How does Dominic West feel about his upcoming 50th birthday on Oct. 15?
It’s like New Year’s Day, says the British star ofThe AffairandThe Wire.
It makes me feel like I can start all over.
You feel like, Okay, now what do I want to do with the rest of my life?
I think Valjean was the best superhero of all time, says West.
He scales buildings like Spider-Man.
He did speak a lot like Iron Man.
But neither of those characters has done 19 years hard labor in a French prison camp.
He is the toughest of them all.
West likes what he calls the character’s inner heroics, too.
Being the good guy feels good to West after playing so many villains.
It was so refreshing to play a hero, and I only want to do that from now on.
Living with Jean Valjean is a wonderful experience.
And, you know, these people get to you.
I tend to get most excited about historical figures that have extraordinary lives that we’ve forgotten.
Such excitement runs in the family.
My 20-year-old daughter Martha made a film calledCreation, about Charles Darwin, when she was 9.
She played Darwin’s daughter, explains West.
She was brilliant, but I said, You’re going to miss out on a lot of school.
Now she’s 20 at Oxford studying English, and she’s very keen to get back into acting.
I’m going all out to help her."
We’re going to get an RV and hopefully go out for two months, says West.
They want to see all the monuments and theGrand Canyon.
I want to see the Pacific Northwest.
Although my wife reminds me that his [character’s] wife commits suicide.
One thing that may change when West hits 50: his exercise routine.
In my 40s, I got into hot yoga.
That’s a good one that can last me the rest of my life.
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