Ray Winstone and life in London’s East End: “I once pissed on Ronnie Kray”
You could not find a more authentic East End London actor than Ray Winstone, known for this prickly tough guy demeanour and the kind of accent that people impersonate using the phrase “alright governor?” Over the years, he’s collected an impressive list of credits, working with some of the best auteurs and studio directors today such as Jonathan Glazer, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and multiple collaborations with Alan Clarke.
Winstone is known for his characters’ hyper-masculine and grizzly exterior, with a quick wit and even quicker impulse for violence, often portrayed as the troublemaker or loose cannon. However, this is something he’s shown an aptitude for since day one, showing him to be quite the character from the beginning.
Winstone grew up in Hackney, and similar to his on-screen work, he was often getting into trouble in school and generally causing a ruckus, but discovered his love for cinema very early on and attended the Corona Stage Academy in Hammersmith, in which he was later expelled from after a prank-gone-wrong.
However, this wasn’t the first thing that got him in trouble, with Winstone sharing an anecdote of how he once peed on the notorious gangster Ronnie Kray, who was the king of crime in East London for over a decade before being given a life sentence in jail in 1969.
Winstone’s father was familiar with Kray, and the gangster was visiting his family one day when the actor was only three years old. Naturally, everyone was on their best behaviour around the criminal (friends in high places and all that jazz), but when Kray offered to hold Winstone, something unexpected happened.
Winstone explained: “I once pissed on Ronnie Kray. He held me as a baby – my dad knew him. And, well, I suppose I gave him a bit of a shock”. Apparently, the family weren’t first sure how he would take this, but were relieved when he started laughing. I’m sure he wouldn’t be the most convenient enemy to have.
Funnily enough, Winstone has gone on to become famous for playing gangsters and villains, famous for his performance as Gal in Sexy Beast, an ex-criminal trying to relax on holiday before the peace is shattered by the arrival of a former enemy, convincing him to do one more job before returning to London. More than anything, Sexy Beast is about the ego of criminals rather than the crime itself, offering a sizzling commentary on masculinity and hierarchies of power, all explored through the ridiculous pursuit of two Brits.
However, Winstone had a different take on the film, describing it as a love story and saying, “I’m going to sound a bit poncy, but Gary’s a lover. Sexy Beast, to me, is a love story. Gal’s not worried about the threat to him—he’s worried about the threat to [his wife]. He wanted a different lifestyle. He wanted something else”.
The film was famous for putting filmmaker Jonathan Glazer on the cinematic map, who went on to make Birth, Under the Skin and recently, The Zone of Interest. Winstone’s most recent role is in Guy Ritchies television adaptation of The Gentlemen, playing drug baron Bobby Glass.
