Gather at the Movies: Ioan Gruffudd Answers Gather Member Questions in this Exclusive Interview with the Star of "Amazing Grace"

Armed with questions sent in by Gather members, the Gather Editorial Team interviewed actor Ioan Gruffudd (pronounced YO-an GRIFF-ith)  about his experience as the lead in the soon-to-be released film "Amazing Grace.”  He also answered your additional questions about his career.    

Mr. Gruffudd is most well known for his portrayals of Horatio Hornblower in A&E’s series “Hornblower,” as Dr. Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) in the movie “Fantastic Four,” and Lancelot in the blockbuster “King Arthur.”

In “Amazing Grace," Gruffudd portrays William Wilberforce, a young man and member of Parliament who takes on the British establishment to abolish slavery in the British Empire during the late 18^th century. The film focuses on Wilberforce's inner struggles between pursuing a religious life or a political career that could make an impact on the world he inhabits.  The ensemble cast includes Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon, Romola Garai, and Youssou N'Dour. 

What turned you on to doing Amazing Grace? Charles Lennox IV

Well, it was the script. I was sitting at home reading a bunch of scripts and this one just popped out at me because I thought it was a wonderful, wonderful story and an amazing character for what he achieved. And I was educated by it, because I was sort of ignorant to the fact that William Wilberforce accomplished this over his lifetime.  I didn’t quite realize there was a difference between the abolition of slavery and the abolition of the slave trade.

Hello from Missouri! You're an outstanding actor & I can't wait to see Amazing Grace! What was it like to play the abolitionist, William Wilberforce? What research did you do in order to really get into character? Alex W. 

Wow. Thank you Alex. That’s an amazing compliment. It is very hard to describe.  There is an instinct that you have as an actor towards a character and this being another heroic character like Hornblower, like Mr. Fantastic, these characters sort of leap out to me and they are such brilliant characters. The research that I had to do for him was to read as many books as were available about William Wilberforce.  But the essence of the character was already on the page.  He was a great humanitarian and obviously a compassionate man, a very passionate man, so I just had to try to tap into those elements of myself to really expose this character.  It is a very humbling experience, as an actor, to try to represent somebody as extraordinary as William Wilberforce. 

Greetings from Australia Ioan! If you, yourself were around in Wilberforce's time how do you think you’d personally respond to the stand he was taking or the slave trade in general? Kaitlyn K. 

What an interesting question.  If I were living in the time of William Wilberforce?  It’s very hard to tell. If I were a member of Parliament, for example, I would like to think that I would have the same sort of compassion as him, but I might have been like most of the establishment who were quite reticent and angry at what he was doing.  Wilberforce was so radical; he was asking the British government to abolish, basically, its own economy by asking everybody to stop earning money importing and exporting sugar, which was the biggest economy in the U.K. So I would have thought he was an incredibly radical character but at the same time, I’m very impressed by what he achieved because he was an honest guy and he persevered with this for fifteen years of his life. 

To get a better idea of the scope of Wilberforce’s struggle to abolish slavery, what would be an example of a modern day equivalent of this kind of battle? Elizabeth K. 

I would imagine somebody standing up and wanting to scrap the budget for the Ministry of Defense in the U.K.  Something as radical as that in these so called “dangerous times.”

Amazing Grace tells the story of one man's fight for justice against seemingly impossible odds. What films have you found to be inspiring? Kate Mitchell 

Well, inspiring to me as a young actor were movies like “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Gregory Peck is a big hero of mine.  Other inspiring films for me were mainly westerns.  I love “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”  I love the “The Magnificent Seven,” which is one of my favorite all time movies.  There really are so many.  I think that’s why I became an actor because I just love the magic of movies and the magic of telling the story in that way.  And when I read “Amazing Grace,” it was a story of that nature.  I wanted to be the actor, or the character, creating that magic, influencing and inspiring the audience.  I think I got that opportunity with this project because it is so incredibly moving. 

