++ IN PRINT :: INTERVIEWS ++

 

:: THE FORSYTE SAGA::

 

Ben's thoughts on Monty

 

"I do feel as if I'm on Stars in their Eyes sometimes", says Ben Miles, who plays the ne'er-do-well Montague Dartie. "It's the moustache. One day I'm going to look into the camera and say "Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be Freddie Mercury." Dartie is a dapper fellow and Miles certainly gets the best of the men's wardrobe in The Forsyte Saga. "He tries to be overly English, because he's from a slightly lower social level than the Forsytes so he's trying to compensate. There's one school of thought that says he's from a Jewish background, which would make sense - he's trying to curry favour with a class not known for its sympathetic attitude towards Jews. The English Upper classes were terribly anti-Semitic at this time. It works with the Forsytes because, lets face it, they're not the cleverest family in the world."

 

Miles is used to playing attractive smoothies, most recently in BBC 2's hit comedy Coupling, and he sees the key to Dartie's survival in the family in his ability to charm Winifred. "There's a very strong bond between them, and, even though he's an absolute sod to her and runs off to Buenos Aires, she takes him back. She loves him because he's a bit of a rough diamond, he's got style and wit, and we must assume that they have a great sex life. He loves her because she's intelligent and funny as well as rich. He desperately craves her approval and forgiveness, but he acts like a child as soon as he's reproved. They have big slanging matches. He's one of the few characters who ever loses his temper and gets a bit carried away. He's the polar opposite to Soames: he's the technicolour to Soames's black and white."

 

- text © Rupert Smith: The Forsyte Saga The Official Companion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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