GOOD GUYS SOMETIMES WEAR BLACK
Performing Arts & Entertainment in Canada Spring 1995 v29 n2

By Anne MarieGuarino

Copyright 1995 George Hencz Performing Arts & Entertainment in Canada. Reprinted with permission

As I sat in a sun-filled Toronto hotel room and watched Nigel Bennett sipcoffee, it was difficult to believe that this was the same man I had seen on the screen playing countless "bad guys". The actor is perhaps best known to viewers for his portrayal of the amoral vampire, Lacroix, in the Forever Knight television series. This latest character is only one of many villainous roles for the British-born 45-year-old performer who immigrated to Canada nine years ago. Speaking with the actor, it was readily apparent that this soft-spoken, articulate, insightful man, in no way resembled the malevolent characters he portrays; testimony to just how good an actor he is.

Bennett studied theatre at the University of Wales, graduating with honors to become a teacher of theatre. After a short period teaching at an English school, he realized that he didn't like working with teenagers and pursued a career in acting.

Now a working professional for twenty-four years (15 of which were spent in England) the actor considers himself very lucky, never having had to seek work outside the industry. He has worked steadily since his move to this country. And whereas in England the classically trained actor did ninety-nine percent stage work and very little television or film, that pattern was reversed when he came to Canada.

Bennett, who is regularly cast as murderers, rapists, hit men and the like, seems to have no problem with such roles. He observes that an instructor once said that an actor has to like something about each character he plays. Even when he was younger, the actor notes in his soft English accent, "I was never a... handsome juv lead... I was always more the character role."

A familiar face to many, Bennett has appeared in numerous television programs and feature films seen both in Canada and the United States. He has guest starred in such shows as The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Hidden Room, Matrix, Kung Fu and Robocop.

Some of Bennett's movies include Riley Ace of Spies, The Jeweler's Shop, The Outside Chance of Maxmilian Glick, and a project that the actor described as a particular favorite of his, Narrow Margin. As is almost always the case, Bennett was cast as a heavy. He played a cold-blooded hit man working for a gangster.

While doing Narrow Margin, Bennett had the opportunity to work with Gene Hackman, an actor he'd admired for many years. He could barely restrain his excitement when recalling their first meeting. "That was amazing. My first day on set... Gene Hackman walked up to me and he said, Hi, I'm Gene Hackman.' And I thought, I know you're Gene Hackman! Geez! I'm meeting a legend here! That the guy would introduce himself - to me. He's fabulous, fabulous. I had a really good time on that. It was a... wonderful experience. "The thing that amazed me about working with him was you never knew when he started speaking script. And it wasn't because he was "on" all the time -- performing. It's just that he made the script so normal and natural. That's his strength. It's integrity. He ... [has] this amazing integrity and truth."

Bennett admits to getting the acting bug early on. "I remember being a little, tiny kid and singing songs. There was a guy called Charlie Drake, an English comic, who used to make comic records, and I used to copy them. I remember being at family gatherings and my dad giving me half a crown -- which was a lot of money in those days -- if I did these little songs. "Then when I was eleven I went to secondary school and they had school plays, and that was ... [when] I was convinced [that I wanted to act]. My first appearance was as a Roman citizen in Caesar and Cleopatra by Shaw. All I had to do was come on, grumble something, stand there and go off. An extra basically. Just really exciting!"

The actor reveals that he suffers from stage fright each and every time he performs, whether on stage or in film or television; though by watching him one would never suspect. Would he characterize himself as being shy? "Yeah. Yes, I think so. They do say that most actors are introverts ... [and] the way they can be extroverted is to perform." How was he able to get beyond his fear and perform? "...the script is a great help because you [don't] have to be yourself. You're being a character. You're speaking someone else's words."

Despite his stage fright, it is obvious when talking with Bennett that he immensely enjoys what he does for a living. "...the great thing about this job [is that] anyone who's an actor, likes acting. You don't become an actor to make money. You have periods of feast and famine..."

When the trim, six-foot-one actor is not working, his free time is spent golfing, playing softball or rollerblading. Bennett is also an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting and fishing.

The third of four children of a working class family, Bennett's pragmatic views of show business and acting are no doubt a result of his non-theatrical upbringing. "I remember when I first started out, I said if I haven't "made it" by the time I'm thirty, I'm gonna give it up. Huh! First of all I don't know what "made it" means, and I'm well over thirty now, and still doing it. I mean I'm happy. It's going in a positive dire ction. I'm very easy. As long as I can pay the bills, I don't care. See, I've never regarded it [acting] as this wonderful, precious thing as some people do -- the art'. I don't see it as an art. It's a craft. I've never been worried about being a star'. The reason I do this is because I enjoy the job and it makes money. And as soon as I've made enough money to stop doing it, I'll stop, and buy myself a cottage somewhere and go fishin'. I'm very objective about it. Money gives you choice. That's all money gives you. The more you earn, the more popular you become -- the more choice you have as to what you can do. And eventually you can choose not to do it." At least for now, Bennett has no desire to give up acting. He's enjoying himself far too much.

He has a sizable following and has received critical acclaim for his recurring role of the vampire Lacroix in the Forever Knight television series. In 1993, much to Bennett's delight, he received a Gemini nomination for his portrayal. The show had ceased production, its fate unknown, but Forever Knight resumed filming this past March. He was pleased to learn of the show's renewal: he was most eager to reprise his role as Lacroix, as he felt that there were many areas yet to be explored in the series.

During Forever Knight's hiatus, Bennett, who never seems to be in want of work, was involved in several other projects. He appeared in the Dieppe mini-series for CBC, playing the part of Rear Admiral Baille-Grohman, the commander who led the naval task force assault. Bennett also filmed several movies of the week and has completed work on four feature films -- among them Paint Cans; a satire by Halifax director Paul Donovan, Legends of the Fall with Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt; and Die, Darkman, Die.

The actor who'd become accustomed to the rigorous night shooting schedule of Forever Knight, thoroughly enjoyed his time making movies. "It's actually good fun. Features are great fun to do because [unlike a weekly series! there's so much time."

Some time ago, he also made a pilot for a series entitled Two for Joy, the show was set in the 1930s during the depression. The pilot, which has gone no further, was based on short stories about a farming family in the Ottawa Valley and how they got by. It was another favourite undertaking of Bennett's, perhaps because the role was a departure for him, as he noted in a barely audible voice, "This was like The Waltons almost. A nice family. I played a nice character ... about the only time! The father of the family.... very dour, very quiet ... strong, silent..."

For Bennett, his career could not be going better; he's in demand and has achieved precisely what every actor strives for. And he received what would be the ultimate boost to any actor's ego; formation of a fan club. Bennett was quite pleased, although somewhat surprised. "A shock to the system," as the actor described it. "It's sort of interesting, exciting."

With his new projects, as well as his continuing portrayal of Lacroix in Forever Knight, Bennett is one "bad guy" audiences will be seeing a great deal of in the future.