Tom Wilkinson's American Part

Actor Tom Wilkinson is best known for his very British roles in films such as "The Full Monty" and "Shakespeare In Love." He is now collecting accolades, including the New York Film Critics' Best Actor Award, for playing a very American doctor dealing with a family tragedy in the film "In the Bedroom." He talked about it during an interview on The Early Show.

In the movie, he and Sissy Spacek play a married couple who have built a secure life in Maine. But when events turn against them, the tension between the two builds like a coiled spring. And there is a scene where it all explodes.

Because the film was not shot in sequence, Wilkinson and Spacek did not build up to that scene at a measured emotional pace. Yet, they were able to successfully play it together – a fact that Wilkinson attributes largely to the writing.

"It's a very good scene," he says simply. "For actors, you look at that and think, 'This is just wonderful.' So it's not a real problem. (It's) a problem when they're badly written, and you don't really have an idea how you're going to do it, and you want to avoid having to do it at all."

If you did not already know he is British, you never would guess it by listening to him speak in the movie.

"I was brought up in Canada, so when I first learned to speak, I talked like you guys…with a little Canadian thing," he says, adding, "But it was during that time that …I fell in love with American culture. The first game that I ever learned was baseball, and the first team that I ever supported was the Yankees. And, of course, as an English actor, you grow up watching American movies, and you want to be Marlon Brando."

And did his role in "In the Bedroom" fulfill that hope?

"I don't know," the actor replies. "I mean, as far as the movie was concerned, it's turned out to be a very, very good film, and I'm very proud of having done that."

The movie marks the directorial debut of Todd Field, who also wrote the screenplay. Did Wilkinson have any concern that Field would not be up to the task?

"No, no, no, no, no," he says emphatically. "You can never tell. I've worked with seasoned directors who have made a mess of it, and I've worked with first-time directors who have made a mess of it. It's a bit of a lottery. You just hope the best."

Wilkinson also has nothing but the highest praise for Spacek, with whom he has strong onscreen chemistry.

"We got on straightaway. And you don't know about that chemistry. It's something you know after the fact. I remember when we first saw (the movie) together, Sissy and I, and I said afterwards, 'Sissy, we really look like we've been married for 25 years.' It's not something you sit down and discuss and say, 'Let's pretend to have been married for 25 years.'"

Oscar buzz is thick around Wilkinson these days. Does he think about it that much?

"No, best not to," says the actor. "I'm happy that the film has done well, and people have been kind about what I do, and what everybody else does in the film, and that's good. Anything else is a nice bonus."

FAST FACTS ABOUT TOM WILKINSON

• Born in Leeds, England
• Moved with family to Canada for approximately five years; Returned to England with family; settled in Cornwall.
• Landed first professional job as an actor one day after graduating from RADA working in Camden.
• 1981: Appeared in "Hamlet" at the Royal Shakespeare Company
• 1983: Cast as poet T.S. Eliot opposite Julie Covington in the biographical play "Tom and Viv"
• 1985: Played supporting role in "Wetherby", written and directed by David Hare and starring Vanessa Redgrave
• 1986: Garnered attention in the British TV production "First Among Equals"; Co-starred with Vanessa Redgrave in "Ghosts" at the Young Vic
• 1988: Portrayed Ernest Simpson in CBS movie "The Woman He Loved", the story of the love affair that toppled a king; Appeared in CBS movie "The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank", starring Mary Steenburgen and Paul Scofield
• 1990: Guest-starred as Peter Rawlins in the popular "Prime Suspect"; aired in 1992 on PBS' "Mystery!"
• 1991-1992: Had title role in "Resnick: Lonely Hearts" and "Resnick: Rough Treatment", the BBC adaptations of John Harvey's detective novels featuring hero Charlie Resnick; both programs written by Harvey
• 1993: Played small role in Jim Sheridan's "In the Name of the Father"
• 1994: Appeared as a priest involved with his housekeeper in Antonia Bird's controversial "Priest"; Gave memorable performance as Seth Pecksniff in "Charles Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit"; aired on PBS' "Masterpiece Theatre" in 1995
• 1995: Acted the role of Gerald in A&E's "Inspector Alleyn: Scales of Justice"; Featured performance as Mr. Dashwood in "Sense and Sensibility", directed by Ang Lee
• 1996: Portrayed Beaumont in "The Ghost and the Darkness"
• 1997: Breakthrough screen role as Gerald, the older gentleman who agrees to partake in an amateur strip show in "The Full Monty"; Cast as Professor Loyen in the Bille August-directed "Smilla's Sense of Snow", which starred Julia Ormond; Portrayed Lord Queensberry, the father of Lord Alfred Douglas in the biopic "Wilde"; Appeared as the severe adoptive father of the title male in "Oscar and Lucinda"
• 1998: Had co-starring role in the box-office hit "Rush Hour"; Played the patriarch of a family who falls in love with the title character in "The Governess"; Cast as the money lender turned producer in the Oscar-winning Best Picture "Shakespeare in Love"
• 1999: Co-starred in "Molokai: The Story of Father Damien"; Reteamed with director Ang Lee for a cameo role in "Ride With the Devil"
• 2000: Appeared as an aristocratic Cornwallis in "The Patriot"; Returned to the London stage after many years, starring opposite Julia Ormand in David Hare's play "My Zinc Bed"
• 2001: Co-starred in the Martin Lawrence comedy "Black night"
• Will next appear as Dr. Chausible in the feature remake of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" to be released in 2002
• Received Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for "In the Bedroom" (2001). cited with co-star Sissy Spacek.
• Received New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor for "In the Bedroom"
• Received New York Film Critics Online Award for Best Actor for "In the Bedroom"
• Nominated for the AFI Award for Best Actor for "In The Bedroom." (Denzel Washington won for "Training Day.")
• Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for "In The Bedroom."

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