要做自耕农真的很不简单, 这篇专访翻得我真后悔一开始想翻译的念头, 好多地方不知其意, 但是头已经洗下去了又不想放弃, 所以还是请大家多多包涵, 随便看看, 以下皆为不负责任翻译: http://dmbarcroft.com/tag/susan-fallon/

DAMIAN: I understand that you were the first and only choice to play young Endeavour Morse. Can you tell us whose original idea this was and what work they had seen you in that made them think you would be suitable for the role? 我知道你是这个角色的唯一人选, 能否告诉我们你一开始听到这消息时的想法吗?SHAUN: Yes, well that’s my understanding of it. I was at the read through for a part I was about to play of a guy who leaves his wife, because she has a brain tumour, and the execs clearly thought, “ah, what a charmer…there’s our man!” –  and the rest is history. 是的, 我的了解是: 这是关于一个人离开他的妻子, 因为妻子有脑瘤……. ( Shaun 在开玩笑, 但我不懂这玩笑, 哈哈)

还是穿插一下 Shaun 的美照, 不然看完整篇会打瞌睡.

No seriously,  Mammoth Pictures were making a show called Monroe and I was in the first episode and I got the job from that. As to whose original idea the first film was, I can’t be sure, I suppose a combination of Damien, Michele, and Russ’. 不是啦, 严肃的说, Mammoth 公司制作了一个节目叫 Endeavor, 我在第一集而且从此得到了工作

DAMIAN: You weren’t familiar with the original TV series, Inspector Morse, hadn’t read Colin Dexter’s novels on which it was based, or even looked at a script at this very early point. What were your initial thoughts or perhaps even preconceptions regarding the character? 你并没有熟悉原先的摩斯探长剧, 也没有读过 Colin 的原著, 这让你原先对这角色的想法为何?

SHAUN: I didn’t have any preconceptions, as I didn’t really know anything about it, though that said, I wasn’t massively keen on the idea of a cheesy one off, that would just be a money spinner for the channel…however, given that, to my understanding, the execs had sought me out, I thought I have to repay that with a bit of research, and I’m glad I did… So I suppose I did have preconceptions! 这让我没有任何成见, 因为我之前对这没有任何了解

DAMIAN: And after you’d read Colin’s books and the script for FIRST BUS TO WOODSTOCK, what was it about Morse that you connected with and thought you could make your own? 在你读了 Colin 的小说以及第一幕的剧本后, 你认为你可以做甚么让你和 Morse 产生联结呢?

SHAUN: I didn’t think I could make anything my own, but I was intrigued by the storytelling in the novels. The character seemed very clear and at the same time distant, I don’t know, I was intrigued I suppose. Then read Russ’ script and thought it was brilliant. So complex and interesting, that it allayed any of the perceptions that I thought I didn’t have! 我不认为我可以做甚么, 但我觉得小说非常有趣, 读了剧本后觉得角色的性格十分清晰, 辉煌的复杂的而且有趣.

DAMIAN: Were there any of the novels or short stories in particular that resonated most and what character details did you find in them that influenced your interpretation?有没有什么特别的共鸣小说或短篇故事，你在其中发现了什么性格的细节，影响了你的解释？

SHAUN: I particularly liked the penultimate novel, I can’t remember the name of it, something about it I just really liked. I’d long stopped reading them for research by that stage and was just enjoying them. It’s too hard to say specifically what influences your interpretation, it doesn’t really work that way in acting, for me at least, its a feeling.我喜欢倒数第二本的小说, 我不记得名字了但我喜欢. 我花长时间阅读而且享受它. 很难说具体是甚么影响, 我没有真正用甚么方法来演, 那是一种感觉.

DAMIAN: I wonder if you can describe the very first day of filming, the scene that was shot and at what point in the series did you think, yeah, I can do this – I’m Morse now?不知你能否描述第一天拍摄遭到枪击, 在哪一点上你想--- 喔, 我现在是 Morse?

