07/04/2012 Five Minutes With...

fled on a motorbike. It is time for five minutes with Matthew Stadlen.

We are in a TV studio. It is very flashy. I only have five minutes.

Tommy one thing about yourself we may not know about you. I love Kite

surfing, it keeps me fit and healthy. Idea that a lot in the

Caribbean. Is there at how you got into it? The got into it eight

years ago when it was invented as a sport. The new are away from the UK

what you miss most about it? Family and friends. The theatre, good

music. Describe yourself in one sentence? I think I am somebody who

has great difficulty saying no. I love saying yes. That has got me

into trouble on occasion. A love a challenge. Tell me about trying to

break records, what appeals to you about this. His is the

technological achievement and the personal achievement. Trying to

achieve things that mankind has not achieved before. I have tremendous

fun doing it. Who got you into breaking records? I suspect it was

my mother. She would make us stand on our own two feet. She would Army

to make my own way to my grandmother's house or the shock me

on a bicycle. She was determined we did things ourselves and did not

watch other people doing things. What is the best piece of fice you

have been given? Again, I think it was my mother. Look for the best in

people. Do not criticise other people. She would make me stand in

front of the mirror and say it would reflect badly on myself that

as I criticised people. Have you ever had a disaster? On my balloon

crossing across the Pacific, I lost some fuel. And I had to find wind

that would carry me across the Pacific. I got extremely lucky and

must allow by 4,000 miles. I ended up on the Antarctic -- Arctic and

survived. Were you ambitious as a boy? I'm not sure these were it is

correct. I wanted to change the world. I left 15 to start a

magazine. It was to stop the Vietnamese war that I started the

magazine. Is the one business decision you have made which has

been key in getting you to will you are now? Starting an airline, I ran

a record company and hated the experience. But that put Virgin on

the map globally. How much time to use been running your business

interests? I have delegated most of my business interests. Now I spend

time on a not-for-profit interests. The Centre for disease Control in

Africa for example. I find it fascinating. Do you think you have

to be ruthless to get to will you have got to? I think being ruthless

is counter-productive. People like to deal with people who Playfair

and I think it is a stereotype of the ruthless entrepreneur pushing

their way to the stop, it is not an accurate portrayal of how to get to

the stop. IUD half? -- argued half? The fine taking on British airlines,

I will to fight like a line. Were you born an entrepreneur? I think

entrepreneurs can become entrepreneurs by getting out there

and doing it. Teeth in the UK is a good place to be setting up a

business? It is a good place to be setting up a business. We need to

set up more businesses. Especially in the Internet world. We do not

have those great Internet entrepreneurs we should have.

is it like being a billionaire? It is to lot of responsibility but I

can do things I am proud of. Can you ever have enough money?

only need one breakfast and one lunch and one dinner. The money

aspect is not that important. It does wealth change you? It has

given me the freedom to do the things I want to do. Hope for be,

to make a difference in the world. What you do in your free time?

Tenor us, skiing, ballooning. Any type of sporting activity. What is

the most challenging thing about being an actor? Learning the lines.

That is the most scary thing. do you learn your lines? IA use of

visual and aural technique. I use a dictaphone and I use the script. I

shut my eyes and I play it back and I look at it. I do it again and

again. I dictate my lines into the machine and put it into my pillar

hoping my subconscious will teach me. Do you get stage fright? I hear

spend my life having terrible stage fright. Lately I have been going to

a hypnotherapist. I've never done a good first night since recently.

That has been a big disadvantage because the critics are always

there on the first night and I have never been at my best. Is there an

equivalent of stage fright for when you do a film? If you have a very

tricky scene. And they want to not to muck up your lines. My husband

used to get very irritated with people who did not know their lines

because you do not want to waste time. Sometimes you need to learn

them overnight. It is scary, but you know you can do it again not

like the theatre. Did you learn your lines with your husband to

help you? Know, and we never worked together. If we were doing

something very tricky, I would say it cannot win this speech he would

help me, but no. We just tried to be parents and people at home.

you think spending your life pretending to be other people makes

it harder to find out what once off his? I think people pretend to be

other people all the time. You are different with your boss then you

are with your lover. We act all the time. That is only at four o'clock

in the morning when you think hello, this is me. How do G become an

actress? I became an actress when women did not have many

opportunities. I did go to a grammar school on a scholarship. My

choices were, being a teacher, being a nurse, not a doctor or a

specialist, a secretary. A few odd people went on the stage. My sister

was a variety artist. Have you changed as an actor over the years?

