The 1999 role Ray Winstone despised so much he tried to quit: “The only character I ever played that I didn’t like”
Having been given a baptism of fire under controversial circumstances when he was taking his first steps in the industry, Ray Winstone didn’t waste any time getting to grips with characters and subject matter that was deemed unpalatable to a certain audience.
The actor only had one episode of TV series The Sweeney under his belt before he shot Alan Clarke’s Scum as part of the BBC’s Play for Today anthology, only for the teleplay to be banned. Taking it on the chin and getting the band back together, the filmmaker and star swiftly reunited to make it a feature instead.
The movie of Scum was similarly contentious, but Winstone admitted that delivering a breakout performance in such a headline-grabbing production was a massive boost for his fledgling career. Still, two decades later, he was once again confronted with troubling material, which affected him so deeply he was ready to quit midway through shooting.
By that point in his career, Winstone was no stranger to difficult roles, but there’s a difference between playing a hard man and inhabiting something far more psychologically disturbing. Projects like this demand a level of emotional engagement that goes beyond performance, forcing actors to confront aspects of human behaviour that are deeply uncomfortable to explore, let alone portray convincingly on screen.
It’s a testament to Winstone’s approach that he didn’t shy away from that challenge entirely. While many actors might distance themselves from such material, he leaned into the realism required, even when it blurred the line between character and personal feeling. That willingness to engage with the darker edges of storytelling is what has consistently set his performances apart, no matter how difficult the subject matter becomes.
As far as directorial debuts go, they don’t get much more harrowing or unflinching than Tim Roth’s 1999 drama, The War Zone. Of course, Winstone had previously headlined the first feature from a respected British actor who grappled with the darker side of life, having taken top billing in Gary Oldman’s Nil By Mouth just two years previously.
However, The War Zone was a completely different animal. The story follows a seemingly idyllic family as they relocate from the hustle and bustle of London to the more quaint and rural surroundings of Devon, only for Freddie Cunliffe’s Tom to discover an incestuous relationship unfolding between Winstone’s father and Lara Belmont’s sister, Jessie.
It required Winstone to go to some dark places, and there’s one scene in The War Zone where he was ready to draw the line. “It’s the only character I ever played that I didn’t like,” he confessed to The New York Times. “The funny thing is, I was actually playing me more than any other character I played, not in the sense of abuse, but in being a dad, making tomatoes and toast, and talking to his kids.”
A gruesome scene set in a bunker that depicts the abuse was nearly the final straw for Winstone, who was ready to down tools and walk away. “I questioned myself, ‘Why should I put myself and this young girl through this?'” he wondered. “But, ridiculous as it sounds, she got me through it. She came up afterwards and thanked me, which obviously helped.”
The War Zone isn’t an easy film to watch by any stretch, but after Winstone’s younger co-star convinced him that quitting the movie wasn’t the correct decision, he persevered and ultimately gave one of the most effective and impressive performances of his career, vindicating his decision to stay the course.
