James Frain

Frain: (On why he doesn't want to be famous) Most actors I would guess are playing the celebrity game to get access to work he says. Certainly no one I know is into fame, because then it becomes a dangerous game, a Faustian pact. I mean even doing interviews, I never used to think about that when I used to imagine being an actor.

James Frain (On Almeida theater) Jonathan and Ian have managed to create a real sense of event around going to the theater - you always feel that something original and different will happen when you see something at the Almeida. That's because they are completely fearless and bold in both the things - either new plays or classics - and the people they choose to work with. They take risks and are always pushing in every direction. Their ambition is endless. I think it's also telling that they've now decided to leave. They recognise that theatre is about immediacy and that it always requires fresh blood to reinvent itself. What do you make of working in a converted bus shelter? It's great. I love the idea of performing in different and untraditional spaces. It is a bit tricky sometimes to judge the acoustics, though.

James Frain: (When asked who he would like to swap places with) I'd swap places with Richard Burbage or someone else in Shakespeare's original company so I could play all those wonderful parts for the first time.