James Nesbitt interview
James Nesbitt plays Max Raban
Published: Wednesday, 26 March 2008, 3:35PM
You play a journalist in Midnight Man. Did you consider a job switch after that?
I did think about being a sports journalist once. But it was never really a burning vocation. I have met several leading sports journalists through my support for Manchester United and I am envious of their jobs. I have done a bit of journalism in recent years, writing in my ambassadorial role for Unicef. I have also written guest columns for a national paper. It is something I enjoy, but it takes me so long. I don’t have the speed for it. Journalism is a noble profession, and one I admire.
So they’re not all evil hacks then?
I think there is a very important role for investigative journalists to play in uncovering the truth, by getting through lies, particularly in a world where so much is controlled, and we don’t know whether what is being told to us by politicians is true. We are much more mistrusting of politicians now.
Tell us about your character in Midnight Man
Max Raban is a previously well respected journalist. He is intelligent, driven, and fascinated by the world of journalism. He did well quite early on and was covering big stories early in his career. But he fell into this problem when he was investigating bribery involving the deputy prime minister, and in his naivety and fear he revealed his source.
What happened next?
He lost all credibility, and the worst thing was Helen, the source, died. Carrying the guilt of Helen’s death plunged him into this nightmare existence. He is a man whose family is suffering, he is separated from his wife because of the impact that the death of Helen had on him. He is now in this weird world where he is scared to go out in the daylight.
And he hits rock bottom…
Yes, he’s reduced to going through bins and feeding this tat to tabloid newspapers, which must be soul destroying for him because that is not what he is interested in. He is so desperate to get back in the game. But he is not really looking at his own story, which is not dealing with the past and the terrible trauma in his life, and not being able to move forward because of that.
What attracted you to this role?
I thought the character was different to anything I had played recently. He is not a hard character. He's nothing like Murphy in Murphy’s Law. He is not as fantastical as Jekyll. I was attracted to the isolated nature of him and also that kind of quirky thing about him.