I had got more confident. I have more fun. The experience, life

experience, you have to have experience to express them. That is

the way I work. I have to key into my memory and my emotional memory.

The more emotional things you have happened, the more armour you have.

To you learn from watching other actors? Mainly I learned what not

to do. And I see what is not working and I analyse them. If they

are very good it puts me off. much you have an influence on the

direction of your character? That are pence on the director. Some

directors want you to do exactly as they say, if they are good, I will.

But I've been working with one director who creates an atmosphere

where everybody contributes. Once I worked with a woman who would stop

and say what do you think? She made sure everybody was involved. I love

that. Hard difficult is it to develop chemistry between you and

another actor? It is not difficult. You develop this during the

rehearsal process. You need to be emotionally open. If you do that to

get very close to people. We do as actors. People are slightly jealous

of that. Journalists are nasty to us because we have these tight

families and we protect one another. Do you look for something in

particular in a part? I look for a challenge. I have got to an age

when I have enough money not to look for money, look for something

that is different. At the moment, I will be doing, the role because I

have been doing something serious. Anything that is different and

challenging. Is there something you would change about your Career?

could have gone to America with a play. But I chose to stay home and

have a baby. He had written about your marriage and joy life after

him, now you are writing a novel? should be writing it now. What is

it like being hulk Hogan? It is like being normal. It is great to

be myself. It is great to walk out the front door and have everybody

say, how are you doing? I say, how are you doing brother. Do you

switch off from being hulk Hogan. When I get home. My wife does not

go with my attitude. When I get home I am Terry. I take the bandana

off the bald head and hang out with my dogs. How did you come to

cultivate your very famous look? did not have much choice going bald.

It happened naturally. I have always had long here because I

played music and played rock and roll. One of my girlfriends at high

school, she dated this boy who was a surfer and she was always

breaking about his moustache. I wish you would grow a moustache. I

grew a moustache for her. I have had it ever since. Year of not

shaved for a long time? It has been shaved for movies but it has always

been there. How do you trim it? They eerie carefully. Help -- tell

me about hulk mania. It is a lifestyle intertwined in society

from America to UK for 30 years. People have watched me for 30 years

and people know it is a very positive character. I say Etal

fight in London believe in yourself. In the 90s, people thought it was

kind of hokey. But things have come full circle. People are looking

positive and have a happy. Like attracts like. If you are a

positive person you attract more of the same. If you are miserable and

upset, you attract more of that. People realise it works. To you

enjoy being famous? I thank God for it. Many people that have been

famous, a lot of people do not care about them any more. I walk down

the streets of London, or wherever I go, people are excited and happy

to see me and they are loyal. If how did you get into wrestling? I

was a wrestling fan. I was a studio musician. McCain back from being on

the road and I had a very hot looking girl friend. And some

people at a bar or tried to grab her. And I wrestled them very well.

Some one called me and asked me to try out for wrestling. I went down

there and I wrestled. I won the first game. There you are in

America because you're getting involved in wrestling. Tell me

about that. Are you actually What does that mean, get involved?

Do you still throw yourself around? Theresa May cast and crew of bad

guys. Sting caught me and said I heard he will be in Manchester. He

told the become down. I told him I would be there. Your sort of

wrestling. Is it all choreographed? No. It is not. The ending is

predetermined. How much room for improvisation is there? I don't

know. The whole thing is improper. You're out there and listen to the

crowd. He not plan anything. A seen some of the young guys try to

choreograph staff. It looks horrible. The really good wrestlers

go out and added. They have this into the crowd. If I grab your arm

and Star wrestling with her arm and it does not work I will do

something different. It is the wrestlers who going plan stop and

gets worse. Have you ever got scared going into the ring? I have

been really scared. Andre betrayed beeping up for the first eight

years every day. I used to keep on the way to the ring. Then we became

friends and he started to like me. How many books do you have in your

library at home? It is about 15,000. It is probably a bit more. That was

the last estimation and I keep buying them. They have actually

spilled over from the many Schulz and Darren that will piles. Had he

acquire so many books? I go into places and buy up a great many

every time I go out. Even though her know perfectly well they cannot

get them all red, I am still blame them. Why? I love to read. As a

child I mostly just went to the library. I love going to light

breeze but it is wonderful to actually possess a book. Whenever

you suddenly think about it and I wish I could read read that, every

case. What percentage of those books that you actually read?

