Book Mentions of Rufus

[rueful]

Sometimes, I search Google Books.* This is a dangerous and time-wasting hobby, but recently I found a book of theater criticism about Stephen Daldry, who directed Rufus in Rat in the Skull (A Director Calls, by Wendy Lesser). There are quite detailed descriptions of the rehearsal process, and it confirms our views of Rufus's talent as an actor. I didn't see this anywhere else on the Rooftop, so I hope it's not a repeat.

I can't figure out a way to copy the text from Google Books to paste it here, so I'm retyping just a bit:

But Rufus Sewell, in the context of the rehearsal room, seemed years if not decades senior to Quigley. This was partly due to his role....Partly, however, it was due to Sewell's own presence as an actor. A strikingly handsome man who, at the age of 27, was already well known in Britain for his work in films, plays, and BBC serials, Rufus Sewell already had the self-assurance of someone much older. He also had an ease of manner which made everyone, from the 23 year old assistant director to the 50-something John Castle, feel like an old acquantaince. "I like him as a man," Castle commented, remarking on Sewell's surprising lack of film-glamour veneer.

The subsequent stuff, about the rehearsal process, is even more interesting but too long to type, covering several pages. So this is a link to the book and I think it will take you right to the part I've started, which is the bulk of it. Then you can look around the screen for other mentions, which should be highlighted.
books.google.com/books?id=Z0ccWsy2e3kC&pg=PA164&dq=rufus+sewell&hl=en&ei=KD4rTIHUBYSgnwe4hNmwDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=rufus%20sewell&f=false


*The results in Google Books can be frustrating (for any topic), because most often you can only see a line or two of the book. However, if you click "Preview and Full View" in the results options, it leaves only the ones where you can read some of it. A lot of it is just movie guides with plot summaries, but there are a couple other interesting things.

[nicole]

Hi rueful!
Great find. Never seen this before.

Jun 30, 2010 13:37:08 GMT rueful said:

I like him as a man

Me too.

[nell]

What a fascinating insight Rueful. You are dedicated searching google books. Well done to you.

I second nicole's sentiments - " I like him as a man". I couldn't have put it better myself. He has a very appealing quality.

[walt]

Rueful, you've done a great job in finding this.

And I agree with nicole and nell about Rufus' appealing qualities.

[kissmekate]

Thanks, Adina, for bringing that one back up in the "Rat in the Skull" thread, and thanks to rueful for finding it in the first place. Very interesting reading!

A strikingly handsome man who, at the age of 27, was already well known in Britain for his work in films, plays, and BBC serials, Rufus Sewell already had the self-assurance of someone much older. He also had an ease of manner which made everyone, from the 23 year old assistant director to the 50-something John Castle, feel like an old acquantaince. "I like him as a man," Castle commented, remarking on Sewell's surprising lack of film-glamour veneer.

I love this!

[anglophile]

an ease of manner which made everyone, from the 23 year old assistant director to the 50-something John Castle, feel like an old acquantaince

If I already wrote this somewhere, just ignore it. I know I thought about it quite a bit, but don't know if it actually made it into print. Anyway: Do you suppose Rufus' quite excellent personal reputation for being an all-around nice guy can be accounted for because of genetics or environment of upbringing or some combination of all-the-above.
I remember his describing himself as a rather undisciplined little boy and a teen-ager who pushed the envelope, but perhaps, beneath it all, he was always a genuinely nice person. Or maybe he matured into one when he found his calling in life.
With 5 children all from the same parents and all raised with the same example and standards and discipline in our home, I am fascinated at the "different' ways my children turned out, so I'm always up for a discussion about nature/nurture.
What do you think keeps Rufus so lovely in spirit as well as in face and form?

[castaneasativa]

I think it is a very interesting question of you anglophile! Maybe a complex question is out in the universe? and the answer is Rufus himself? Seems simple but it's not... He loves and respects life and life loves him too... he shows it with his life to us. That's what I think (would be easier to talk about it in Hungarian)

[megagem]

This is so cool! I missed this thread completely. If any of us see any other Rufus literary references (like this, or in fiction books) should we post them here? (I ask because when I saw a mentioning of him in one of my Mum's books, I posted it in the Random Rufus thread, because, of course, I didn't know this thread existed )

[kygal]

I have great kids so I like to think its a parents influence..haha. I think what makes a person is a combination of to many things to name. I just love the fact that Rufus is such a nice guy by all accounts.

[francesca]

Jan 19, 2012 11:35:51 GMT kygal said:

I have great kids so I like to think its a parents influence..haha. I think what makes a person is a combination of to many things to name. I just love the fact that Rufus is such a nice guy by all accounts.

I have searched both in my bits and here on board for a quote from a blog by Robert Swipe , a childhood friend of Rufus. but with no success. Perhaps someone may be able to find it.
This may not be quite accurate but it goes something like this " Bill( Rufus's father) had the ability to make the world a magical place ,something he passed on to both his sons.

I think this upholds the case for both Nature and Nurture.

Also our member Loutisza who also knew Rufus when they were teenagers both running a bit wild ...she says he was 'always special.'

[kissmekate]

Frannie, I guess this is what you were looking for (that thread including, among other gems, that breathtaking photo of gorgeous teenage Rufus!)

[francesca]

Jan 19, 2012 17:55:26 GMT kissmekate said:

Frannie, I guess this is what you were looking for (that thread including, among other gems, that breathtaking photo of gorgeous teenage Rufus!)

Kate Help.
is there an url for this ??

[rueful]

Hi, Frannie. Click Kate's post on the word "this". It's hard to see, but it's a blue link.

[kissmekate]

Oh, sorry. I tried to be particularly sophisticated ;D

[francesca]

Thanks Rueful and Kate . I have bookmarked it now for future reference.

this is the correct version of what I posted earlier.

"It gave me this really bizarre idea of what makes someone cool, not really trying, but always having the potential to be fantastic."

That catches Bill pretty well, I think; he had that and his two sons have both inherited it from their dad, for sure; the potential to be fantastic.
.....