Billy article
jacqui_hw found an article about Billy from By Night Magazine here.
I simply repost the complete article here in case it should ever be taken down from the magazines website
THESE DAYS Scotland's number one Hobbit, Billy Boyd, ticks every box on the aspiring actor's wish-list: An invitation to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (tick), non-stop work without panic pauses in-between (tick), a big break in the decade's most anticipated film trilogy (tick), prolific blockbuster offers flying through the letterbox (tick), fame (tick), fortune (tick), blah, blah, blah. Blimey, it almost sounds too good to be true for this lucky lad from Easterhouse. So why, after a healthy attendance record on the red carpet has Boyd swapped the Hollywood film fantasy for reality back in Glasgow?
"Since Lord of the Rings, people wonder why I still bother with small theatre parts," Boyd says. "But I didn't choose this career as a passport to fame - I just wanted to act." Cynics amongst us might roll their eyes at this run-of-the-mill PR spin mostly churned out by superstars eager to appear humble. But, refreshingly, his genuine and disarming modesty makes you wish all Hollywood hotshots came pre-packaged with a personality like Boyd. A-list attitudes would spiral down Tinseltown's toilet in favour of his down-to-earth approach to the biz.
That's the beauty of Boyd - there's not a whiff of self-importance from his direction, even though his ‘fame CV' could support it. Google his name and acres of cyber space unfolds with sites to satisfy his adoring international fanbase. Critics label him as ‘Ewan McGregor, mark II'. Hell, he's even immortalised as a super shrunk doll version of his already vertically challenged Lord of the Rings character, Pippin.
But it's the creative buzz, not megabucks which Boyd makes a beeline for. Perhaps it's just as well because for the moment his future is in Scotland - hardly a fiscal film-making Mecca for such a Hollywood veteran. "Scotland isn't an easy ride for an actor," he says. "For a start not having a studio here immensely holds back progress in the industry together with a lack of tax-breaks for film makers. Oh, and then there's the weather…" he laughs.
Surely then, Boyd would be mad to swap his previous run of plum parts in Rings, Master and Commander (with Russell Crowe) and horror flick, Seed of Chucky? It doesn't deter Boyd, who always bounces back to basecamp in Glasgow where he lives with his ballet dancing beauty, Ali McKinnon. "Coming home isn't an anti-climax at all. When I'm not working I'd much rather be in Glasgow, walking the dog or meeting my pals for a pint - it's far better than schmoozing at a random LA party."
Luckily, his first-class Tinseltown reputation delivers immunity to the vagaries of any film-making droughts. Last year, he starred alongside fellow Glaswegian Peter Mullan in the Sundance smash On a Clear Day. And this year there are two more indie films lined-up for release: The Flying Scotsman with stellar Scottish alumni including Brian Cox and Laura Fraser and his comical con-artist character in Save Angel Hope.
"I'm actually working on a track for that film with my new band," Boyd chirps, confirming he's more than a one-trick pony. "In fact we're hoping to record it in the Mixing Room Studios on West Regent Street." And then there's his own top-secret movie pencilled for production, early 2007 with fellow hot Hollywood Hobbit and pal, Dominic Monaghan. "It's really exciting to be involved from the very first stage of a movie - we've written the script and are waiting to start filming," he says, unwilling to reveal a head-start on the plot.
It's no accident Boyd's recent on-screen work is low-key art house - not that he's planning to retire from the box office smash hits. "My main mission as an actor is to play as many different characters as possible. I love film and I love theatre," he says, and has no intention of sacrificing either. "In an ideal world I'd want to play someone like Hamlet for the National Theatre of Scotland then hit the big screen in an American comedy before heading home to film a Scottish independent."
Sounds easy for a man of Boyd's credentials because surely now he can pick and choose the parts he pleases? "I don't think an actor is ever in a position to make demands," he counters. "Not even Brad Pitt - because the bigger the star the bigger the pressure from people presuming you're above or below a role you might desperately want to play."
Boyd has first-hand experience of these reactions. There's no denying Tolkein's trilogy was a chance-in-a-million scoop for the previously obscure actor, but the pressure to maintain that level of movie momentum can make or break many a career. However, in-line with his grounded sensibility, Boyd's own no nonsense formula helps determine the roles he picks up: "For me it's no mystery - if I love the script or admire the writing then that's enough for me to commit. So what if it happens to be for a small theatre?"
