Martin Ritchie first began acting in his home town of Edinburgh. He moved to London soon after where he got seriously into Shakespeare and has performed in a number of titles at the Globe, most notably Oberon and Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Alongside various other film and theatre projects, Martin enjoys returning to Edinburgh each summer to take part in the festival, and is currently involved in Blood Confession, a “Hitchcockian, psychological thriller” by Nick Awde.
What’s a typical day in the life of an actor?
There is no real typical day. If you are performing, you can’t really do a lot before the show. It sort of dominates your thoughts in terms of nerves, worries and excitement. Rehearsing is much easier-going, depending on how much work you have to do and how well you get on with the people you are working with. Part of that task is coming to terms with the way other people work and what any given director expects of you. If you aren’t being employed to act, it is a case of succumbing to the inertia of casual work or daytime TV!
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m currently rehearsing for performances of a new thriller in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It is called Blood Confession, and it is on at the Assembly@Hill Street every day at 4.45pm. It’s violent and quite controversial!
What do you enjoy most about your job?
When everything comes together, by which I mean hard, constructive work, a pleasant group of co-workers, satisfaction with my contribution and good, responsive audiences. The satisfaction and enjoyment is unbeatable.
And what would you say is the hardest or worst aspect about life as an actor?
The hardest thing is to remain positive and retain self-worth and self-belief amidst constant rejection, huge competition for jobs, and long periods of no work.
That sounds quite depressing!
At times! But as I said, when a performance goes well, it’s definitely worth it.
How did you get into acting?
I kind of fell into acting having done loads at university, and gradually realising it was the thing I enjoyed most and worked hardest at.
Who or what has been the biggest influence on you career-wise?
I don’t really feel anything or anyone has really influenced me career-wise. Obviously, I admire a great many people, but at my level of “success”, it is hard to see what I do in terms of a career. There is no ladder per se, so whatever career I have is largely as a consequence of events rather than planning.
Is there anything that you are most proud of achieving?
I’m not especially proud of any one outstanding thing. But I have garnered great satisfaction from various projects and individual performances.
What do you think makes you good at your job? What would you recommend to wannabes?
Basically I’m quite intelligent, and I have a lot of experience. Other than that…I think that almost anyone could do what I do, as long as you are willing to really persevere with it and keep in mind a strong sense of your own abilities and ambitions.
In such a creative profession, how do you manage artistic disputes if they arise?
Artistic disputes are part and parcel of the game. It should be up to the director to arbitrate. However, control issues and ego problems often rear their ugly heads in the guise of “artistic differences”. In those cases, you either make a dignified withdrawal, or fight to the death!
Where would you like your career to take you? Or where would you like to be in 10 years time?
Realistically I would like to be earning a decent living, and satisfying my artistic sensibilities by working with the best writers, actors and directors; both on stage and on screen. In my dreams, I will be sipping mojitos on my own tropical island with three Oscars propping the French windows open and Julia Roberts cooking supper…
See Martin in Blood Confession at the Assembly@Hill Street every day through the festival at 4.45pm.
