Godley made his Broadway debut as Victor Prynne in the 2002 revival of Private Lives.
A three-time Olivier Award nominee, his London stage credits include Rain Man, Mouth to Mouth, The Pillowman, Cabaret, The Rivals, June Moon and The Importance of Being Earnest.
Godley has appeared on screen in such films as "Love Actually," "Around the World in 80 Days," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Nanny McPhee."
| Full given name: | Adam Norman Godley |
| Where you were born/where you were raised: | Born in Amersham in the county of Buckinghamshire. Raised in Moor Park in the county of Hertfordshire. Both just outside of London. |
| What your parents did/do for a living: | Father: Lawyer Mother: Air Hostess, Lecturer, Magistrate |
| Special skills: | I can bend my fingers in ways that suggest I'm missing tendons. |
| Something you're REALLY bad at: | Maths. We pluralize it in England, which makes it more terrible, because it's plural. So there's more of it. Right? Plural means more? |
| First West End show you ever saw: | The Mousetrap |
| If you could go back in time and catch any show, what would it be? | Al Pacino in American Buffalo |
| Current or recent show you have been recommending to friends: | The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures by Tony Kushner |
| Some favorite plays, both classical and modern: | The Pillowman Glengarry Glen Ross The Tempest King Lear Anything by Chekhov |
| Some favorite musicals: | Company West Side Story Caroline, or Change |
| Your personal acting idols: | Jack Lemmon, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep |
| Stage or screen star of the past you would most love to have performed with: | Laurence Olivier, Henry Irving, Ellen Terry |
| Most played song on your iPod: | "Mahna Mahna" by Mahna Mahna and the Snowths! |
| Most-visited websites: | BBC News Real Clear Politics |
| Must-see TV shows: | "30 Rock" "Mad Men" "American Idol" |
| Some films you consider classics: | "Fanny and Alexander" "Lawrence of Arabia" "Tootsie" |
| Favorite sport/team/player: | Sports? What are sports? |
| First stage kiss: | A violent encounter with the tongue of an actress we'll simply call "Victoria" in the The Beaux' Stratagem in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. |
| Moment you knew you wanted to perform for a living: | The first time I walked onto a film set, aged 9. It was the most magical place I'd ever been. |
| Favorite pre-/post- show meal: | Joe Allen's |
| Favorite liquid refreshment: | Water. Room temperature. |
| Pre-show rituals or warm-ups: | 10-minute vocal and 20-minute physical before every show. Maybe some linear algebra problems, time permitting. |
| Worst flubbed line/missed cue/onstage mishap: | I did an Alan Ayckbourn play called Taking Steps. Sir Michael Gambon, who is a notorious prankster, would throw a glass of water (wasting my favorite liquid refreshment, I might add) at my crotch just before I went onstage.
When he connected, I had to just make it work. Or "use it," as they say in drama school. |
| Worst costume ever: | For a production of Chekhov's The Wood Demon, I was presented with a gold lamé kaftan, slippers that curled like wearable French horns and a foot-long forked beard. I tried to explain to the costume designer that the character's larger-than-life nature was all in his head. She paused and asked, "You mean... like a hat? Like he'd have a big hat?" |
| Worst job you ever had: | Doing four months of telephone market research. I spent three full days asking girls between the ages of 12 and 16 which brand of mascara they use most. I was able to quit when I booked a commercial for a Turkish candy bar ("Ülker Chocolate," anyone?) that filmed in Istanbul. The first day, the boy playing my son stepped off the train we were filming on and disappeared. He'd fallen between the train and the platform.
The takeaway here is that there may be a business opportunity for "Mind the Gap" signs in Turkish. |
| Some of your favorite film/TV roles: | Fun hyperlink! Scout's honor you won't get rickrolled. In the inevitable ups and downs of this line of work, I do remind myself that I was paid to tell Kathy Bates to stick her head up her own anus. It's never dull. |
| Leading man role you've been dying to play: | Hoping it is yet to be written. |
| Leading lady role you wish you could play: | Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? |
| Something about you that surprises people: | That, despite the accent, I don't have "a football team." |
| Career you would want if not a performer: | Director |
| Where were you when you heard about your Tony nomination? | Pouring myself some room temperature water. |
| Words of wisdom for aspiring performers? | Study and respect your craft and remain humble and open. Keep your inner child alive. Wear a big hat only when situationally appropriate. And watch out for "Victoria." |
