《辛德勒的名单》里杀人不眨眼的纳粹军官阿蒙、《哈里波特与火焰杯》中的伏地魔以及《英国病人》里那个为救爱人赴汤蹈火的沙里夫：英国男员拉尔夫费恩斯的角色反差极大。三年蛰伏之后，他再度出山，在电影《The Constant Gardner》中饰演一位为妻复仇的英国驻肯尼亚外交官。他对影片外景地肯尼亚有怎样的印象？他喜欢演什么样的角色？他的名字是怎么来的？看看他自己给的答案——

Talking to Ralph Fiennes
August 30, 2005

What was your impression of Kenya?
[There's] this wonderful vitality and openness and generosity. Quite wonderful people to engage with and have a connection with. I found it very uplifting. You don't get enough in the streets of a big city like London or New York, where people are very careful and not all in direct contact with each other.

How hard was it to make a movie in Kenya?
Up in the northern part of Kenya, where we shot at the end of the film -- that was unlike anything I've experienced. It was a place that was very hard to shoot a film because there's no electricity, water. All the stuff you hope to support a film unit is barely there. It was a two-day journey for any truck to get up there. We were there for two-and-a-half weeks. I was one of the lucky few who was in a concrete cabin, which is spartan by most people's standards. But most of the crew had to sleep in safari tents that kept getting blown away because the wind was very strong at night. And it was very, very hot in the day.

Did all of that make acting difficult?
No, that's the sort of climate that the scene happens in. I like the reality of it. I wouldn't want it any other way. In fact, I was quite happy that we shot pretty much all the locations that are in the story in the real places.

So you've been cast as Lord Voldemort. Are you a Harry Potter fan?
I can't claim to be a Harry Potter fan, certainly before. Now, I guess I'm in the family a bit. But I didn't know much about who he was, so I had to do my research. I wasn't really familiar with the whole world of Harry Potter. But I'm now very familiar with Lord Voldemort because [in low, evil voice] I am Lord Voldemort.

How do you prepare for a character that's pure evil?
It's the hardest thing in the world to play pure, pure evil. I still don't know what it is.

Did you study other evil characters?
We just talked about different levels of psychotic madness in people when you don't quite know what someone's gonna do. They could do anything -- they could slash your throat, they could put their arm around you and offer to be your best friend, and the next thing you know they turn really nasty. That sort of terrifying thing you see and read about.

After "Maid in Manhattan," do you have any desire to do another romantic comedy?
I think I would love to do one, but I'd like a part with a bit more meat on it. I thought that that part was nice and charming, but it was only Prince Charming. I loved making it, actually. I had a great time shooting it in New York.

Why is your named pronounced "Rafe"?
It's a rather outmoded use of that name in English. I was named after my stepgrandfa--step great-grandfather. No sorry, step grandfather, who was called "Rafe" and spelled his name Ralph. And my father admired it and he wanted to call his son "Rafe" and spell it Ralph. I've met the old "Rafe-but-Ralph." They do exist, but they're quite rare.

Kenya  n. 肯尼亚                          vitality  n. 活力，生命力
uplift  v. 使振奋                             openness  n. 开阔
generosity  n. 慷慨                       barely  adv. 几乎不能

shoot  v. 摄影，拍电影                 cabin  n. 小屋
spartan  a. 斯巴达的，艰苦的      safari  n. 旅行队及装备
concrete  a. 混凝土的                   crew  n. 全体人员

psychotic  a. 精神病的                  slash  v. 鞭打，抽打
throat  n. 咽喉，喉咙                    nasty  a. 凶的，令人厌恶的
outmoded  a. 过时的                    stepgrandfa  n. 教祖父

a part with a bit more meat on it  一个更丰满的角色