SHAUN: Again, that’s a very external way of looking at it, you just do your days work, and hope people like it. The first day was myself and Jimmy Bradshaw looking at a dead body by a riverside, and I remember…well actually, when I work I often think “no one will see this, its just a bit of a laugh”  and I do that to feel free so that I can be creative, but I remember coming into my trailer on the first morning and the producers had, very generously, left a first edition of “Last Bus to Woodstock”, signed by Colin, along with a replica Jag, (miniature unfortunately) and I thought, “oh shit” , I don’t know why, but I just felt a degree of pressure, which I’ve never felt before, expectation I suppose. So I put the gifts in a drawer until we’d finished (which I guess is significant) got on my knees, said a quick prayer to help me get on with it,  and then went out and had a laugh with Jimmy and the crew, forgot all of it and got on with the job.还是那句话，从外部来看，你只要做你一天的工作，并希望人们喜欢它。第一天我和Jimmy Bradshawy在河边看著一具尸体，我记得......嗯，事实上，当我工作，我常常在想“没有人会看到这些，它有一点好笑”，我感觉自由这样我可以有创意，但我记得当我第一天进入我的拖车时, 制作单位非常慷慨，留下“末班车伍德斯托克”的第一版，由Colin签署，与捷豹的复制品一起，（很不幸是小型的），我想，“Oh shit”，我不知道为什么，但我感到一定程度的压力，这是我以前从来没有觉得的。所以我把礼物放在抽屉里，直到结束 (我想很明显）得到了我的膝盖，说了快速地祈祷，以帮助我得到它，然后走了出去，并与吉米和船员笑，忘了这一切，并开始工作。

DAMIAN: Although the crosswords, the opera and the booze are all essential elements, I would argue that they have become almost a distraction in our understanding of the character. If I asked you to think of Morse as a man you had actually met and knew well, how would you describe him – how do you see him in your mind’s eye, where is he and what is he doing? 虽然填字游戏，歌剧院和酒都是必不可少的因素，我认为，这已经让我对角色的认识几乎形成一种干扰。如果我问你已经如此熟悉 Morse ,你会如何形容他 - 你怎么看他在你的脑海里，他在哪里，什么是他在做什么

SHAUN: Wow that’s a good question, erm, I like to think that’s how he rests, sitting in a comfy chair, opera on the turntable, scotch by his side, and crossword half filled, in a melancholy mood, quizzing over the big questions and being lost in his thoughts…ha I love this character, I know that sounds mad, but I do.？
SHAUN：哇，这是一个很好的问题，呃，我想，就是他休息，坐在舒适的椅子上，歌剧在转盘上，苏格兰威士忌和填了一半的填字游戏，忧郁的心情，想著一些大问题以及遗失在他的想法中...哈哈我喜欢这个人物，我知道这听起来很疯狂，但我喜欢。

DAMIAN: Morse is very much a man shaped and moulded by his past – we all are to some extent I suppose. However, if we were looking for clues as to his loneliness and social awkwardness, would we find the most revealing pointers in his failed relationship with his college sweetheart, Susan Fallon, or perhaps his troubled home life with his father? Morse 的过去形成了他这样的人格, 我们也一定程度上是这养的. 如果我们要寻找他为何如此孤独以及身处群体中的格格不入, 我们会发现是在他大学时代失败的恋爱关系, Susan Fallon, 或也许是家庭生活与他父亲之间?

SHAUN: It’s too academic to want such solid reasons for things, the whys and wherefores, but life is more interesting and mysterious than that. “Thursday’s child has far to go”, who knows why, he just does. Over intellectualising ruins inspiration I think for the actor. 太学术的将事物固定住理由了, 但生活是有趣且神秘得多, 星期四探长的小孩还有很多路要走, 谁知道为什么, 他只是做.

 

DAMIAN: There are some elements of Morse which very much remind me of Educating Rita and, given his working-class background and later education at University, has become something of a “Frankenstein’s monster”. He feels he doesn’t belong to, or is too good or educated for his own family, but by the same token, doesn’t belong to the more highbrow world of Oxford academia either because he constantly feels inferior to them, not because of his intelligence but because of his background. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that Morse, because of his great intellect, isolates himself, doesn’t speak anyone else’s language, and no one can ever fully understand his – he doesn’t truly belong anywhere does he? Morse 让我想到” Educating Rita” 出身于工人阶级之后受教育于大学, 变成像科学怪人般, 他觉得他不属于, 他的高学历相对于家中格格不入, 也不属于牛津学术界这般更加曲高和寡的地方, Morse 觉得自己的智力不逊于他们, 但因为他的背景所以无法融入. 我想说的是因为 Morse 的伟大智慧, 因而隔离自己, 会说任何人爱说的话, 没有人能够完全理解他, 他并不真正属于任何地方, 是吗?

SHAUN: That’s right. 没错

DAMIAN: This situation is obviously intensified later in his police career and his refusal to either conform or “play the game”. Would you say that Morse is paradoxically both superior and inferior in all his personal and professional relationships? 这种情况倒致他的警察生涯, 因为拒绝配合所谓的玩游戏而越演越烈, 你会说这种矛盾显现在他个人生活及专业上

SHAUN: Er…yeah. 是的

DAMIAN: Except, of course, for Detective Inspector Fred Thursday? 除此之外, 当然还有星期四探长

SHAUN: Ah, Thursday. How cool is Roger Allam? 喔, 星期四探长, RogerAllam 多酷啊!