Is there a lot of latitude taken with historical facts in a film like this or is it fairly accurate? Casey D., NH 

It is fairly accurate, yes.  We’ve taken some liberties.  We’ve amalgamated a couple of characters of Parliament to narrow the whole story down because in order to represent the true history, we would have had to make a movie over ten hours long. But in general, the dates we present in the movie, and the actions, are genuine. 

Gather Editorial: Did you film at any original locations?

Some of the places that Wilberforce and Pitt were at no longer exist.  The House of Parliament burned down in the 1830s.  But we did get the opportunity to walk on the grounds where it stood, because it actually stood in the great hallway on the way into Westminster. It was kind of eerie and magical to actually stand where they stood. It was one of those moments I really treasured because I realized, there we were in Parliament itself.  We saw one of the chambers. We had dinner with a Member of Parliament, leader of the opposition, and he showed us the House of Lords.  So we literally did walk in the footsteps of these great men and it made it very real for me and inspired me to go forward with the movie.

Hi Ioan! I have so enjoyed all of the period roles you have performed. I am truly looking forward to Amazing Grace. I have been wondering if there was an American historical figure that you would be interested in portraying. Gretchen B., Oregon 

I would love to have a go at playing John F. Kennedy.  I think that would be an amazing experience.  Such an extraordinary story and such a short life. 

Gather Editorial: Maybe you could pair up with Michael Apted [director of “Amazing Grace”] again.  When we interviewed him this week, he likened Wilberforce and Pitt as the Kennedy’s of their generation. 

Yes. I suppose they are.  They were so young and so radical and stood up for the emancipation of people. That was what was so exciting about playing this part.  These guys were so young.  William Pitt was only 24 when he became Prime Minister. I mean, that is extraordinary. 

You once mentioned that you would be interested in doing a western. Did you ever finish writing your script that you were kicking around, about two guys riding back to the U.S. from Bolivia? Melissa R. 

Laughs.  Wow, what a good memory she has.  No, I haven’t finished it.  I’ve been too busy expanding myself as Mr. Fantastic for the last six months.  But I shall try and revisit it when I have some time to myself.  That idea is sort of  evolving as well, like changing it from a western and putting it in a more contemporary mode.   

Most people here in Norway remember you from Hornblower…are you tired of people just remembering you as Hornblower, and not all of the other characters you've done? And, you have a really awesome singing voice.  Are there any future plans in that? Kristi L. 

I’m not tired at all of people recognizing me as Hornblower because he is such a brilliant character and he’s such a memorable character.  I am delighted to be associated with him.  So people are either ardent fans who come running up and appreciate it or they’ve never heard of  Hornblower  at all, so I’m grateful either way. And singing.  I did sing the song Amazing Grace in this movie.  It is my voice. I’m very proud of that, being a Welshman.  We all believe we can sing, coming from Wales. 

Gather Editorial: So can we expect you to cut an album soon? 

Laughs. No. No. I’m not up to that standard. 

Hi Ioan, I'm a big fan of your work in the Hornblower series. Any chance you will do another? Beth B. 

Sadly A&E, the American producers of Hornblower, decided that they didn’t want to make any more, that it was too expensive an endeavor.  So I won’t be making Hornblower in that context. But I do have dream and an ambition to maybe visit him on the big screen one day. I’d love to do it. I mean, there is so much scope with the stories. Obviously there’s the warring and action aspect of it.  There is quite a lot of romance involved.  We’ve seen the success of “Pirates of the Caribbean.” I know that is an extreme example of an adventure on the high seas but “Master and Commander” was incredibly successful as well.  I think that people really enjoy those types of movies.   

Most of the work you have done and the characters you have played are characters from books Like “Hornblower,” Bosinney from “The Forsyte Saga,” and Harry from “Man and Boy.” Did you get time to read the books? and if so did you manage to take any of their characteristics and mannerisms and perform them in your portrayal of the character? Alex B. 

