACTOR Ioan Gruffudd is to return to the screen to pay tribute to the Welsh hero he portrayed in the blockbuster movie Titanic.

Cinema audiences will remember the haunting Welsh accent that echoed through the darkness at the chilling climax of James Cameron's 1997 epic film.

"Is there anyone alive out there? Can anyone hear me?"

It was Gruffudd in the role of coolheaded Harold Lowe, the only officer from the Titanic who returned to the scene of the disaster to look for survivors.

Lowe pulled five people from the icy waters of the North Atlantic as well as 13 passengers who were struggling to keep afloat in a lifeboat.

His story had a deep impact on television producer Joanne Davies of Gorslas, near Carmarthen, who was keen to discover whether the brave Welshman had actually existed.

Ms Davies was quick to realise that Lowe's bravery had been the talk of his hometown of Barmouth ever since he was given a hero's reception on his return in 1912.

One survivor from New York had sent him a collection of maritime instruments, each inscribed "Harold Godfrey Lowe, 5th Officer, RMS Titanic, the real hero of the Titanic."

Ms Davies said, "I knew immediately that I had to make a programme about Harold Lowe, and obviously Ioan Gruffudd was the only man who could present it."

From icwales.com:

Actor voted sexiest import to America Nov 16 2001 Catrin Williams

IOAN GRUFFUDD has captured the hearts of American women, who have voted him the country's sexiest import.

Appearing on their screens as a dashing uniformed officer and gentleman in the nautical mini-series, Horatio Hornblower, seems to have clinched the title for the Welsh actor.

He yearned for the role of the late 18th Century naval hero that catapulted Gruffudd to stateside fame.

"I had to audition for it three times," said the graduate of London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

The 28-year-old was eventually cast for his "decency and good-heart- edness" as much as his "intelligent and tender face and those wonderful dark eyes," said Delia Fine, the producers' vice-president.

But the 5ft 11ins actor makes light of his charms. "I think girls first notice my smile and my big nose."

Female co-stars, however, know better. Natasha Little, 32, who appeared with Gruffudd in the 1999 film Another Life, said, "He's lovely to work with. He treats everyone with respect and it's not an act."

Gruffudd, who is unattached, is now on the Isle of Man filming The Gathering with Christina Ricci - but he would love another role.

"Romeo - it's a major goal," said the Cardiff-born star, who is willing to wait for the opportunity.

"The compliment I've heard most in my life is that I'm patient."

Gruffudd was one of 22 to feature in People Magazine's 2001 list of 21 sexy men. The Titanic and Solomon and Gaenor star was yesterday unavailable for comment on the title.

"He was totally stunned when people chose him and it made him laugh," said his agent Christian Hodell last night.

"He thinks most of his friends are laughing too."

Bond star Pierce Brosnan won the top accolade of Sexiest Man Alive, which has previously been awarded to the likes of Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Sean Connery and Denzel Washington. Richard Gere and Brad Pitt have triumphed twice.

Brosnan's new wife Keely Shaye Smith said, "I understand why women find him sexy, because he is an appealing man. He really likes and appreciates women."

At 48, the father-of-two denies worshipping at Hollywood's fountain of youth. Although admitting to having his teeth fixed, he said, "I have not had any plastic surgery in any shape or form. No implants. And my hair is not dyed.

"I'd like to keep doing Bond as long as I can be plausible in the role physically."

He will begin work on his fourth 007 film in January.

The British agent role is one Gruffudd is tipped to play in the future.

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The Mirror, October 30, 2001

IOAN GRUFFUDD you're the man...as far as Welsh Mirror readers are concerned. Without exception, you backed the Cardiff-born actor to play hell-raising poet Dylan Thomas in a forthcoming film of his life, The Map of Love.

On Saturday we asked who would be ideal as the curly-haired wordsmith with a taste for alcohol and who should play his fiery, passionate wife Caitlin.

While Hornblower star Ioan was the unanimous choice for Dylan, the vote for Caitlin was split between Catherine Zeta-Jones, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett and Charlize Theron.

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Guardian

Gruffudd lined up for Dr Zhivago role
Lisa O'Carroll
Thursday November 8, 2001

The Welsh actor, Ioan Gruffudd, has made it onto the ITV drama A-list after being offered the role of Dr Zhivago in a remake of the 1965 film.Although as familiar a face as Robson Green or Ross Kemp, Gruffudd is about to become a regular fixture on TV screens.He is currently in negotiations with drama chiefs for Zhivago, and if he agrees it will amount to his third ITV role this year.Gruffudd, 27, once tipped as the new James Bond, is currently filming in a lavish £6.5m remake of The Forsyte Saga for ITV in which he plays architect Bosinney.And he has been cast in a new Granada film, The Gathering, a sci-fi also starring Hollywood actress Christina Ricci.A spokesman for Dr Zhivago said no decision on casting has been made.However, his agent said: "They have made an offer although no deal is in place yet."Gruffudd first won the hearts of the nation in 1997 playing dashing seaman Horatio Hornblower in the hit ITV series adapted from CS Forester's classic novels. He went to win critical acclaim in the BBC's award-winning drama, Warriors, about the futility of UN peace-keeping mission in Bosnia.As Dr Zhivago he will play one of all-time classic romantic roles immortalised by Omar Sharif in David Lean's film based on the Boris Pasternak novel about lovers caught up in the Russian Revolution.The script is being adapted by Andrew Davies, the man behind the BBC's Pride and Prejudice, Wives and Daughters and its new costume drama, Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now.Irish singer Andrea Corr has been considered for the part of heroine Lara, played by Julie Christie in the film, but she told ITV she felt it would be too "big a leap" for an acting debut. Davies has told friends he wants to find an unknown for the part.

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MAN AND BOYO
EXCLUSIVE: Star Ioan in £150,000 deal to film Mirror writer's novel By Nicola Methven, TV Editor

ACTOR Ioan Gruffudd has signed a £150,000 deal to star in a BBC film of Mirror writer Tony Parsons' hit novel Man and Boy.The 27-year-old Welsh heart throb will play the lead role of loser-in-love Harry with Vanity Fair actress Natasha Little as his wife Gina.

Ioan said: "I am over the moon. I've read the book and it's absolutely brilliant. Everywhere I go people are reading it."

Ioan became a household name when he played Horatio Hornblower for ITV and then starred in Disney's 102 Dalmations.One TV insider said last night: "Ioan is just perfect for the role.

"Shooting on the £2 million film starts next month and it will be screened in the spring.

Author Tony said: "It's tremendously exciting. The book has just passed the one million mark - so this has come at a great time. It's like getting the six balls on the lottery.

"In Man and Boy, which is semi-autobiographical, TV executive Harry has a one-night stand. His wife leaves him and Harry is left to look after two-year-old son Pat alone.But the responsibility makes him realise just how important his own father is to him.

Ioan, who started his acting career in the Welsh soap Pobol y Cwm, said: "Landing the part of Harry is very exciting but also very nerve-racking."Producer Kate Harwood said: "I hope that, like the book, it will be moving, funny and thoughtful."In the end it is life- affirming and positive."Lovejoy actor Ian McShane will also star as TV station boss Marty.

Like Harry, former NME journalist Parsons married young and had a son before splitting with writer wife Julie Burchill.

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This is London

My London: Matthew Rhys
by Charlotte Williamson

How long have you lived in London? Eight years. I moved from Cardiff to study at drama school.

Where do you live and why? In Kilburn [with fellow Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd]. There's no particular reason, other than Kilburn was the first place I stayed in London.

If you could change one thing about your street, what would it be? I'd make it wider. We call it Wing Mirror Alley because when cars are parked on both sides, it's impossible to get down it.

Are you a member of any club? Soho House, rather embarrassingly, and the King's Gate Dragoons' Club. It's a secret club - I'm afraid I can't reveal anything about it.

What was the last book you bought? Digging Up Butch and Sundance by Anne Meadows. It's about the myths surrounding the two outlaws and it's really good - I'm halfway through it.

Do you have a local restaurant? Little Bay in Belsize Road off Kilburn High Road. It's a gem of a place with paper tablecloths and red wine served in jugs. And it's incredibly cheap - £1.50 for starters and £3.50 for mains.

Where would you most like to spend a 'lost weekend' in London? I'd quite happily spend a weekend in the pubs of Kilburn. They're amazing - the people and the things you hear are pure entertainment.