Indeed Boyd owes a measure of gratitude to Scottish theatre which first nurtured his talent. From his Ruchazie Primary School days spent prancing around as the Artful Dodger in Oliver! at the age of ten ("I couldn't believe people could get paid money to pretend being someone else,") to his post-diploma years spent ducking between Edinburgh's Traverse and Lyceum.
"At drama school I didn't think for a minute I'd score work in film - let alone on American movies," recalls Boyd. "I thought I could scrape a living from theatre - I knew it wouldn't be easy but I intended to be in it for the long-haul." Life plodded on until dynamo director Peter Jackson began a worldwide casting in search of actors who measured up to the five foot six inches tall criteria for his box office opus.
The rest is history, except now Boyd's A-list celeb status affords him the chance to help others less fortunate. "If you find yourself in the public eye then I think it's your duty to help with whatever you feel passionate about." Boyd mucks-in with Christian Aid, Epilepsy Connection and the Scottish Youth Theatre, but is wise to the fine line of mercenary self-promotion. "The only reason a 'celebrity' should get involved is to help the charity, not themselves. I prefer pitching-in behind-the-scenes but I also recognise if you're asked to help up-front then it's because your presence might generate media interest and money."
Of course life could have been very different for the boy who left school and spent seven years as a bookbinder for Collins in Bishopbriggs. Although he initially confessed his feelings for acting to his school guidance teacher, he was advised to hush-up: "In Cranhill, being an actor wasn't the done thing. People got a trade, so when I left school I didn't even know a drama academy existed."
Ironically, Lord of the Rings was one of the few books Boyd didn't read while he guarded the binding machines at the printers. "Eventually I got bored so I gave up the stability and applied to the RSAMD," he says. "It's tough to explain how life changes after something like Lord of the Rings because life is always moving, even in the smallest way," he continues. "Sure, more doors open and you're recognisable on a worldwide level, but the lives of people around you don't stop because of the weird experience you've been involved in - you just get on with it, same as always."
I simply repost the complete article here in case it should ever be taken down from the magazines website
THESE DAYS Scotland's number one Hobbit, Billy Boyd, ticks every box on the aspiring actor's wish-list: An invitation to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (tick), non-stop work without panic pauses in-between (tick), a big break in the decade's most anticipated film trilogy (tick), prolific blockbuster offers flying through the letterbox (tick), fame (tick), fortune (tick), blah, blah, blah. Blimey, it almost sounds too good to be true for this lucky lad from Easterhouse. So why, after a healthy attendance record on the red carpet has Boyd swapped the Hollywood film fantasy for reality back in Glasgow?
"Since Lord of the Rings, people wonder why I still bother with small theatre parts," Boyd says. "But I didn't choose this career as a passport to fame - I just wanted to act." Cynics amongst us might roll their eyes at this run-of-the-mill PR spin mostly churned out by superstars eager to appear humble. But, refreshingly, his genuine and disarming modesty makes you wish all Hollywood hotshots came pre-packaged with a personality like Boyd. A-list attitudes would spiral down Tinseltown's toilet in favour of his down-to-earth approach to the biz.
That's the beauty of Boyd - there's not a whiff of self-importance from his direction, even though his ‘fame CV' could support it. Google his name and acres of cyber space unfolds with sites to satisfy his adoring international fanbase. Critics label him as ‘Ewan McGregor, mark II'. Hell, he's even immortalised as a super shrunk doll version of his already vertically challenged Lord of the Rings character, Pippin.
But it's the creative buzz, not megabucks which Boyd makes a beeline for. Perhaps it's just as well because for the moment his future is in Scotland - hardly a fiscal film-making Mecca for such a Hollywood veteran. "Scotland isn't an easy ride for an actor," he says. "For a start not having a studio here immensely holds back progress in the industry together with a lack of tax-breaks for film makers. Oh, and then there's the weather…" he laughs.