Yes.  I read the “Hornblower” novels.  I read “Great Expectations” and “The Forsyte Saga.” And because they are characters in literature and there is evidence of how these characters are described from those books, yes, I try to portray them as closely as they were to my version of the story in the books because, again, you have to reiterate that it is why novels are so successful.  Everybody sees something different in them and that is why people go and see, for example, Hamlet time and time again because someone new is playing the part.  And this is my version of Pip, and my version of Bosinney, and my version of Hornblower. 

Now that you are starting to make a name for yourself in the US, do you think you will still make smaller UK or Welsh based films, or focus more on Hollywood? Kate Mitchell 

I mean, if there were great scripts that involved working in Wales or Welsh stories, then absolutely.  I’d jump at the opportunity. “Solomon and Gaenor” was a lovely independent movie, which had an extraordinary life after being nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.  So yes, there are great stories to be told.  And if that opportunity comes up, then I would certainly jump at the chance, but I am determined to be a Hollywood actor at the same time. 

Ioan, in the land of Hollywood there are so many pressures, do you find it hard to stay grounded? Suzanne H. 

I think because of the pressure,that keeps you grounded because it is so competitive that it doesn’t let you become complacent in any way, shape, or form. It really drives you forward to compete because there are so many people vying for these parts now because there isn’t an abundance of work or an abundance of movies being made.  I am incredibly grounded by nature, I think.  That’s why I get to represent characters who have a good moral backbone.   

How do you like living in California compared to living in the UK?  Beth B. 

I absolutely love living in California, I’ve got to admit.  Living in Los Angeles has proven to be a great stepping stone not just in my career but just in my life. I am living there with my fiancée Alice Evans, whom I have been with for over seven years, and we absolutely love it.  I had an amazing time living in London for twelve years, but I am really enjoying this new chapter in my life.   

Kia Ora (Hi from NZ), leaving out the money aspect of acting, what makes you choose one acting role to another?? Ka Kite (Bye) Marian S. 

It’s hard to describe, but it’s something instinctive.  Hornblower and William Wilberforce are incredibly heroic characters who are larger than life and I relish the opportunity and the pressure of living up to their high standards when I’m trying to represent these great men.  And on a daily basis, when you shoot a movie like “Amazing Grace,” it’s so satisfying as an actor to speak these incredible words and to work opposite legends of the screen and theater like Sir Michael Gambon or Albert Finney and to work with a director like Michael Apted. So it was one of the best experiences of my short career to work with these great men and on this great project.  On a daily basis, I was feeling very satisfied. 

Do you like to watch the movies that you've been? Do you feel they still "belong" to you or do you feel like they have a life of their own once you're done filming? Francesca B. 

Yes, I watch everything that I do.  I learn by watching myself.  I know there are a lot of  actors who don’t.   I don’t think Albert Finney has watched any of his movies, or maybe he watches them eventually.  But I watch dailies to see how the character is evolving and how I am coming across.  I mean, I learned by watching myself and I am used to watching my work from a very young age, and I’m not embarrassed about it in any way.  And the movies, once you’ve made the movie, it’s sort of beyond your control, really what happens to them and their life in the big world. It’s in the lap of the gods.  I’m immensely proud of everything that I’ve done and I stand by everything that I’ve done.  I’m very strongly attached to every project in that sense.  

Gather Editorial: Ioan, unfortunately our time with you is up.  Thank you for taking the time to speak with us.  Our members will be thrilled that you have answered their questions.  We wish you the best of luck with the success of “Amazing Grace.” 

Thank you very much.    

We thank the Gather community for sending us their questions, of which there were many. Unfortunately, we had a limited amount of time and were not able to have all of your questions answered.  "Amazing Grace" will open in movie theaters across the U.S. on February 23^rd.

To read more about the making of this movie, check out About the Production of Amazing Grace.

You can also read Gather's exclusive interview with “Amazing Grace” director Michael Apted.  To join the Amazing Grace discussion group, click here. 

Ioan Gruffudd was interviewed by Jennifer Hodge, Associate Editor of Gather and Elizabeth Khoo, Editorial Coordinator, Gather.