What keeps you awake at night? Disputes outside the house about who has the right of way. Some of them are real humdingers.

What's your earliest memory of London? When I was about seven, I remember coming to London for the weekend with my parents. We went to Trafalgar Square and fed the pigeons with pots of bird seed. I was quite scared because they kept flying at me.

When did you last lose something valuable and what was it? A few years ago I lost a fishing knife that my grandfather gave me. I'm still sad about it.

What is the most beautiful landmark in London? The view from Waterloo Bridge in either direction. It's one of the first London landscapes I remember.

And the ugliest? The Dome - I hate that building.

What's the last film you saw in London and did you enjoy it? Meet the Parents with Robert De Niro. I loved it - I was howling throughout.

When and where did you last get drunk? Last Friday I went on an all-day pub crawl round Kilburn with friends - we hadn't seen each other for a long time.

Where is the most intimidating place in London? Clothes shops like Gucci and Prada, places like that, but I get angry with myself for feeling intimidated. I prefer vintage-clothes shops and second-hand places - I usually look quite scruffy.

What don't you leave London without? Breathing a sigh of relief. And my keys and wallet.

What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done? I was mugged by a pregnant woman on Kilburn High Road - she took £20. Ioan had this as his answer [in 'My London' last May], which I don't think is really fair as it was actually me who was mugged. Not that I was aware, or anything - I was drunk at the time.

Admit to one thing you've done in London that you've never told anyone before. I tell everyone everything so I have no secrets - sorry!

When did you last lose your temper? A few days ago at a parkie in Battersea Park. He was washing his car with a hose from a park tap. I asked if he could fill my dog's bowl with water and he refused.

Where did you last blow £2,000 and what was it on? In March, I flew my girlfriend out to see me in New Zealand where I was filming The Lost World for the BBC.

What's the first piece of advice you'd give a London tourist? Buy an all-day Travelcard and mind the gap.

What was the last conversation you had with a London cabbie? A Jewish cab driver was telling me about Jews who fled to Wales during the Second World War. He was very interesting, actually.

When was the last time you broke the law? Seven months ago. I got off with a caution. I can't say why - but I did get all my clothes back.

If you were invisible for a day, where would you go in London? MI5 or the Sanctuary [the women-only spa] - for very different reasons.

Give us your best tip for overcoming depression. Well, it only really works for me, but I get on a train and go back to Wales.

What's the most overrated thing in London? The nightlife.

What do you miss most when you're out of London? The fact that you can get any sort of meal at any time of the day.

Name a song that you associate with London. There is one that I played to myself the first time I left on a train from Cardiff - 'The Old Main Drag' by the Pogues. It's about a young boy who comes to London from Ireland. I kind of identify with it, except I didn't end up in Leicester Square on heroin.

Which shop could you not live without? Kilburn Food and Wine Shop. It's open almost 24 hours.

Have you ever been refused entry anywhere? Yes, it's happened to me countless times. Most recently at the Met Bar, and the Zd Bar on Kilburn High Road.

Have you ever been a victim of violence in London? Other than the pregnant mugger, no. I've been lucky, I suppose. Kilburn is very fruity but it's all in-house fighting.

What is the most expensive meal you've had in London and who did you eat with? My flatmate and I took our girlfriends to Nobu. The food was amazing but the amount it cost was enough to remortgage a house.

What's your favourite meal to cook at home? That's easy: pasta and tomato sauce. I've been cooking it for eight years.

What's your most memorable night out? It was on my flatmate's birthday two years ago - 6 October 1999 - in Soho.

What and where is your favourite painting or work of art? I'm not really an art person, but I'm very excited by Steve McQueen. I'm going to his photo exhibition in Chelsea and I might buy something.

What last made you cry? I'm not a cryer, so I can't remember. Sorry, that sounds heartless.

Where in London would you have your ashes scattered? The beginning of the M4 so they would hopefully make it back to Wales.

If your house were on fire, which three things would you rescue? My dog Frank, my flatmate as he'd sleep through it, and my girlfriend if she was there.

Matthew Rhys stars in the film Peaches which is out now on general release.

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The Sunday Telegraph, Australia, July 1 2001.
'Starbodies - healthy secrets of the stars'IOAN GRUFFUDD

Cardiff-born Ioan (pronounced Yowan), 27, sh ot to fame as Horatio Hornblower in the multi-million dollar TV seafaring epic, and also played the dashing ship's officer who rescued Kate Winslet in Titanic. His most recent co-stars were man's best friend in 102 Dalmations, and you'll next see him playing real-life killer Freddy Bywaters in Another Life. He's also tipped to play the next James Bond when Pierce Brosnan finally decides he's had enough.

FRAMEWORK
Ioan's name may not be easy to say, but the 183cm good looker is easy on the eye. But growing into a man has only happened in recent years. As he says: "At school, I used to look very, very young for my age. I always looked a bit gangly, a bit thin. It's only in the past five or so years that I've developed something of a physique." The body part he's not keen on is his fingernails: he's been know to bite them to the quick, especially when tackling a new role.

EXERCISE
While Ioan admits he's not a crazed exerciser, he says it's important to be healthy. Being tall makes him look lanky, and he's keen on rugby and soccer, although he doesn't play enough. He prefers to exercise by going for walks, cycling and his "hectic acting regime".DIET He's lucky not to have a weight problem, and would be willing to pack on the kilos for a good role. "More ofthen than not I'm sensible about food" he says.

LOVE-LIFE
Currently, Ioan says there's nobody in his life. he broke up with his drama school sweetheart Charlotte in 1999 after four years, and last year his romance with a dancer called Jo floundered. It was rumoured that after All Saints Nicole Appleton's break-up from rock star Gavin Rossdale she found comfort in the Hornblower hunk. But he's saying nothing about that. All he will say is: "I'm so busy right now that there's no point in getting involved in a relationship when I couldn't be there for somebody".

BOND MARKET By MICHAEL GILTZ

June 24, 2001 -- PIERCE Brosnan has one more James Bond movie to make. But who will replace him in 2004 as the British secret agent with a license to kill? The Bond producers made international headlines when they met with unknown actor Gerard Butler, who played the lead in the miniseries "Attila." They also made a mistake. Ever since Sean Connery made Bond an icon, the producers have wavered between filling the role with movie stars and unknowns on the one hand and TV stars on the other. George Lazenby, unknown, flopped in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Timothy Dalton, movie star, never quite got a handle on the role and was saddled with weak villains. But TV stars have always clicked. Roger "The Saint" Moore is still the most successful Bond, starring in more pictures (seven, in all) as 007 than anyone else. And Pierce Brosnan of "Remington Steele" was famously picked to play Bond - until NBC revived his all-but-finished TV series for a final few episodes. That meant cooling his heels for eight years. Brosnan still has plenty of Bond left in him, but the next film will apparently be his last. So, who will be the next Bond? If the producers want to stick to a winning formula they should turn to television for their hero.

OUR OH! OH! SEVEN CHOICES ARE...
ROBERT DOWNEY JUNIOR ...IF HE'S FREE Age: 36. TV role: Larry Paul on "Ally McBeal."
* BEST indication of Bond-ability: His easy charm with the ladies in the movie "The Pick-up Artist."
* CAN he carry a gun? Yes, in real life. *
PLUSES: He's got that dangerous, slightly out of control Bond aura. *
MINUSES: OK, he's more of a movie star than a TV star, but "Ally McBeal" did revive his career by reminding people how good he can be.
M SAYS: Ideal. The only trouble with Downey Jr. would be getting the completion bond.
DYLAN MCDERMOTT Age: 39. TV role: Bobby on "The Practice."
* BEST indication of Bond-ability: Those dashing good looks and his passion to right wrongs.
* CAN he carry a gun? He does in the still-unreleased Western "Texas Rangers."
* PLUSES: McDermott blends in easily, which can be the right attitude for Bond, who's really just the focal point for a three-ring circus of Bond girls, nasty villains and clever stunts.
* MINUSES: He hasn't proven he can command attention on his own.
M SAYS: No.