DAMIAN: It would be simplistic to describe the relationship between Thursday and Morse as merely father and son – there’s a more complex and intriguing connection between the two isn’t there? 简化说星期四探长与 Morse 有著父子般情感的连结, 但其实有更复杂更有趣的连结是吗?

SHAUN: I think so. 我想是.

DAMIAN: Is Roger usually in character between takes or is he simply a bit like his Thursday character in real life? Roger 真实生活中的个性与星期四探长相同吗?

SHAUN: Oh no, he’s glorious…funny, and irreverent, and sharp, but most of all one of the most wonderful, coolest actors I know. 不, 他是辉煌的, 有趣, 不敬, 锐利, 是我所知的演员中最棒最酷的.

DAMIAN: In addition to yourself and Roger, I can honestly say that I believe Endeavour boasts one of the finest ensemble casts of any recent TV series. If we look at the progression and augmentation of characters from the pilot and series one, such as Max (James Bradshaw), Jakes (Jack Laskey), Bright (Anton Lesser), Strange (Sean Rigby) and Dorothea (Abigail Thaw), these really do seem like living breathing characters who inhabit both Oxford and our imagination in the most serendipitous way. Abigail told me that you both often try to play around with your scenes and their often inherent humour but the directors usually reign you in so I’m wondering to what extent is there room to improvise and take advantage of this beautiful chemistry that the whole cast seem to share? 除了你及 Roger allam 外, 我可以诚实的说这个剧组是最近以来最优秀之一, 我们看看这些演员, 赋予角色有生命的呼吸在牛津及寻常的角落. Abigail 告诉我妳俩经常玩弄场景及幽默感而导演来统整, 这种化学变化产生的优点到何种程度?

SHAUN: Well, if you cast well, and let the actors do their job, they’ll give you good stuff… yes we are blessed with a brilliant ensemble, all of the actors are prepared, have thought about the scenes and come offering something. They are all terrific. And yeah within the time constraints we play around as much as possible, it’s very much a team effort, it really is. And that goes on off stage too, if anyone is doing anything else, we usually organise a team outing to support, and also because I love watching them all work.

嗯，如果你投其所好，让演员做他们的工作，他们就会给你的好东西......是的，我们被赋予了辉煌的合作，所有演员准备好，试过场景来提供任何东西。他们都是了不起的。在时间限制之内，我们尽可能多完一些，这是一个团队的努力。如果有人做别了其它事情，都会得到一个团队的支持，我也很喜欢看他们工作。

DAMIAN: Abigail also mentioned that she and Jimmy Bradshaw want their own spin-off series, Dotty and Max! – what are your thoughts on this? Abigail 提及她和 Jimmy Bradshaw 希望有他们的系列—Dotty and Max, 你怎么看?

SHAUN: Can I be in it as a guest? 我可以当客人吗?

DAMIAN: After the first Endeavour film, FIRST BUS TO WOODSTOCK, you chose to play quite a dark character in The Last Weekend (2012) and again, more recently you opted for another character who couldn’t be further away from Morse in The Scandalous Lady W (2015) – do you think roles such as these are deliberate attempts to avoid typecasting? 经过Endeavour , 你选择了一个黑暗的角色在 The last weekend, 然后最近又演了一部与 Morse 角色很不同的 The Scandalous Lady W, 你想避免局限在同一类型的角色中吗?

SHAUN: I don’t believe in type-casting, you’re only limited to one role if that’s all you can play. I’m lucky that I’ve always had the opportunity to play parts far away from me, which I hope will continue. 我不相信类型角色, 你会局限在一个角色中如果你可以演的话. 我很幸运总是有机会饰演不同的角色, 我希望可以这样下去.

DAMIAN: Would you say that it might be more interesting for you as an actor to portray Morse as dark a character as audiences would be willing to accept for a primetime ITV drama? 你会说如果 Morse 的性格越黑暗会越有可能吸引黄金时段的 ITV 观众吗?

SHAUN:  I don’t know, I don’t think about it, Russ does the writing, and if I have any ideas or anything jumps out I have the opportunity to air it, but I think that we’re all pretty much on the same page about the important stuff. I don’t really think about the audience, in that way.

DAMIAN: You have a very distinctive way of… Talking. And. Delivering your lines. I can only describe it as measured and introspective which really works for the character. However, I’ve noticed that, in comparison to Roger who is pretty much consistent and says the same line the same way take after take, you are a lot more unpredictable and perhaps even slightly capricious in your delivery. Is this something you are aware of and does it ever affect the interplay with other actors?