Probably a quarter of them. What you get from reading? It is the

most wonderful way of having a life as well as living your when life

and getting inside people's heads. Had you stay up to date with what

is going on in Young People's lives? I get lots of letters and

lots of e-mails and do lots of events were I am talking to the

children and signing. I chat to them and hear what they're seeing.

Do you feel a sense of responsibility to your readers?

feel an immense responsibility. My job is to entertain them and

sometimes I used quite controversial material. I want to

put it across in a way that children can understand and

sympathise with. I do not want to upset them too much. I am trying to

be truthful and also reassuring. How important to you think reading

can be? I try not to be too didactic, but there are hidden

morals. If any child reads my book they would pick up on the facts

first lots of children feel like outsiders and hit his main duties.

Even if a child looks strange or acts in a peculiar way they are

just the same as anybody else. there hidden meanings in your work

that a reader would have to work hard to get out? Sometimes an IT

feel that somebody might read a book when they're seven years old

and it is just for the story and funny bits. Then when they are 10

or they may we read the book and have a different idea. They me re-

read it again later and find a different meaning. It is up to them.

Do you enjoy having fans? De Silva people enjoy at relationship with

you? I think they do. I am immensely privileged. When people

cheered when I go into events I feel wonderful. Added to become an

author? I always wanted to write. I managed to get a job when I was 17

at a magazine. My first book was published when I was 22. I had just

kept at it since. Do you think he was a best-selling novel in all of

us? I think lots of people want to write. I think he require a little

bit of talent and an enormous amount of determination and stamina

and luck. Have you got better as a writer? I think I have. I hope that

one day I will write a book when I think, yes, that is exactly how I

wanted. Is there a book that you have not written that you know you

will write one day? I used to think I would like to write a Victorian

book. Now I had done that. Am not sure what the next book will be.

Are you are a disciplined writer? Very disciplined. I will set my

alarm for early and get up and write for one hour before I do

anything else. Interests and passions outside of writing?

Reading, swimming, art galleries... There may be others that we will

never know. I will put the bare tree in he can

you countdown from five? You would be to do it in time with this? I

will say five now. I have not put the Bactrian. It is on five. You

have to start there. OK, go. Four, three, too, one. Do you enjoy being

stopped and talked to in the street? Sometimes but not by the

tax. Do you like being the centre of attention? In laboratory

controlled conditions. On stage every show yes. Anywhere else know.

My wedding was nerve-racking for that reason. When he became famous

did your friends treat you different? Yes, they now call me Mr

Anderson. Dimitri be different leak? No. Tell me the difference

between comic acting and stand-up. I prefer which ever one I am doing.

A stand-up routine you were completely in control. It is not a

character. It is a kind of character. Comic acting is nice

because the race team work. But somebody else has the final say and

what gets said. You have lost control. When you do you stand up

how do you remember your material? I remember it because they get to

the theatre at Burghley in spray- painted on the back of the theatre.

It is ever quite a long period of time. If somebody gave you a chunk

of things to be delivered tomorrow it would not be good. Because

you're right over time and had little bits it all comes together.

Had you come up with the ideas? What they should do is carry a

notebook around a train and when the funny things occur to me or

happen note than down. But you do not do that? Mostly lazy. Imagine

if you're in a pub and he said a thing and stop to write it down. It

would be incredibly unnerving and unpleasant. I don't do that. A few

months or a couple of months before I go out on tour I go to my office

and try and think of something funny. Do you to meet when you are

with France? 1am with friends? No. and when not to I had to buy a

programme to stop myself using Twitter when I was working. I had

to buy the programme and it stops you from being able to access

Facebook or Twitter. It is life- saving be brilliant for a writer.

When did yoould make a career after being a

comedian? It happened quite early. I started on Easter Monday 1995.

One year later I went pro. I started in the right place at the

right time. It was Manchester in the mid-90s. It was very

fashionable. It was a huge thing in Manchester. It was still small

enough for us to be able to do quite a lot. Even getting quite a

long way quite quickly. Did you ever learn how to act what did you

teach yourself? No. Sometimes I feel very under-prepared for that.

The first acting I have ever done. I find that a need to - be thing I

had to differ skins were had a big scene I did not have the tools for

it. I bought myself a book to try and learn some of the things I have

never had. I have not learnt and do not know how to do that. When

you're on a panel showed you feel competitive? Yes. Th?

way. Collaborative is the best. When someone says something and be

all built on the idea that his wages at its finest. Did you go to

university? We did you get to interest in science from? Until the