IOAN GRUFFUDD Age: 27. TV role: Horatio Hornblower in a series of TV movies.
* BEST indication of Bond-ability: Hornblower is an iconic British character, and Gruffudd has made it his own.
* CAN he carry a gun? This swashbuckler? Of course.
* PLUSES: Gruffudd is impossibly handsome, very dashing as the can-do Hornblower and, best of all, Welsh.
* MINUSES: None that we can find so far.
M SAYS: Hey! We've got our man.

JAMES MARSTERS Age: 31. TV role: Spike on "Buffy."
* BEST indication of Bond-ability: Spike's convincing British accent. (Most people don't even realize Marsters was born in California.)
* CAN he carry a gun? A sword, a gun, whatever. Just don't ask Spike to fight in daylight.
* PLUSES: "Buffy" is very popular in the UK, so Marsters has already won over fans playing a Brit.
* MINUSES: Marsters seems a little slight physically to play Bond.
M SAYS: More likely to play a Bond villain.

DAVID JAMES ELLIOTT Age: 40. TV role: Commander Harm Rabb on "JAG." *
BEST indication of Bond-ability: Rabb's derring-do in emergency situations.
* CAN he carry a gun? Absolutely, though Rabb is more likely to cite legalese.
* PLUSES: Has the dashing hero look down pat.
* MINUSES: He's almost too much of a straight arrow for Bond. No rough edges here.
M SAYS: No. It would be a shame to take him out of those Navy whites.

ROB LOWE Age: 37. TV role: Sam Seaborn on "The West Wing."
* BEST indication of Bond-ability: Hilarious imitation of Robert Wagner in the "Austin Powers" Bond spoofs.
* CAN he carry a gun? Unclear.
* PLUSES: Lowe has the demeanor of a secret agent who can play baccarat, woo the ladies and dispose of the bad guys all without wrinkling his dinner jacket.
* MINUSES: Pretty-boy looks might tilt Bond toward the unwelcome jokiness of Roger Moore.
M SAYS: Hmmm. Not as silly as it sounds.

AIDAN GILLEN Age: 30s. TV role: Stuart on the British version of "Queer as Folk."
* BEST indication of Bond-ability: Stuart's magnetic, bad-boy appeal. * CAN he carry a gun? He's definitely packing.
* PLUSES: Gillen is British, already a plus over the other Yanks, and he created a sensation as Stuart, the hateful-but-you-gotta-watch-him center of "QAF."
* MINUSES: He hasn't been able to capitalize on that notoriety, making one wonder if Stuart was a fluke for him.
M SAYS: Too unknown outside the UK.

Monday June 25, 08:01 PM
Controversy hits Welsh Baftas

Solomon and Gaenor, Paul Morrisson's tale of forbidden love in the valleys between a Welsh girl and a Jewish man, won four Welsh Baftas last night including Best Film after the awards ceremony was upstaged by a dramatic coup.

The Ioan Gruffudd starrer didn't make the original shortlist for Best Film after the category's chairwoman, Catrin Lewis Defis, felt it didn't deserve to take top honours. When Defis made it clear she felt no film merited the award she was sacked by Welsh Baftas chairman Emyr Daniel, who replaced the entire jury.

The feature, which picked up an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at last year's Oscars, was reinstated on the shortlist despite comments by Defis, who felt it lacked a strong story line. After her dismissal last month, she told the Independent: "If this is the way Bafta Cymru chooses the winners of the awards, then are they really worth what they try to say they are? The jury decided four-to-one to withhold the prize. To then create another jury and go against our initial decision is totally undemocratic in my view, and I feel like we've been totally undermined."

Defis said the jury refused to pick a winner in a bid to encourage film-makers to strive for higher standards in the future.

Solomon and Gaenor is set against anti-Semitic riots in 1911 and although mostly in English, includes Welsh and Yiddish speaking parts. The awards were held last night at St David's Hall in Cardiff.

A BIT OF GRUFF

by Cathryn Scott (Big Issue, May 28-June 3, '01) As his latest film hits the big screen Ioan Gruffudd talks to Cathryn Scott about success, the future and playing his best friend's boyfriend.

"He's a fantastic lover," says Ioan Gruffudd. "Very generous, loving and patient." He's talking of course, about Matthew Rhys, his friend for almost 20 years and on-screen partner in his latest film, Very Annie Mary, which opens in cinemas this week.

Ioan and Matthew who play a gay couple that run a shop in the film, have been best friends since they met at primary school when they were seven-years old. After studying at Glan Taf, a Welsh-speaking comprehensive in Cardiff, the pair moved to London to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and have lived together for the past eight years. Being such close friends meant that Ioan had no qualms about accepting the role "It was really easy working together because we're both so intuitive and know each other so well, we were able to bounce off each other and develop the characters." And although the film is the first time the two have worked on screen they actually created similar characters themselves whilst studying in London.

"When we got the call and went to audition for the part it was almost second nature." Ioan says that the film director, Sara Sugarman, who had originally written the parts for two 50-year-olds, couldn't believe that they were able to bring the characters to life so quickly. "It was a bit of a cheat really," he laughs.

Very Annie Mary is a heart-warming comedy set in the fictional Welsh Valley of Ogw. It tells the story of Annie Mary, an awkward 33-year-old whose life has been under the control of her domineering, opera-singing father since the death of her mother. When her father suffers a stroke, Annie Mary is forced to look after him until finally she decides to rebel and make something of her future.

Rachel Griffiths, of Muriel's wedding and Hilary and Jackie fame stars in the title role, and Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce plays her father. With Sugarman hailing from Rhyl and a cast featuring Welsh favourites from Ruth Madoc to Cerys Matthews, Australian-born Griffiths isn't the most obvious choice for the lead role, yet Ioan is full of praise for the way she handled the part, especially her accent.

And, as much as I try to find fault with her portrayal of the quirky yet naive Annie Valleys girl, he's right. Her grasp of the Valleys accent is extremely convincing. She manages to elongate words in a way that only the Welsh can and even gets that rising intonation at the end of the sentences just right.

However it is the combination of curious supporting characters, which includes residents from Pontycymer where the film was set, who really steal t he show. Ioan and Matthew are hysterically funny as the owners of the village corner shop. Known affectionately as Hob and Nob and dressed in shiny shell bottom suits and tight running vests, their incredible camp musical redention of You Can't Get a Man With a Gun is one of the film's most comical moments.

Ioan is the first to admit that his latest role is completely different to the dark-haired, handsome hero we have become accustomed to seeing, but is he at all worried about how his fans will react? "No, not really," he says. "I think they can see that I am an actor and I enjoy playing diverse characters, athough this is probably the other end of the extreme."

Despite finding fame in Hollywood, having appeared in Disney's 102 Dalmatians and blockbuster epic Titanic, Ioan says that he finds himself being instinctively drawn to Welsh films. "I have a natural attraction to them," he says "It's not a concious thing. The scripts are so good and the parts are fun to play, it just happens to be Welsh."

When I meet Ioan it's just hours before the world premiere of Very Annie Mary at Cardiff's UCI cinema. The press are out in force and, regardless of the other big names in the film, Ioan is certanly the center of attention. He seems genuinely shocked when I suggest this and says that he hopes he hasn't stolen the lime-light from anyone else. "The press, especially in Wales, are very supportive of my own personal career but I think they are very supportive of the entire film to be honest," he says.

For somebody who spends so much time in the public eye Ioan still looks bemused, and at times oblivious, to the attention he generates. At the film's premiere he seems unaware that just every female in the cinema is looking in his direction and more concerned with making sure his family are seated comfortably.

With his classic good looks and down to earth nature it's little wonder that Ioan has built up such a dedicated following. Last time the Big Issue Cymru interviewed him was two years ago, Hornblower had become a huge television success and Solomon and Gaenor, the tragic love story of a chapel-going Welsh girl and the son of a Jewish trader, was about to get its cinema premiere. We knew back then that he was one of Wales's most exciting exports but we didn't realise how much of a heart-trob he had already become until we began to receive letters from fans in America asking if we could send them copies of the magazine to them.

Although Ioan says that he appreciattes the support he gets, sometimes the attention can become a bit "freaky" , "I couldn't believe it when I saw all the websites," he says referring to the countless dedication sites written by his fans and charting his every move. "I was blown away," he adds.

Given his popularity on both sides of the Atlantic it comes as a shock to discover that Ioan has reached 21 years of age before he had his first girlfriend. "When I was younger I didn't really really have much luck with girls," he says in true-ugly-duckling fashion. "I wasn't really that confident and I don't think the fact that i was a late developer physically helped." And now? "I'm young, free and enjoying it," is about all he is willing to divulge.

