Interviewed by Irina Malkova THIS YEAR AT THE GENEVA'S HIGH CLOCK ART SALON (SIHH 2016) THERE WAS SUCH A NUMBER OF CELEBRITIES THAT SOMETIMES SAY THAT THIS IS NOT A HOUR EXHIBITION, BUT PERFORMANCE "EXCEPTLY." WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TALK WITH ONE OF THE MOST CHARISMATIC BRITISH ACTORS, THE CHILD HUMAN STAR AND THE FACE OF JAEGER-LECOULTRE CLAY OWEN. AND THE TALK WAS NOT ONLY ABOUT THE HOURS.
Clive, tell us about your first watch. How did you get them?
Clive Owen: I was always addicted to watches, and with age this passion only grew. But my first serious watch - a vintage chronometer of the 1930s - was presented to me by a girl who later became my wife.
You have been a Jaeger-LeCoultre envoy for quite some time now. How did it happen that you began to cooperate with this particular brand, and what is your favorite model of their watch?
Clive Owen: I was a fan of Jaeger-LeCoultre before I even started working with them. And having visited the Jaeger-LeCoultre factory in Vale de Joux, I was convinced with my own eyes how much work is needed to make this watch. What impressed me the most was the level of skill. People work there for 30-40 years - fidelity is highly valued and is usually at hand to both sides. As for my favorite model, I have several of them - I choose a watch depending on what I'm going to do at the moment. I especially love their line of tourbillons - they are incredibly beautiful. Today I put on a new model - Duometre Chronograph.
Do you remember the moment when you realized that you want to be an actor?
Clive Owen: When I was 13, I participated in a school play - played Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist. From that moment, I realized that I did not want to do anything else.
What do you prefer: movies, TV shows or theater?
Clive Owen: A few years ago, I wouldn’t hesitate to choose a movie, but I just finished acting in the second season of Stephen Soderberg’s TV series “Knickerbocker Hospital” and for the first time in 14 years returned to the stage in the Broadway production of “Old Time”. And I really liked both. So to choose one thing is very difficult.
When you started your career, what goals did you set for yourself?
Clive Owen: All that I dreamed about in those years was a long and rich career. As long as I can make a living with it, I’m happy. The only difficulty is the need to travel a lot and frequent separation from the family (Clive and his wife bring up two daughters. - Note. Ed.). But, I believe, I was incredibly lucky that I was able to stay in this industry.
In the TV series Knickerbocker Hospital, you play surgeon John Thackery. How did you prepare for this role?
Clive Owen: My character has a real prototype - Dr. William Halstead. A book has been written about him, called "Genius at the Edge." She led me to other books on the hospital and the doctors Halstead worked with at the turn of the century. This helped with the on-screen avatar.
Tell us about your upcoming films - "Confirmation" and "Valerian and the city of a thousand planets."
Clive Owen: Writer and Director of Confirmation - Bob Nelson, screenwriter of the movie Nebraska. There, in fact, two characters - one I play, and the second - a little boy - plays Jaden Liberer. This is a brilliant young actor, and I learned a lot from him. In Valerian, I play Commander Arun Filitt. This is a large-scale and ambitious science fiction by Luc Besson, the idea of which he hatched for quite some time.
It's no secret that you love football and cheer for Liverpool. Is it true that you do not miss a single match?
Clive Owen: Wherever I go, I try to go to Liverpool games! If I'm filming abroad, I make sure that I have a TV with sports channels in my trailer - I don’t want to miss the game.
Do you do charity work?
Clive Owen: I patronize two charitable foundations: Aegis Trust (which predicts, prevents and eliminates genocide) and Electric Palace - this is a beautiful old cinema in Harwich.
You have repeatedly received the title of one of the most impeccably dressed British. What should be in the wardrobe of any man?
White shirt and black jacket.
