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As I walk into the dark and slightly unsettling North London pub I scan the room for the type of person who'd play the role of 'The Elephant Man'. Marc Pickering is the actor I'm here to meet, but the grey hair atop the balding heads around me suggest he's upstairs rehearsing. With less than two weeks before the play hits the West End, it's not surprising the cast are busy. The story of the severely deformed John Merrick is a well known one and director Bruce Guthrie and his cast have a challenge ahead of them. As Marc joins me for a lunch-time breather, we discuss his career to date, the challenges of acting, working with Johnny Depp and two pairs of very high profile breasts. Watch out Mr Depp… this lad will go far.
You started acting early... how did your first 'role' come about?
I was walking down a street in Hull with my mum and dad when I was eight. For some reason, I saw this sign for The Sound of Music and I turned to my dad and said "I wouldn't mind going for that". We went in and that morning just happened to be open auditions and I got through to the recall.
Everyone who got through to the recall had to have something to sing. I didn't have sheet music for the pianist… I just went on a whim! So my dad and I sat in a restaurant and said "What are we going to do?!" Dad suggested I do some improvisation and talk about my favourite football team… so I got up there and told them about my favourite team and used characters from different plays in there too.
I didn't get the part but it gave me this great urge to want to follow it through. I got involved with the National Youth Music Theatre where they auditioned kids from the age of ten to nineteen, from all over the country and they'd take a show to the Edinburgh Festival. I got involved with that and that's why I'm where I am today – because of Jeremy James Taylor, who was the director of that company. He put me forward for Sleepy Hollow with Tim Burton. It's unbelievable… it was a dream as a kid. It's what I aspired to do as a kid and throughout my career.
How was it as a child actor? Did you still go to school and did it make you grow up quickly?
I've got to thank my parents for that really… it was them that kept my feet on the ground. I had good mates as well. After Sleepy Hollow I obviously still had my GCSEs to do and it was great because my parents made me realise how important they were. It was great to have them as a backup and I thought 'Well, it's only two years, I'll just have to out my head down and do it. I did… and through college at sixteen, I did Calendar Girls. I managed to tie that in with my schooling, although it was a bit boring because of the tuition. We had to have three hours of tuition in the dressing room every day.
You were in Sleepy Hollow playing Johnny Depp's sidekick. I'm impressed... and so was he it seems - he gave you a signed photo saying; "To a good actor and a good man, this will be the first of many films for you". Have you framed it?
I have yeah! It's up on the wall yeah. Maybe it should come down now… it was seven years ago! (laughs). It was a great privilege to meet him. He treated me so well, in fact, he didn't treat me any differently and to be honest, I was only twelve so I didn't really know him that well. Now we know him from Pirates of the Caribbean, but back then, the only thing I knew him from was Edward Scissorhands. I learnt a lot from him as well… I think it would be great to be known as one of those character actors. I love him for that. Tim Burton was amazing too.
Speaking of big stars, you worked with National Treasures Helen Mirren and Julie Walters in the film 'Calendar Girls'… were you star stuck with them?