Ioan, now 27, spent the early part of his life growing up in Aberdare before returning to Cardiff, his birthplace. Moving to London to study was something of a culture shock to Ioan. "I remember at the beginning I was very excited about the prospect. I was quite impressed for a couple of years until I settled down." Not only was Ioan living away from his family for the first time, he also found that the pace of life, the attitude and confidence of people really shocked him. "There's not the intimacy that you find in Wales, where people say hello and how are you," he says "It definitely made living there harder."

Even now, almost 10 years after leaving Wales, he tells me his flat, which he describes as too tidy to be a typical bachelor pad, is in Kilburn, an area of north London which is close to Paddington station and the lifeline that can transport him back to his family in Cardiff, within two hours.

His Welsh roots are obviously important to him. He still speaks with a soft Valleys accent, which, after living in Cardiff and London, he attributes to the fact that he's a Welsh speaker and that both his parents come from west Wales. I ask Ioan if he thinks himself as an ambassador for Wales when he's abroad and he replies by saying that whenever he gets the chance to do interviews at international events he's extremely proud to say that he's Welsh.

"If I educate one person every time I do that then I'm proud of that fact," he says. "I think that so many elements are attracting people to Wales: the music side like The Stereophonics and the Manics, and obviously people like Catherine Zeta Jones and Anthony Hopkins and I'm very proud to be thought of as part of that group."

As for the future, Ioan says that the expected strike by scriptwriters and actors in America means that he has nothing definite lined up. "A lot of things are on hold so it's affected a lot of actors, British ones as well. But I'm not worried about it," he says casually, "There are plenty of projects in the pipeline for early next year, but nothing concrete."

I ask Ioan about the rumours which suggest he is in the running to play the next James Bond. "There is no truth in that whatsoever. It's all hearsay," he says adamantly. "I think I'm about 10 years young anyway, but it's very flattering that people think that.

Realistically I look too young and I'm not manly enough to play him. Certainly I would love to. I'd jump at the chance to play him but probably I won't."

So are any there roles that Ioan is desperate to play or ambitious he hopes to fullfill? Apparently not. His hopes are simple: "My only ambition is to continue with the way things are going. I'd definitely like to continue to work in films and Hollywood, but for me I just want to be in this career for the rest of my life. To live as an actor would be great."

He does confess, however, that he would love to have the opportunity to star in a West End theatre production. He describes Matthew's performance alongside Kathleen Turner in The Graduate as "brilliant" and "by far the best thing in it" but says that filming has meant that he hasn't been able to commit himself to any length of time.

It's almost a success story too good to be true: shy teenager becomes world-famous actor but things could have been completely different. Despite appearing in the Valleys soap opera based Pobol Y Cwm from the age of 11, Ioan says that becoming a professional actor was never really his burning ambition. "It was just a hobby at the time," he says. "It didn't really became a reality until I decided after A-levels that I wanted to go on to study acting."

Acting, it would seem, is not Ioan's only talent. As a youngster he played the oboe, and played in the back row of Cardiff's under-15 rugby team. So did he ever want to become the next Barry John? "I think it's every schoolboy's dream. It was my schoolboy dream to get a cap for Wales at the Arms Park a gainst England," he says. "I'll never win a cap playing for Wales but I hope in some way I can win one in acting and do it that way." His hundreds of fans are testimony to the fact that he already has.

Variety.com.
1M PAYDAY FOR OWAIN GRUFFUDD He's set to star in Welsh film epic
Financial Times Limited - All Rights Reserved
The Mirror via NewsEdge Corporation : Source: The Mirror, June 18, 2001

DAVID MATHER

MOVIE star Ioan Gruffudd is set to earn a cool pounds 1million with a new blockbuster about the last native Prince of Wales. Proud Welshman Ioan, 28, will play heroic prince Owain Glyndwr in the pounds 40million budget production called Red Dragon. It will be the largest and most expensive production to be based in Wales.

Sexy Cate Blanchett is being tipped to play Glyndwr's wife with Hollywood legend Sir Michael Gambon taking the role of King Henry IV.

The movie has been tipped as Welsh answer to Scotland's Braveheart in which Mel Gibson played soldier William Wallace. Red Dragon, being made by Cardiff-based production company Avalon, will feature brutal battle scenes between the English and Welsh.

A source said: "People won't know what's hit them. This will be huge stuff and it will make every Welshman proud of his roots."

Ioan is thought to be on a Hollywood-style deal where he takes a percentage of the profits from the movie. Insiders say it could land Ioan at least pounds 1million.

Author and movie expert David Berry, who wrote the history of Welsh cinema, said: "It will be the biggest budget movie ever produced in Wales. "Although pounds 40million is medium budget for Hollywood it's very large for a home-grown production."

Red Dragon is sure to be a big hit with Celtic audiences with Ioan playing national hero Glyndwr who started an uprising in 1400 which inspired thousands of Welshmen to fight for their land and heritage. Monuments to Glyndwr, describing him as a martyr, can be seen all over Wales today.

Sources say Ioan, who often mentions his Welsh roots in interviews would revel in the role. He has even refused to change his name to an English spelling to help his Hollywood career. Ioan said: "I'm determined not to change my name. It's who I am. It has neither hampered or helped my progress. I'm Welsh and proud. "My character, my make-up, my culture and heritage is a very rich one. "So what if it's difficult for people to pronounce? We all learned how to say Schwarzenegger."

Ioan has come a long way since growing up in Cardiff. He began his acting career playing an innocent schoolboy in Welsh language soap Pobol y Cwm. But he got his first big break starring in the TV epic Poldark. Ioan made his Hollywood debut in the smash-hit disaster movie Titanic along with Kate Winslett. He will soon be seen in American war epic Black Hawk Down.

From A&E
http://icwales.ic24.com/0900entertainment/0400movies/page.cfm?objectid=11097882&method=full "[Ioan's] agent, Christian Hodell....quashed rumours that the 27-year-old actor has been lined up to play Owain Glyndwr in the £40m epic Red Dragon.

'There had been discussions about the project but no deal, he said.

Instead, Gruffudd, who has just returned to Britain after a holiday in Montana with his best friend Matthew Rhys, is preparing to start filming the new ITV series The Forsyte Saga, a remake of the original series screened by the BBC in the late 1960s.

Hodell said Gruffudd had not made a conscious decision to concentrate on TV rather than film projects.

'Ioan does not have a set programme,' he said. He is just interested in good material with good directors.'"

From the UK version of GLAMOUR
"DOUBLE-TAKE: Co-stars and Drinking Buddies Nick Moran and Ioan
Gruffudd Talk Love, Friendship and Betrayal - By Nicola Elliott
(GLAMOUR Magazine July 2001)

It's a rainy morning in a ballroom near Peckham, South London and two of Britain's best-loved actors are giving GLAMOUR quite the floor show, Dressed in Prada suits Nick Moran and Ioan Gruffudd are prancing, singing and shouting – the best-looking cabaret act in town. In fact, it's their confidence and ease in a room full of strangers that makes the best friends and co-stars in the new Brit flick "Another Life" so damn sexy. Not to mention the fact that they are so damn sexy.

Ioan 27 and Nick 32, who met at the Cannes Film Festival two years ago after discovering they're both been cast for the film, hit it off immediately and have been best -friends and drinking partners ever since. On the surface they're about as compatible as water and electricity – but pretty soon you realise that Ioan's soft, laid-back attitude is a perfect foil for Nick's gregariousness. This is no "showbiz" friendship; these best buddies were meant to be.

Once they're back in their own clothes, Nick holds court, telling a story about a drunken night out they recently shared. He's swaying his teacup around to emphasise his point, and Ioan sits back, laughing encouragingly without interruption.

