Actor Robbie Gee was in Cyprus last week. Next time we see him it will be in Pirates of the Caribbean II
ACTOR Robbie Gee has come along way since his trainee accounting days in London.
His life took a 360 degree turn when he was made redundant and 35-year-old Gee became an acclaimed actor.
“I didn’t actually make the decision to become an actor. I was working as a trainee accountant for three years and I was made redundant so these mates of mine who were actors kept saying to me to go and become an actor. So I did and after working in theatres, everything took off from there.”
And boy did it take off; he began his career by grabbing some brief stints on television before landing a role in the popular BBC comedy series Desmonds. More parts came and went before he hit the big time with his role as Vincent in the Guy Ritchie gangster extravaganza Snatch alongside Jason Statham, Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro.
“Snatch would have definitely been the film that put me on the move map. I think it is the highest grossing British film ever and in my estimation it is going to be the modern day Italian Job.
“I had a joke going with Lennie [James], who plays my brother Sol in the film, and everyday we would go back to our trailers and we would just pinch ourselves. If it wasn’t Jennifer Aniston on the set or Madonna then it would be the Gallagher brothers or Sting. There would just be an array of superstars on the set all the time. It was a fantastic experience and we were just pinching ourselves all the time.”
So what they were they like?
“All the actors were a good group of people; Brad [Pitt] was lovely, Benicio [Del Toro] was lovely, Dennis Farina was lovely. There was just such a good, strong band of people and they all gelled together. There was none of this ‘oh look out me’ kind of superstardom. They were all really great people.”
His next project is a role in the much anticipated sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean.
“I’ve been out in Barbados doing a small role in Pirates of Caribbean II and hopefully I might get a little squeeze in Pirates of Caribbean III as well. It was a different world out there and meeting actors like Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly and Geoffrey Rush was brilliant because I only ever used to see these people on a television set.
“I just finished filming another British film called Rollin’ with the Nines with Jason Flemyng. It’s going to be big! Sadly it’s about drugs and guns but it is going to absolutely blow everyone away.”
Acting aside, here is just another lad who never forgot his mates. In fact, he was on holiday in Cyprus last week with them and says that he visits the island three times a year. After their 5-4 victory in a game against Deftera veterans, Robbie, an avid Tottenham Hotspur fan, was in a party mood: “I am in Cyprus with a bunch of hoodlums, lowlifes, down-and-outs, alcoholics, party-goers, sorry, sorry, wrong interview! I’m in Cyprus with a bunch of professional footballers and we are touring the island playing against various veteran teams.”
Football and acting, can the two mix? To Robbie they not only mix, but in his career they have many times gone hand-in-hand. He has landed roles as a footballer in The Manageress, Mike Bassett: England Manager and Mean Machine.
Needless to say Robbie would remind you of that fact. “Don’t you talk to me about football? I’ve been capped by England three times, mate!”
He adds, “I just generally really love football. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I have featured in these football films. When I was growing up I knew that I would either be a footballer or an actor.”
SEVEN QUESTIONS
What car do you drive?
A mini
Describe your perfect weekend
One side of me would say watching football on the television from five past midnight on a Friday all the way to midnight on a Sunday. The other side of me would say spending the weekend on Nissi Beach with my family just chilling and enjoying myself.
Assuming you believed in reincarnation who or what would you come back as?
I’d like to come back as somebody who did something very special for humanity. Somebody like Martin Luther King.
What is your greatest fear?
Dying before my kids do.
What is your earliest memory?
A fire in the house when I must have been about six.
What did you have for breakfast?
This isn’t going to be good. I had a cheese omelet, a salad, some pasta and an orange juice.
What was the last piece of clothing that you bought?
A Tottenham Hotspur football shirt
