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A&E: Captain Pellew is a very
important person in the life of Horatio Hornblower. How does he fit into this
story?
Robert Lindsay: I am part of a court
martial, in which, as commodore, I'm overseeing this court martial, where
they're court marshaling my boy, Hornblower. He has been involved in some
misdealings in the Caribbean. The trial takes place in Kingston, Jamaica, in
1801. Basically, it's trial by jury, and if he fails, he will hang. I
desperately want to save him because he's my protégé.
A&E: Tell me more about Pellew's relationship
with Hornblower.
RL: It's the end of the relationship,
because Hornblower now becomes his own man, his own master, his own captain.
He's running his own ship. I'm trying desperately to save his life. And whether
I succeed or not, you'll have to wait and see.
A&E: What was your reaction when you got this
script for this new episode?
RL: Well, I was surprised, because I wasn't
sure that Pellew still had a life in this series. I was pleased, and strangely
enough, so were a lot of American fans. Since the first series, we've developed
this huge audience in America, as you probably know. I'm as amazed to find I
have this Web site devoted entirely to my character. (Laughs) So, I think a lot
of people will be pleased. I'm pleased because I enjoy doing the series.
A&E: Captain Pellew is a particularly
interesting character, isn't he?
RL: When I first accepted the role, I didn't
realize that Pellew was real. In fact, Captain Pellew is the only factual figure
in it. As you know, the Hornblower books are completely fictitious by Forester,
but he wrote around this character of Pellew. In fact, I've had letters from his
family since the series was transmitted two years ago, who I've corresponded
with. They live in Falmouth, and I think are still seafaring people. It's quite
weird to play a character and then get letters from his
great-great-grandchildren. And, it's very flattering to be told that you're
doing the character justice.
A&E: What was the real Captain Pellew like?
RL: Well, one thing I have learned that he
never gave an order that he couldn't perform himself. Lots of people have
commented about that. He was very courageous; he was very honorable. Pellew went
on the anti-slavery fleets and actually arrested people taking slaves from
Africa across the Atlantic. He just seems an extraordinary man. He became a very
wealthy man, very shrewd. And there were some very human touches. For example,
there was a story I read where he threw a cabin boy into the sea. All the
sailors were swimming, and this cabin boy was reluctantly on the deck. Pellew
just came up and pushed him into the sea, and the kid couldn't swim. He was only
like 12. So Pellew dived in full uniform and rescued the kid. Yes, this man must
have been liked, he must have been a good captain. His officers enjoyed working
under him. And let's face it, a lot of people were pressed into service.
Interestingly, only last week on the Radio 4 here, there was an article about
Pellew. There was a black jazz singer that he discovered in a bar. Pellew
pressed him into service because he wanted him to sing on the boat, and he
served under Pellew for five years. There was something very cavalier about him,
as well. I mean this guy would go to sea for years on end and never see dry
land. You could imagine he must have been very hardy and tough and resilient,
with obviously no family life at all. (Laughs) Although he did father children
obviously—the parents of the grandchildren who have written to me.
A&E: Tell me about working with
Ioan. Have you kept in touch since the last episodes were shot?
RL: No. Don't want to see him. Actually,
that's not true. I did Richard III in Cardiff where Ioan was born, and
his parents wrote to me and offered me to come over, because they knew I looked
after Ioan. I was very much a fatherly figure. Now he looks after me.
A&E: In spite of his relationship with
Hornblower, Pellew remains impartial in terms of the court martial. That must be
a terrible situation for him.
RL: Oh, totally. But as Commodore of the
fleet, he has to do it. Unfortunately for him, he's got these two captains who
really want to see justice done. He's convinced of Hornblower's innocence
because he knows that the man is an innocent and honorable human being. It's a
very difficult situation to be in. But also it humanizes the story. As I said,
from the first series, one of the successful elements was that relationship
between the father and son.
A&E: Please tell us about the atmosphere in the
courtroom. What takes place for Horatio and what's at stake for Pellew?
RL: Well, what's at stake for Hornblower is
he's going to lose his life. What's at stake for Pellew is that he will lose a
man he holds dear, a man who he holds in high esteem, who he trained and boasted
and about in the fleet and gained a promotion for. So, I suppose from one point
of view it would be the shame for Pellew and also the sad loss of what he
regards as a son.
A&E: These nautical adventures are sort of in a
genre all of their own. Why are they so appealing?
RL: Well, there's an innocence about it. The
whole morality is of another age, another era. I think maybe with all the
complicated lifestyles we all live and talking about all the crazy things like
Web sites, sometimes it may be interesting just to go back and have a look at
simple values. Interestingly, it's been more successful in America than it has
here. But then the English were a lot harder to please, and I don't mean that in
any cynical way. I just think that the English have kind of seen all this
before, and the response has been far more positive in America. I mean, the
amount of women in America ... they love the uniforms! (Laughs) It's true. You
know, you keep writing to these ladies and you respond to them and saying, "I'm
glad you enjoyed the series," but I tell them I can't have my uniform with me.
A&E: What about the prospect of working with
Ioan and the rest of them again?
RL: Never. No. Don't want to work with them.
I'll be very happy never to see them again.
A&E: Why is that?
RL: (Whispers) I just don't like them. Ioan
is lazy, he's ugly, he's uncharismatic, and I just find him a waste of time.
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