The boys' careers have followed wildly different patch. This is actually the first time in nearly three years that Nick has given an interview since the blaze of publicity that was "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (culminating in his infamous fracas with a photographer outside the movie's premiere). He was also the only once of the original cast not to appear in Guy Ritchie's second movie "Snatch" – Brad Pitt was chosen in his place – but he says there's no animosity. "Obviously it's easy to get annoyed with people over a part. But there are no bad feelings. I send Guy a bottle of Cristal for Rocco's christening. Guy wouldn't have it any other way; he's not into cheap stuff". Ioan, by start contrast, has played things steadily and more low-key. He's best known for his TV role in "Hornblower", his small part as a ship's officer aboard "Titanic" and most recently as Kevin Shepherd in "102m Dalmatians". In "Another Life", co-starring Natasha Little (Rachel from "This Life"), Nick and Ioan play love rivals in this dark, true story set in Edwardian times about a woman, Edith, stuck in a repressive marriage to Percy (Nick). She falls in love with her sister's suitor, Freddie (Ioan), but things turn sour when she's wrongly accused of killing her husband. Singletons Nick and Ioan discuss the film's issues, love, friendship, and betrayal, over a bottle of wine …..

Nicola: Adultery is central to the plot. Could you ever condone bieng unfaithful?

Ioan: You can't help falling in love, even if you're in a relationship. It just happens. But in mariage you have to resist temptation.

Nicola: Ever been in that situation yourself?

Ioan: No! The temptation has certainly been there, it has affected me, made me think, but not enough for me to jeopardise what I had.

Nicola: You're romantic, but you've both split from girlfriends (Nick from Sienna Guillory, Ioan from his college sweetheart). Why are you both single?

Ioan: I've spent the last four or five years in long-term relationships. My last relationship ended just over a year ago and I haven't met anyone since – I guess I've been working away a lot and haven't had a chance to settle.

Nick: since I've become famous women just get off with my friends! I used to do really well before I was well-known – I used to take love for granted. Now I've realised that falling in love with someone is like a white Christmas. So many elements need to be right and so much is out of your control

Nicola: Natasha Little plays a feisty, independent woman. Is that your type?

Ioan: Yes. I'm attracted to women with their own personality and ambitions, women who know that they want – better still if she looks like Cameron Diaz!

Nick: I fancy Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman). I followed my Dad on that one. I also love the British actresses Charlotte Rampling and Julie Christie. I wouldn't go out with a men's mag type pin-up; why would anyone with any self-respect sit with her legs apart in a compromising pose?

Nicola: If you were competing for the same woman, how would you go about winning her over?

Ioan: It's an unwritten, accepted rule with men that if you both like the same person, the best man wins. There are nights when you think a woman's really into you and then you see her kissing someone else. But hey, the best man wins.

Nicola: The lead characters in this film are stuck in unhappy relationships. What would you do in the same situation?

Ioan: In the 1920s, you were married for life. Legally you couldn't get divorced. If you wanted to lave your spouse you had to flee the country. Now it's almost too easy to leave. People don't appreciate the true meaning of marriage any more. I believe marriage is for life. I'd love to get married one day, when I meet the right girl.

Nick: It's so rare to find people whose parents are together these days. Both of ours are, but I've never been out with a girl whose parents are too - that affect people's view of marriage.

Nicola: What do you do when you have time off?

Ioan: We went out together recently for my birthday. Nick took me and ten friends to the members' club, Chinawhite, in London. We had a superb evening – everyone really suffered the next day. As usual I ended up drinking myself sober.

Nick: Never go drinking with a Welshman. He'll drink you under the table. Ioan drinks sea breezes like water – between champagne.

Nicola: What makes you click as mates?

Nick: I was talking to a director about Ioan the other day, and he said "When you've had someone so absolutely talented and genuine as Ioan Gruffudd…." He's like a benchmark of how to be a decent bloke. He can be in the worst company and still maintain an air of politeness and dignity. He never swears with women around – he just waits until they've left. He's got old-school charm, which I've had generically bred out of me.

Ioan: What you see is what you get with Nick. He's very straightforward and down-to-earth and is genuinely interested in people. I love his energy. I met Nick on the back of "Lock Stock…" and to meet someone so genuine is rare these days. That's why we get on.

The Mirror, June 4, 2001
YOUNG STAR GETS A KICK OUT OF FILM;
ACTOR IAN TRAINS ON U.S BOOT CAMP
David Mather

RISING star Ian Virgo got a real short sharp shock in his first feature film - he spent a week in a boot camp with Ewan McGregor.

Hunky Ian, 20, stars in the new Hollywood war film Black Hawk Down with Scottish heart-throb Ewan and Pearl Harbor star Josh Hartnett.

But the Caldicot lad had a tough start to his acting career - slogging it out in a strict U.S boot camp with his fellow co-stars to get in shape for the movie.

He said: "There were about 30 of us stuck in this boot camp in Georgia for a week.

"We had to get up at 6am and start the day with a three-mile run followed by hours of gruelling tasks.

"But even though there were some big stars there, like Ewan, Josh and Tom Sizemore, they never once complained - they were really down to earth.

"I can't complain about working with stars like this on my first film - it's amazing."

The movie tells the true story of the American invasion of Somalia in 1993. It boasts a star-studded ensemble cast including fellow Welsh hunk Ioan Gruffudd.

Ian plays young soldier John Waddell of the U.S army special operations unit, caught up in one of the bloodiest American battles in decades.

It is a far cry from the quiet streets of Caldicot in Gwent, where Ian spent most of his childhood.

He said: "I used to play a lot of rugby in Caldicot and Newport before deciding to try for a career on stage.

"It was a bit of a switch to go from a rugby lad to a luvvie, but it looks like I made the right choice."

But even though Ian has hit the big time, he insists that he'll never forget his roots.

He said: "It's great to be flying the flag for Wales. At the moment I'm keen to do any work but I'd love to come back home to do a film.

"My dream job would be playing the leading man opposite Catherine Zeta- Jones - she's my ideal woman."

Independent on Sunday (London), May 27, 2001
"I CRIED WITH EMBARRASSMENT - I'D BEEN BEATEN UP BY AN EIGHT-YEAR- OLD"; HOW WE MET; IOAN GRUFFUDD & MATTHEW RHYS
Nerys Lloyd-pierce

The actor Matthew Rhys (right), 26, was born in Cardiff. He won a scholarship to Rada and last year starred with Kathleen Turner in the West End production of "The Graduate". He shares a flat in London with Ioan Gruffudd, with whom he co-stars in a new film, "Very Annie Mary".

Ioan Gruffudd, 27, is best known for his acting roles in the films "Titanic" and "102 Dalmatians", and in the television costume dramas "Hornblower" and "Great Expectations". He was brought up in Cardiff

Matthew Rhys: Our friendship didn't get off to the best of starts. We were in the same primary school in Cardiff, but Ioan was in the class above me. My earliest memory is of us having a massive snowball fight during the big snow in 1982. It was Class 6 versus Class 7, so I'd have been eight and Ioan nine. Anyway, Ioan's lot ran at us and threw a lot of snowballs, before running off and leaving Ioan on his own. As he started to run off, I went after him and kicked his legs from under him. He fell to the ground and started to cry, and I was really worried because I thought I'd hurt him and I'd get into trouble.

Ioan and I are from very, very similar backgrounds, and there are many crossover points in our lives. Both our parents are first language Welsh speakers and come from a teaching background. We both speak Welsh fluently and our Welsh identity is extremely important to us.

We both got in to Rada. Ioan went up a year before me and was sharing a flat in Kilburn with friends. I stayed there the night before my audition. I was very nervous. I have a clear memory of Ioan cooking potato croquettes and giving me a few Stellas to calm my nerves. At that stage he was a kind of mentor, because he paved the way for me to go to Rada which had, and probably still has, this very English, middle-class image. Ioan showed that it was possible for someone of our background to get there.

We're quite alike in lots of ways. We both have a lack of pretension about what we do. We love acting but we don't live and breathe it and we have friends outside the profession. We share a flat and that's fine because we both tolerate similar mess levels and neither of us has any pet hates.

Over the years we've never fallen out, although we've had small disagreements. If something is bothering me, I get it off my chest and then it's over. There's no brooding. We can be honest with one another and if one of us messes up there's never any judgment.

Our careers have far outstripped anything we ever dreamt of, but that never makes us feel arrogant or complacent. There's no competition between us. In fact, if one of us was doing considerably better than the other, we'd probably feel guilty about it.

Whatever the future holds, we'll always be the best of friends. Our friendship doesn't just revolve around banter and having a laugh and a few beers. I can imagine myself calling Ioan in years to come and saying, dump the kids with the in-laws and we'll go off to Murrayfield and watch the rugby. It's reassuring to have a friendship with someone whose life parallels mine in so many ways, but it's more than that. We connect with each other on a deeper level. I think it would be fair to say that we are soul mates.