Surely then, Boyd would be mad to swap his previous run of plum parts in Rings, Master and Commander (with Russell Crowe) and horror flick, Seed of Chucky? It doesn't deter Boyd, who always bounces back to basecamp in Glasgow where he lives with his ballet dancing beauty, Ali McKinnon. "Coming home isn't an anti-climax at all. When I'm not working I'd much rather be in Glasgow, walking the dog or meeting my pals for a pint - it's far better than schmoozing at a random LA party."
Luckily, his first-class Tinseltown reputation delivers immunity to the vagaries of any film-making droughts. Last year, he starred alongside fellow Glaswegian Peter Mullan in the Sundance smash On a Clear Day. And this year there are two more indie films lined-up for release: The Flying Scotsman with stellar Scottish alumni including Brian Cox and Laura Fraser and his comical con-artist character in Save Angel Hope.
"I'm actually working on a track for that film with my new band," Boyd chirps, confirming he's more than a one-trick pony. "In fact we're hoping to record it in the Mixing Room Studios on West Regent Street." And then there's his own top-secret movie pencilled for production, early 2007 with fellow hot Hollywood Hobbit and pal, Dominic Monaghan. "It's really exciting to be involved from the very first stage of a movie - we've written the script and are waiting to start filming," he says, unwilling to reveal a head-start on the plot.
It's no accident Boyd's recent on-screen work is low-key art house - not that he's planning to retire from the box office smash hits. "My main mission as an actor is to play as many different characters as possible. I love film and I love theatre," he says, and has no intention of sacrificing either. "In an ideal world I'd want to play someone like Hamlet for the National Theatre of Scotland then hit the big screen in an American comedy before heading home to film a Scottish independent."
Sounds easy for a man of Boyd's credentials because surely now he can pick and choose the parts he pleases? "I don't think an actor is ever in a position to make demands," he counters. "Not even Brad Pitt - because the bigger the star the bigger the pressure from people presuming you're above or below a role you might desperately want to play."
Boyd has first-hand experience of these reactions. There's no denying Tolkein's trilogy was a chance-in-a-million scoop for the previously obscure actor, but the pressure to maintain that level of movie momentum can make or break many a career. However, in-line with his grounded sensibility, Boyd's own no nonsense formula helps determine the roles he picks up: "For me it's no mystery - if I love the script or admire the writing then that's enough for me to commit. So what if it happens to be for a small theatre?"
Indeed Boyd owes a measure of gratitude to Scottish theatre which first nurtured his talent. From his Ruchazie Primary School days spent prancing around as the Artful Dodger in Oliver! at the age of ten ("I couldn't believe people could get paid money to pretend being someone else,") to his post-diploma years spent ducking between Edinburgh's Traverse and Lyceum.
"At drama school I didn't think for a minute I'd score work in film - let alone on American movies," recalls Boyd. "I thought I could scrape a living from theatre - I knew it wouldn't be easy but I intended to be in it for the long-haul." Life plodded on until dynamo director Peter Jackson began a worldwide casting in search of actors who measured up to the five foot six inches tall criteria for his box office opus.
The rest is history, except now Boyd's A-list celeb status affords him the chance to help others less fortunate. "If you find yourself in the public eye then I think it's your duty to help with whatever you feel passionate about." Boyd mucks-in with Christian Aid, Epilepsy Connection and the Scottish Youth Theatre, but is wise to the fine line of mercenary self-promotion. "The only reason a 'celebrity' should get involved is to help the charity, not themselves. I prefer pitching-in behind-the-scenes but I also recognise if you're asked to help up-front then it's because your presence might generate media interest and money."
Of course life could have been very different for the boy who left school and spent seven years as a bookbinder for Collins in Bishopbriggs. Although he initially confessed his feelings for acting to his school guidance teacher, he was advised to hush-up: "In Cranhill, being an actor wasn't the done thing. People got a trade, so when I left school I didn't even know a drama academy existed."
Ironically, Lord of the Rings was one of the few books Boyd didn't read while he guarded the binding machines at the printers. "Eventually I got bored so I gave up the stability and applied to the RSAMD," he says. "It's tough to explain how life changes after something like Lord of the Rings because life is always moving, even in the smallest way," he continues. "Sure, more doors open and you're recognisable on a worldwide level, but the lives of people around you don't stop because of the weird experience you've been involved in - you just get on with it, same as always."