With his new show “Bookish”, Mark Gatiss has not tired of finding ways to kill people. “Sherlock Holmes himself said:” There is nothing new under the sun “”, explains the co-creator / star of “Sherlock”, adding, “it’s a constant challenge because you try to think how you can surprise people and what has not already been done.”
AFICIONADO of the Mystery of Murder (he is currently fighting on the temptation to buy the Accessories Journal used in the 1974 film “Murder on the Orient Express”), Gatiss is both impressed and liable to the work of Agatha Christie. “She found all kinds of possibilities for those who could have done it, and she arrived first, damn,” he notes. “This is what you are always looking for – new ways to surprise people.” He also knows that “the public is students of the genre”, which makes him even more difficult. This is why while doing “Sherlock”, someone said that the killer is “always the first person you see twice”. By going back and doing research, Gatiss learned that it was correct. “So, for the second season, I deliberately changed the scripts to make sure it was not true.”
Thus, rather than fighting expectations, Gatiss is looking for new variations on the beloved genre. The characters are essential to find new variations on the beloved genre. In the case of “Bookish”, first on July 16 on U & Alibi and a later date on PBS in the United States, he put the series in 1946 London, a time pivot after the Second World War for the country. Gatiss plays Gabriel Book, a gay in a lavender wedding with her longtime friend Trottie (a delicious Polly Walker) at a time when homosexuality was illegal. Book manages a family bookstore but also has a brilliant spirit that helps the police resolve crimes. “With a protagonist who is gay in a period of period allows you to highlight a different aspect of society and time,” he said about the series, co-created with Matthew Sweet. “It is a period, but it is also very under-examined. This is a time when so many things boil under the surface. Women were freed from working and contributing during the war and were then invited to recover behind the stove. People are starting to wonder: why should they come back to the old ones?”
In his work, Gatiss has always managed to be both timeless and ahead of his time. This is one of the reasons why “Sherlock” worked so well in the update of the Victorian character in a modern setting. He is also with him in the fantastic world of “Game of Thrones” and the science fiction universe of “Doctor Who” and excels in period pieces (he won a trio of Olivier Award’s nominations for Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus”, Alan Bennett, the Maliness by King Richard III “and describing Sir John Gielgud in” The Motive and The Cue »- For the last.)
Thus, although “book” can be fixed at a bygone era, it is by no means picturesque. He is not a fan of the term “comfortable crime”, although reports of him did not like that this term has also been exaggerated. “I understand, because I like to invoke this nostalgia, but I think that this term also implies a certain ease,” he says. “And should not be just wallpaper; He can have teeth. A large part of the crime is rooted in despair and sadness. ” Again, he invokes Christie who, above all, was a populist. “But it is actually very thorny and there are burning social comments, much more than people grant it.”
Although he knows that the mysteries of murder benefit from an increase in popularity, it is also prudent to move from silence on gravity – he uses the term “the romance of crime”, which is not also coincided at the title of a novel by “Doctor Who”. And although he appreciates the attraction of “a bottle of poison and a steep collar”, it is also aware of the tragedy. During the search for a scenario on the brutal murderer Neville Heath – also from 1946 London – he was able to visit the Scotland Yard Crime Museum, alias Black Museum, so named because he housed the darkest cases. The curator asked him in advance if he had a strong stomach, before presenting a series of crime photos. “Suddenly, there was no romance in crime,” recalls Gatiss. “It was just dark, even after 75 years. And I was very aware of the duality of the way we are there for the games of pleasure and living room, but there is real pain and suffering. ” While the experience “did not heal me” of his love for the genre, he knew with “Bookish” that he also wanted to look at the repercussions of these crimes.
But it would be a bad service to involve that the “book books” is in a way because. After all, Gatiss came to glory by writing and performing with “The League of Gentlemen”, the comedy troop (certainly dark) which was in equal parts Monty Python and Hammer Horror. And “Bookish” is not without his moments of laughter. “This period is generally considered rather dark because the world has been upset. But it is also full of optimism, ”he says. “And I believe that people who come by trauma can really go in the other direction. I believe that the book has a light attitude because it has seen very bad things. ”
So, even if he is not afraid of the character’s melancholy, he celebrates his joy. This spared Gatiss to have to engage in any “actor sign” and take advantage of work. “I understand that if you play a serial killer or do the research of Daniel Day-Lewis, you will wear this with you,” he said. “In the end, it’s disguised and fun.”
“Bookish” is also filled with a charming distribution, including Connor Finch in the role of Jack, a recent parole book hires to work in the store without revealing that they have a personal connection. Not to mention an adorable flight dog. Gatiss shares a dynamic chemistry with Walker, which can show a more fun side of itself compared to certain previous roles. “She is known to be a little a bit in shows like” Bridgeton “and she is wonderful,” explains Gatiss. “But she was quite touched, we thought of her for a sunny part.”
“Bookish” has already been committed for a second season, a great vote of trust before the first of July 16 of the show. He should be a busy month, because the actor balances his little work on the screen with a pair of giant franchise films while he continues the Hollywood tradition using great British actors for their authority and their charisma to put a blockbuster in motion. In addition to the “Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning”, already published, Gatiss appears in “Fantastic Four: First Steps”, hitting the rooms on July 25. He cannot say too much about his role as a talk show host from the 1960s, not only because he fears Marvel, but because he doesn’t know. “I liked two days. I am a lot in the trailer because I do the exhibition in a way, ”he says. “I’m so happy to be able to stand on the red carpet and don’t worry to give anything.”
The director of “Fantastic Four”, Matt Shakman, previously worked with Gatiss “One Glorious Day” on “Game of Thrones” and was a longtime fan. “When I needed to find Ed Sullivan for my retro future world of the 60s, I knew who to call,” enthuses Shakman. “It was a pleasure to see Mark again, and he is great in the film. In addition to being a charming person, he is completely brilliant as a creator and performer. I am impressed by his talent and already hoping for another project that we can do together.”
This does not mean that he took the role lightly – Gatiss studied a lot of archival television from the period to obtain the sensation and the rate of the character in the universe of the “Jetsons” type. He always liked the costumes and the wigs to find characters – think back to ridiculously tight red shorts which he was carrying on the “League” depicting the guide of the monotonous cave Mick McNamara (in fact a suggestion of Edgar Wright.) And he extends to the combination of a retro / future host to find the perfect gray protfocol and Gabriel’s book. “It’s really about dressing, right?” He notes. “I love the disguised part and how it makes you feel like someone else. I have a collection of toupets and teeth that really help me find my way – in addition to being at hand in Halloween. ”
“Bookish” at first on July 16 on U & Alibi and will be presented at a later date in the United States on PBS.