Ioan Gruffudd: Very Annie Mary is the first film we've worked on together and we play a gay couple who run the local shop in one of the south Wales valleys. Normally when you act the part of someone's friend or lover or husband you're doing so with a total stranger and you have to give the appearance of having a rapport on screen whether you click or not. So it was interesting playing alongside someone I already know and like.

I can remember crying when Matthew tackled me during the school snowball fight in the winter of 1982. I think they were tears of embarrassment more than anything because I'd been beaten up by an eight-year-old! I didn't grass him up though, so he didn't get into trouble.

At primary school we didn't mix that much, because you tend not to socialise with the year below you. We got to know each other better through chapel and Sunday School, and we became closer friends in the sixth form because of our mutual interest in drama and because we played in the same rugby team. My father was the deputy head at our school and I had a bit of a complex about always having to behave myself. My impression of Matthew was of someone who would do things I wouldn't dare to.

Our friendship strengthened when we were at Rada together. I was living in a flat in Kilburn when Matthew came up for his audition. I remember he got there late because of me. I thought he had to be there by 10am, and in fact it was 9.30am. By the time we arrived, the principal was already giving his introductory talk and I had to deliver a big apology on his behalf.

We don't let anything disrupt our friendship. If we need to have something out, we get it over with as quickly as possible. We'd never sit on any grievance or anything like that. We can be very honest with one another.

We laugh at the same things, and there's a lot of boisterous banter between us. Sometimes we have to be careful in a social environment as other people might find it quite intimidating. When two people are enjoying repartee, it's easy to exclude other people without meaning to. I don't think that this would be a problem in a relationship, though. If I got married, that person would find a good friend in Matthew, too. Matthew is like a family member in some ways; however long I'm away working, he's always there.

I have other good friends, but there's nobody else I have such a long- lasting friendship with and I feel privileged to have it. It's not just boisterous stuff that connects us either, the silences between us are just as comfortable. We're on the same wavelength. n

"Very Annie Mary" is currently in cinemas in London and goes on general release on 8 June.

The Sunday Times
Ioan Gruffudd
One eye on God and the other on fame

Simply mad about the boyo: so besotted are women by the actor who put the horn into Hornblower that fan letters have to be censored by his blushing agent. In America, admirers have been known to gather below his billboard picture, and there are almost as many websites devoted to the study of the stud as there are to global conspiracy theories. So I am proud to present the finest piece of trouser since the high days of Savile Row.

But hold on. The story isn't so simple. For Ioan Gruffudd's rise to matinée idol has been a struggle. He may have rescued Kate Winslet from the Atlantic in Titanic, but his most memorable clinches have not been with tasty skirt but with moth-eaten trouser, notably Ste-phen Fry in Wilde ("my first silver-screen kiss") and now his flatmate Matthew Rhys in Very Annie Mary. And rather than prove his virility, this thespian has proclaimed his virginity.

Though he assures me that he is now free of this rare and debilitating condition, he has little in common with the playboys of the Sunset Strip, being both a troubled Christian who was lured into a cult, and a passionate Welsh nationalist who believes the Prince of Wales has no right to the title.

All of which sits oddly with his sliding down ship masts in Hornblower, the televisual adaptation that cost ITV a record £40m. Indeed, rather than sabre and sash, he is all sneakers and shades. And his real voice is less Admiral Horatio Nelson, more newsreader Huw Edwards. As for the name, they probably laugh about that in Merthyr Tydfil, particularly as it is pronounced, more prosaically, Yo-wan Griffith.

"Whenever people meet me they seem a bit disappointed," he says disarmingly. "They say your hair is wrong or you are too short. But I don't mind. I was a very late developer, and didn't attract the girls."

I like our Hot Young Trouser. Unlike contemporaries, he has a brain and exercises it. Even more winningly, no matter how impertinent the question, he answers cheerfully. Who was the better kisser, Fry or Rhys? "Stephen, definitely." And your masculinity does not feel undermined? "No, I am used to the jibes from mates since I decided to be an actor. I feel comfortable in my body."

What was it like kissing your flatmate? "We did it instinctively. It was the first time I felt relaxed with another actor. We know each other so well, it felt very natural . . ." My eyebrows arch. "I had better stop there."

Scampering on, I ask about his faith and Christian upbringing, which is when he discloses his brush with a cult. "I was at Rada and I hadn't been going to chapel," he says. "A guy stopped me in the street and asked if I would like to go to church. I thought it was a sign." It was the London Church of Christ, which Gruffudd describes as a cult. It has been accused before of ensnaring the vulnerable.

He found himself at a "brilliant service" which led to Bible studies. "I went because I felt guilty. They started pointing the finger, denying that I was a Christian." He claims they demanded he leave his girlfriend and acting school to move in with them and hand over a cut of his income. "I almost did, I was in such a state, really desperate. My mum had to come up to London to sort my head out."

He declares himself "embarrassed and ashamed" about the episode, which has forced him to question his faith. "I don't know if I am disillusioned. Perhaps the church is something I shall return to. At the moment I enjoy partying, but I would be a hypocrite to say I don't believe, because I do think God can hear what I am saying now."

It might be a conflict of his own imagination, but flicks are winning against his faith. He has "gone out of my mind" the last few months, not working: he turned down the National and RSC for major film roles that did not materialise "and now I wonder if I have blown it".

He has made several trips to Hollywood to meet casting directors ("not very successfully", he admits, despite popular acclaim in 102 Dalmatians), but he is quietly confident that superstardom will come. "That's my dream. I can almost taste it, touch it, it's just around the corner."

Others share his confidence. In Los Angeles recently he met up with Leonardo DiCaprio, whom he knew from Titanic. "It was midnight and I was in bed when he called, having read my third script of the evening to prepare for the next day's auditions. He told me to meet him at a club, and like a lemon I queued up outside. He shouted from his limo and we went in through the kitchens, like a scene from Goodfellas."

He is frustrated with his career on this side of the Atlantic, particularly with ITV for failing to give Hornblower a regular slot. "I'm really annoyed. I think some of these scheduling people don't watch TV. In America it is really well promoted and won an Emmy. It will never work here until it is given a regular slot."

Two episodes of Hornblower will be screened this summer, but he is waiting to hear if they will shoot any more. "I love playing the role. It is a real Boys' Own adventure. It's going out to play and getting paid for it."

Not a boast he would like to make about his role in Very Annie Mary, in which he plays a camp cafe owner who snogs Rhys, with whom, he admits, he is in constant competition: "Half the parts I am up for, he is too, and he even got a part I really wanted when he was still a student. But," he insists like an elderly spouse, "we are really proud of each other."

Last year, his movie Solomon and Gaenor, an obscure Welsh language film, was nominated for the Oscars. It depicts the anti-semitism that festered in the Valleys during the depression, which sits a little awkwardly with his nationalism. "I concentrated on the role. It was only afterwards I thought about how it reflects on Wales."

But do you not feel that some of you cottage-burning types have gone too far on occasion? "I don't agree with violent protest, but I can understand why, because people can't afford homes in their own homeland."

On June 7 he will vote Plaid Cymru and refers to "the British" when he really means the English. "I could imagine being a politician," he says, and although he is a romantic patriot, one is still left wondering whether Welsh nationalism is ultimately any more attractive than destructive forms of nationalism elsewhere.

But I interrupt; here is what he has to say on the Prince of Wales: "I respect him more than the others. He seems intelligent. My uncle taught him Welsh, funnily enough, but to me the last true Prince of Wales died in 1282."

Previously he has said he would only consider marrying a Welsh woman, though after his nights on the Sunset Strip with DiCaprio, he has come to realise that female charm comes packaged in many different national skins. "But I still know that my children will be able to speak Welsh."

He is devoted to his teacher parents, and probably part of him would love to flee Soho and Los Angeles for the safety of Cardiff and chapel. Never did he feel this more strongly than at Rada, where he felt out of place from his first day, when he turned up wearing a Welsh football team shellsuit.

"Everyone was looking super cool," he says. "But I had been told to wear comfortable clothes." Even now, with funky phone and leather jacket, his unmetropolitan side sees nothing de trop about a shellsuit. He still harbours some resentment towards the acting school. "There were moments there when I was so unhappy I wanted to leave," he says. "I was confident when I arrived, but they took that away from me."

