Stephen Moyer: “I was burning the candle at the ends and in the middle”

Stephen Moyer is a sexy beast. 

Sorry, wait – Stephen Moyer is in Sexy Beast, the TV prequel to the classic gangster film. He plays crime boss Teddy Bass in a role originated by Ian MacShane. 

Moyer has worked with the likes of Michael Caine and Al Pacino – but he's best known as vampire Bill in the HBO sensation True Blood. A sexy beast if ever there was one. 

Enjoy this interview with a true gentleman who's fortunately far less scary than his characters. 

Life

What upcoming project(s) are you most excited about?

Obviously I am here to speak about Sexy Beast currently airing on Paramount Plus and the grand old time I had performing with James, Emun, Tamsin, Eliza and the brilliant Paul Kaye amongst others. I could bang on about that for quite some time. I was lucky enough to get to direct the final two episodes of the show which was really a lovely ending to a very happy time.

The episodes were overseen by a dear old friend of mine Alastair Galbraith and I thought he did a beautiful job of teeing up a very exciting and propulsive end to the show, and what could happen in a second season if we were lucky enough to get one.

I also am in a show called Elsbeth for CBS starring my dear friend and all round genius Carrie Preston who played Arlene in True Blood. She truly is an extraordinary performer. The creators of The Good Wife and The Good Fight have taken her brilliant fan favourite character from those shows and spun a new story with her that is set in New York. I hope it runs for ever because all three of those creatives mentioned above are quite brilliant.

Finally on April 5th A little indie film I directed called A Bit of Light is opening in London and New York. It stars my wife Anna Paquin and Ray Winstone and is written by my long time friend Rebecca Callard. It's about a mother who loses custody of her daughters and how she copes with the loss. It is a project very close to my heart and I am extremely pleased it is going to get a tiny release.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

Oh god. This is hard. I remember walking into the RSC rehearsal rooms for the first time back in 1992 and saying to myself ‘really….?? You are here….!!???’

And then having the exact same feeling when I walked onto the Pinewood lot for the first time. Sitting next to Michael Caine in his trailer with our lunch on our laps giggling while watching the Ashes. Watching a show I was in play in the Cinerama Dome on Sunset Boulevard.

I have never stopped being shocked by how insane it all is. Being the deathly voice on the other end of the phone to Al Pacino. But really – once I was up and running I’ve never done anything else that this, and I think that is truly the greatest achievement.

If you could change one thing about your career, what would it be?

Oh god, one thing is hard! There are so many…. I could tell you 20.

I suppose getting stage fright back in 1994 when I was in Japan doing Romeo and Juliet. It led to an 18 year absence from the stage which I truly regret.. and it was totally my own fault. I was burning the candle at the ends and in the middle. An inferno of sorts.

What do you hope to achieve that you haven’t yet?

Again so many things…. I’m writing something right now. I hope I can nail what I am trying to do with it and that someone can see that and help me put it on the screen..

Outside of your family, who is / was your biggest inspiration?

I started playing the piano when I was about 17 with an old Jazz pianist called Claude Hodgson. He became like my surrogate Granddad. I use to drive down to see him for an hour from wherever I was on a Saturday morning. He passed when I was about 26. I miss those hours on his piano stool. Man we used to laugh. I miss him.

Tell us something nobody knows about you…

I have always supported Wrexham football club. Since I was a kid. Because I am a massive West Ham fan and when I was young it looked like West Ham written down.

Every week I would check the West Ham results and then check the Wrexham results. I am so happy for the football club and the city for what has happened to them.

Style

What’s your favourite item of clothing – and what does it mean to you?

I have a baseball cap that says Pussy Cat on it. I bought it for my daughter and she would never wear it so I thought fuck it, I will wear it then. I always have it with me. 

Favourite accessory – watch / jewellery / etc – and why is it special to you?

I have a bracelet my youngest daughter made for me that says Daddy on it. Again – always with me.

I always have an acorn with me in my left pocket. It’s a long story but it reminds me of a change in my life where I had to grow the fuck up.

 What's your biggest style disaster?

I went through a New Romantic/Post Punk phase and bought an entire outfit from Carnaby Street when I was about 14 or 15 when I was actually a mod.

I don’t think I ever wore it out of my bedroom. But I would dance around my bedroom with Bauhaus playing really loud. The disaster is the fact that I never had the balls to wear it out.

Is there an item you threw away – or lost – that you really miss?

I had a girlfriend who gifted me a blue woolly jumper from Jigsaw that had flowers around the bottom that I wore every day for about 3 years straight when I was around 22.

At some point along the way I lost it – I have had a succession of blue chunky sweaters since but none of them have eclipsed it. I think about it a lot.

 What’s next on your shopping list?

There is an RRL cardigan that I absolutely love but is so absurdly expensive I just could never buy it.

What would you buy if money was no object?

Hmmmm I should say that cardigan but if money were no object there are a bunch of friends of mine that worked on my truck for years.

The lovely Ted Moser at Picture Car Warehouse and his gang.

Then another outfit with my pal David called ASC Bronco in Venice CA – Classic Broncos ASC.  

We have been talking about a custom truck for a long time much like John Steinbeck’s in Travels with Charley. But it would be created with a lightweight wooden back. For me to travel round the country in with me and the dogs and see all the fun of the US.

It’s been a long playing dream. We nearly did it at one point. It WILL happen. This is the Steinbeck Truck.