这里的 line 指的是甚么? 声线吗? 意思是 Roger 总是固定的维持稳定的在一个声线, 但 Shaun 的声线会变来变去!

SHAUN: I’d never noticed, it could be in the writing, or perhaps I’m trying to work something out, or maybe that’s how I think this person is thinking this thought,  and therefore speaking this… line. Shaun 居然说他没有注意过, 哈哈! 其实我觉得他的利物浦腔很迷人.

DAMIAN: I was actually complimenting Russ for the scene in HOME (S1:04) between Morse and his father, Cyril, shortly before he dies saying how it was written with such beautiful understatement and so many implicit thoughts and emotions only for him to tell me it was originally quite different! Apparently he had written so much more about Cyril/Gwen and Morse/Susan Fallon but you and Colm McCarthy [Director] had some “notes”! I know both yourself and Roger provide significant input into the scripts so is this sort of debate regarding how or a scene should be shot and played typical?

主要是谈第一季第四集Home 的编剧写得很好

SHAUN: No not typical, they’re brilliantly written, but it’s our duty to create an imaginary world in our heads, so at the read through of each film I’ve made extensive notes about certain things which block that process for me, which then facilitates it being faster on the working day, that we’re not caught up with small inconsistencies.

DAMIAN: In preparing for my interviews with Russ that take quite an in depth look at every film, I’ll spend hours simply watching them, pausing the DVD to make notes and trying to research all his cunning references and nods to not only the original series but also anything from horror, noir or whatever scrap of film, television or literature history that seems to take his fancy. If you haven’t watched the original Inspector Morse episodes, do you yourself find it difficult to spot some of the more obscure references?

这段是说他在采访前要做大量的工作反复看 DVD, 作笔记, 了解前因后果, 深入故事, 但 Shaun 不这么做, 他保留一些空间对这角色的想像.

SHAUN: That’s intentional. If something sticks out to me in the reading to be surplus, I’ll question it and it will quite often be a “heritage” thing, which for me is neither here nor there, unless it slows down our stories. Then you have to question if it’s necessary to the plot, and if it is deemed necessary, but it still sticks out to me, I just try to limit all of my interactions with it, because its cried out to me. I personally don’t find any enjoyment in that, but I know others do, so that’s OK.

DAMIAN: Owing to the phenomenal success of the original series, Colin Dexter began to change the way he wrote Morse in his later novels and short stories so as to incorporate John Thaw’s performance, personality and appearance. Do you think Russ has done the same thing with you and your interpretation over the last three series?

SHAUN: I’m not sure, nah, I don’t think so, I’d like to think I was endlessly surprising Damian, and that they never know what they’re going to get from me!

DAMIAN: The first Endeavour film, FIRST BUS TO WOODSTOCK, was conceived in large part to mark the 25th anniversary of the original Inspector Morse series and was never actually intended to serve as a pilot at the time. Would you still have signed on to play Morse if you’d have known Endeavour would be such a success and last at least three -hopefully more!- series?

SHAUN: No, I don’t think so. It can lead to complacency, that way of looking at work, from everyone, the actors, the execs and the channel’s point of view. People feel like they own you, and it all becomes about business, making it cheaper and more of it-whilst we’ve managed to avoid that, which ultimately adds to the quality. I don’t think you can say any of our films are “fillers”, they’re all little works of art I like to think, some more successful than others admittedly, but all began with the best of intentions.

DAMIAN: Do you think that playing Morse during such long shoots (I think series three took about 95 days to film) has prevented you from accepting other roles you would have liked to explore?

SHAUN: Yes definitely, but you just have to prioritise, like I say I love this work and we have it very good, the team we have, and it won’t last forever, so I make the most of what I have in front of me, and if another job wants me enough, they’ll make the schedule work, and if not, that’s cool too. Its win/win.

DAMIAN: Russ has told me that he knows exactly how Endeavour will end and has even written the final scene. Presumably you’ve discussed this with him but what I and many fans really want to know, since there’s obviously no show without you playing Morse, will we ever get to see that ending?

SHAUN: I hope so.

DAMIAN: Shaun, thanks for doing this. As a fan of the novels, the original TV series and now especially Endeavour, it really is an enormous privilege for me to talk to you about this character that means so very much to me and so many other people around the world. And –hopefully Russ will forgive me for stealing his words from one of our previous interviews– thank you for bringing “a certain, special kind of Oxford magic to a whole new generation, with a pitch perfect portrayal of the heart, mind, body and soul of Endeavour Morse.” Thank you Shaun.

SHAUN: Kind words sir, thank you. I hope our new offerings delight more than anything we’ve done thus far. Cheers Damian