Hanging around with all those cool students when he was a virgin until he was 22 - didn't that make him feel, well, rather under-utilised? "I knew sex would happen so I wasn't bothered," he says, which must have made him the most sanguine 22-year-old virgin the world has known. "Then I was emotionally ready and it wasn't just a fumble." He adds, not entirely in character: "I certainly made up for it since." Interested parties should note that he is seeing someone, but it is "early days".

His ambition is to write, direct and star in a cinematic treatment of Welsh fables. He wants to conquer Hollywood, but as a visitor. He remains a modest young star. Yet even on this subject he cannot resist self-laceration (those unforgiving chapels and cults have a lot to answer for): "Perhaps modesty is a defence mechanism."

I am tempted to steer him towards Anne Robinson to see if she would remain so hostile to the Welsh. How can you be harsh about someone who says: "I feel ashamed of the life I lead. It is my personal battle."

As we depart he says: "I can't believe I opened up so much." Even the nastiest link would surely agree that our Hot Young Trouser, so tortured and thoughtful beneath the breeches, really is a top taff.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 20, 2001
'HORNBLOWER' ACTOR PLEASED WITH SERIES' SECOND PART
ROB OWEN
PASADENA, Calif.

Horatio Hornblower" sets sail again in two new A&E movies airing April 8 and 15, and series star Ioan Gruffudd is pleased with how his character has matured. Gruffudd was 23 when he started work on the first batch of films and he's now 27.

"At the beginning I was very nervous because of the pressure I put on myself because it had been so successful," Gruffudd said. "But I think I've matured a lot. I've grown up a lot, my face is sort of becoming sort of manly, I suppose, and the experiences I've had acting and in life helped immensely."

The original four "Hornblower" films, based on C.S. Forester's "Mr. Midshipman Hornblower," aired on A&E in 1999 and won an Emmy that same year.

The latest batch is based on "Lieutenant Hornblower" and begins with Hornblower behind bars in Jamaica, facing a death sentence for mutiny. Robert Lindsay returns as Hornblower's mentor, Capt. Pellew, and David Warner joins the cast as evil Capt. Sawyer.

The first set of films was actually filmed at sea. This time "Hornblower" was almost completely filmed on land.

"I was a bit upset when I found out we weren't actually going to sail, because I thought the success of the first season was based on the fact you could see we were sailing," Gruffudd said. "But this time it does look much better. We had more control over it. You could put the camera wherever you want and don't have to rely on making it safe."

Gruffudd explained the ship deck scenes weren't filmed inside a soundstage.

"All the exteriors were on this stage we built on this cliff in Menorca, Spain, with a 270-degree view of the sea," he said. "We're outside and not on the sea, but you can see the sea and it looks fantastic."

Somewhat surprisingly, Gruffudd said the "Hornblower" films were far more popular and successful in America than they were in England. Director Andrew Grieve thinks he knows why.

"It was more popular here because it was properly marketed and presented to people," he said. "We're not very good at doing that in Britain."

More installments may be on the way. Scripts for two more films are in development and Gruffudd is committed to the role.

"To have the opportunity to play the lead in a series of the same name as [my character], you don't get that opportunity too much," Gruffudd said. "I was lucky I got that offer as one of the first jobs that I had, and I'm so grateful to 'Hornblower' because it has helped me to get other things. I do love playing him. He's a great character and he makes me look good."

Daily Record, January 20, 2001
IOAN BLOWING HOT AND BOLD;
WELSHMAN IOAN GRUFFUDD IS SET TO SWASH MORE BUCKLES IN TV HIT HORNBLOWER, BUT THE CURRENT NEXT BIG THING ISN'T LETTING STARDOM GO TO HIS HEAD
Phil Penfold

BARMOUTH, on the exposed north Wales coast, is not Hollywood - but it's where Ioan Gruffudd is currently working on his new movie, called Happy Now.

Ioan (pronounced Yo-an), for anyone who has been orbiting the Moon for the past five years, is the current Next Big Thing, tipped for superstardom after a blockbusting international success in two series of the swashbuckling adventure yarns Hornblower, and in Disney's 102 Dalmatians.

But the lad from Cardiff certainly hasn't let things go to his head. Or to his wardrobe, for that matter. We've met twice in one week to talk about his career and his plans, and he's wearing the same long-sleeved top on the Tuesday as he is on the Thursday.

His trainers are not straight from the store, and his hair is attractively ruffled. When he hunkers down into an armchair, there's a view of the waistband of a pair of Calvin Klein boxer shorts peeping over the top of his well-worn jeans. No entourage, no hangers-on, just Ioan.

He agrees he is on the brink of something big. But then he suddenly says: "Every day is a challenge. It's not really in my control. I take what comes along. There's been a variety and a diversity in my career so far, and I'm very grateful for that. You can't stick to a career plan - not in this business."

Now 27, Ioan lives in Kilburn with his long-term mate and fellow Welshman Matthew Rhys, the man who starred opposite Kathleen Turner in The Graduate in the West End.

"The trouble is that we're hardly ever there - we're working so much," says Ioan ruefully. "It used to be a total tip, with hardly any furniture or home comforts - but we've had an interior decorator in to do the place up for us, and it's starting to look quite good. Actually it looks quite chic now. We're still pretty well reliant on takeaway meals though."

He also confesses that, after having sampled the high life at premieres and showbusiness parties, he'd still rather go down the pub with his mates.

"I learned the hard way," he says. "It's all so superficial, isn't it? None of it really matters. Premieres and stuff are the image created by the media - it's not a real world. But having been there I can see how some people are sucked into it."

And Ioan has found out how to tell when a girl is a serious prospect. It's in the way she answers him when he announces that he wants to go and talk to his friends.

"You're in a social situation, and she comes across and starts talking, and when you say that you want to join your mates, she throws a wobbly and says something like: 'Oh, you're all the same ...'

"It happened the other night, when I was out with my parents, and this girl started chatting to me. When I said I had to say goodbye to mam and dad, she got a bit stroppy. That's when I know it's not serious.

"You can spot the ones who come on to you for all the wrong reasons."

Not that he's actively looking for anyone, he insists.

"When it happens, it happens. I'll know about that. Frankly, in the past year, I've just been too busy. I haven't even had time to go to the gym.

"Maybe a bit of jogging, that's about it. Everyone says I've lost a bit of weight, and my mother keeps telling me I ought to eat more."

Miss Right may not have come along yet, but Ioan is happy to tell you he would like to have children.

"I would like my children to have a Welsh education and be able to speak the language. A nice place in the hills with some land around it and a few chickens to raise. That's the ideal world - but it all rather depends on the girl, doesn't it?

"Would she be an actress? Well, I've thought a lot about that, and there are advantages and disadvantages - but having someone with you who understands what you do and the way you work would help.

"But being single is practical for me at the moment."

There have been ladies in his life. He was with actress Charlotte Hayward for four years (they met at drama school) and there was a brief fling with a dancer.

It's now three years since Ioan rocketed to fame in the UK, and then around the globe in the TV dramatisation of CS Forrester's sea-going hero Horatio Hornblower.

In that short time he's won fame and recognition on both sides of the Atlantic, with a devoted following of fans and websites dedicated to him and the series. Winning a prestigious Emmy in the US for best mini-series didn't harm him, neither did starring opposite Glenn Close in 102 Dalmatians - Disney-backed but made in Britain.

"Frankly, that's why I took the part," he says. "Second billing to Ms Close? I'd have been mad to turn that down."

And yes, he says, he could quite easily work in Hollywood, but he doesn't particularly want to live there - not permanently, at any rate.

"It's not necessary to live in the States because casting is so international now. It doesn't really appeal to me anyway.

"I'd miss the four seasons changing - the wind and the inevitable rain. There's nothing beneath the surface in Los Angeles, it's flat and a bit like a trailer park with no history. I can't see myself uprooting. I may live in Kilburn, but home to me is still Cardiff and my mother and father's place."

Has his Welsh accent ever hindered him?

"No, I can get rid of it quite easily if I want to. I don't do Welsh on Hornblower, for example - it's an understood middle English - but when I go back home to see my family, it all comes flooding back.

"A lot of agents said to me that I'd have to change my name as no one would be able to pronounce or spell it.

"It was only when I met my present agent that I knew it was right because the subject of a change of name never came up. I am called what I am called, and I am fiercely proud of that."

Since leaving RADA, Ioan's feet haven't touched the ground. He's played a huge variety of roles, including Pip in Great Expectations, Solomon in the Oscar -nominated foreign language film Solomon And Gaynor and he had the lead role in the multi award-winning Warriors.

He rescued Kate Winslet from the treacherous ocean in Titanic, and 102 cute doggies in the Disney smash. And now he finds himself in Barmouth, filming Happy Now, a murder thriller, with fellow Welshman Robert Pugh.

Ioan admits he returned to playing Hornblower with some trepidation. "I rather apprehensive because of the success of the first series. I was a bit nervous and unsteady, and then it just seemed to envelop me again.

"Maybe it was because the filming was a bit different. In the first series we were in the Ukraine, and we actually went to sea on a sailing ship, and in this one we were on the island of Menorca, with sets mocked up to look as if we were at sea.

"The sets were actually on a cliff top with a view of the Med. I wondered if it would look real, but when you see it, it looks so much better.

"Funnily enough, none of my mates wanted to come and see me when I was filming in Ukraine - but plenty of them flocked out for a quick break in Menorca. Strange that."

Not that filming was always smooth sailing. Ioan recalls: "It really was the most relaxed set I've been on. David Warner, who guest stars as a heroic captain, is the best guy in the world to work with. When he gets a twinkle in his eye, you know you are in for trouble.

"We were doing this scene one day when the Renown is setting sail for the West Indies, and he had a line he had to say to me which was something like: 'Weather the Lizard, and put your sails to larboard, Mr Hornblower'.

"I had to say: 'Aye aye, sir, weather the lizard and ...'

"I caught the look in his eye, and all I could come out with was: 'Wither thllllllll wazzer weather ...' Total gibberish. And we burst out laughing. Time and time again. I don't think that the director was very pleased with us.

"In the end, though, the finished product is really two full-length movies on a tiny bit of a Hollywood budget, and I think they both stand up as extremely well crafted feature films.

"I really do believe in them - and I should do because if the ratings are good I'm optioned for another five over the next few years.

"The great thing is that the books follow Hornblower's career as he gets older - he was a Captain at 25, according to Forrester. So I can, in fact, keep chronological pace with him.

"People are attracted to the character because he's not a hero in the traditional sense. He's not a natural leader, he's just a young man with a very bright mind. He's compassionate, hates injustice and will stand up and fight when he's pushed to the limit. He's also very vulnerable, and I think people like that.

"We hold the same moral values, I think. Being loyal and honourable and gentlemanly is very important to me. He's much cleverer than me, though, and cleverer than everyone else, too.

"He takes risks, but he works out the odds like a chess player. He uses his intuition, but he doesn't let his heart rule his head. He's also the perfect gentleman."

Ioan doesn't take his success lightly and is grateful for all the support he has been given.

"I hope I've fulfilled their expectations," he says. "I am a pretty self -confident person, but I do appreciate very much what has happened to me. If someone had said all this would be given to me while I was still at RADA, I would not have believed them."

So what about rumours he's being considered as the next James Bond?

"I'm flattered someone has even mentioned it," he says. "But I'm way too young at the moment. I'd love to play him - but later on.

"It's taken four years to get to this point in my career, and there are paths I could take."

He screws up his face. "And frankly, if I keep on working, then I will be really very, very happy indeed."

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 20, 2001
'HORNBLOWER' ACTOR PLEASED WITH SERIES' SECOND PART
PASADENA, Calif.

Horatio Hornblower" sets sail again in two new A&E movies airing April 8 and 15, and series star Ioan Gruffudd is pleased with how his character has matured. Gruffudd was 23 when he started work on the first batch of films and he's now 27.

"At the beginning I was very nervous because of the pressure I put on myself because it had been so successful," Gruffudd said. "But I think I've matured a lot. I've grown up a lot, my face is sort of becoming sort of manly, I suppose, and the experiences I've had acting and in life helped immensely."

The original four "Hornblower" films, based on C.S. Forester's "Mr. Midshipman Hornblower," aired on A&E in 1999 and won an Emmy that same year.

The latest batch is based on "Lieutenant Hornblower" and begins with Hornblower behind bars in Jamaica, facing a death sentence for mutiny. Robert Lindsay returns as Hornblower's mentor, Capt. Pellew, and David Warner joins the cast as evil Capt. Sawyer.

The first set of films was actually filmed at sea. This time "Hornblower" was almost completely filmed on land.

"I was a bit upset when I found out we weren't actually going to sail, because I thought the success of the first season was based on the fact you could see we were sailing," Gruffudd said. "But this time it does look much better. We had more control over it. You could put the camera wherever you want and don't have to rely on making it safe."

Gruffudd explained the ship deck scenes weren't filmed inside a soundstage.

"All the exteriors were on this stage we built on this cliff in Menorca, Spain, with a 270-degree view of the sea," he said. "We're outside and not on the sea, but you can see the sea and it looks fantastic."

Somewhat surprisingly, Gruffudd said the "Hornblower" films were far more popular and successful in America than they were in England. Director Andrew Grieve thinks he knows why.

"It was more popular here because it was properly marketed and presented to people," he said. "We're not very good at doing that in Britain."

More installments may be on the way. Scripts for two more films are in development and Gruffudd is committed to the role.

"To have the opportunity to play the lead in a series of the same name as [my character], you don't get that opportunity too much," Gruffudd said. "I was lucky I got that offer as one of the first jobs that I had, and I'm so grateful to 'Hornblower' because it has helped me to get other things. I do love playing him. He's a great character and he makes me look good."

FAN STAGE A WELCOME IN THE HILLSIDE Hornblower heart-throb Ioan Gruffud has been revealing the ingenious length his adoring female admirers from across the atantic to go. Last month while he was filming in his native Wales they funded a partY in his honour- complete with choir.

"They found out where I was via the Internet, and clubbed together to send a cheque to the local pub", recalls Ioan. "It must have been quite a lot of money because a choir came down."

The year before "two American women in their fourties" gained late night entry to Ioan's London pad. "They had hired the ship from hornblower for a banquet and two nights before, they knocked on my door and reminded me: Are you going to come? It was 11.30. I was in my boxer shorts and invited them in. They were taking pictures in my kitchen! I asked how they found my adress and one worked for an airline and discovered that I was on the Frequent Flyer list.

"They were very naughty. It could have been dangerous, but I was lucky."

Manjiri Kulkarni And Robin Turner
The Western Mail
08/01/2001

HOLLYWOOD star Ioan Gruffudd took time out from filming in Wales to open a friend's new business.

He has been filming Happy Now on locations throughout Wales, but on Saturday night he went to Swansea to open a hairdressing salon, Biomorphic, run by an old friend, Ronan O'Quigley.

Gruffudd said, "Last year was absolute chaos. There was so much press involved with 102 Dalmatians and the launch of Hornblower I didn't know whether I was coming or going.

"I've known Ronan for about five years and was more than happy to help with the launch of the new shop."

Happy Now, a thriller, is the first film by Cardiff-based writer Belinda Bauer, a former journalist with The Western Mail, and also stars Susan Lynch, Alison Steadman, Om Puri, Bob Pugh and Jonathan Rhys-Myers. Gruffudd said, "It was great to be back home in Wales, working with some of the best actors in the business, and it's a really good story. It's a very different film and I'd probably liken it to a Welsh version of Fargo." The actor said he was pleased to take time out to help open the salon as he was a regular customer of Ronan O'Quigley.

Mr O'Quigley, whose Biomorphic chain takes in fashion as well as hairdressing, said, "This is our first salon in Swansea and we are extremely pleased with it. It's come at a busy time for Biomorphic as I have just returned from a photo shoot in New York and we have been launching our new fashion collection.

"Biomorphic is a concept of quality and creativity and I believe we've captured the essence of the brand in our first salon in Swansea." Mr O'Quigley hopes the arrival of Biomorphic in Salubrious Passage will lead to other boutiques moving in nearby to create a new fashion centre in South-West Wales.

"This is a busy city and there's plenty happening in this particular quarter of Swansea, and we hope to be at the centre of it," he said.