Switzerland

Calum Finlay interview - 'I went from working in the rainforest to working in a library'

Will Longman
Will Longman

Following the early closure of Foxfinder and money troubles halting the West End transfer of musical Eugenius, the Ambassadors has called upon Joanna Murray-Smith's play Switzerland, which is fresh off the back of a run in Bath, to run over Christmas.

The play concerns Tom Ripley novelist Patricia Highsmith who, in the latter stages of her life, has secluded herself from society in a house in the Swiss Alps. She detests visitors, until her New York publisher knocks on the door.

Calum Finlay plays Edward in this intense two-hander, which received great reviews when it opened in August. His recent London theatre credits include Robert Icke's productions of Hamlet (Almeida) and Mary Stuart (Duke of York's).

Ahead of Switzerland's West End premiere, we spoke to the actor about Highsmith, working in libraries and the rainforest, and the one play he really wants a part in next.  


You only finished the Bath run of Switzerland about six weeks ago... that must have been a pretty quick turnaround to get it to the West End?

We were told something might happen. The set was put into storage while we were up in Bath, which normally means something might happen, but it came about very suddenly. With Foxfinder closing early and Eugenius pulling out at the last minute, the guy who owns the theatre said he took a risk having never seen the play, and took the producer's word for it that it was good.

Has it been fortunate that everyone has been available for a West End run over Christmas?

Not everyone has been available. We haven't been able to re-rehearse as Phyllis [Logan] is off filming things for Downton Abbey, our director is working on other projects, our lighting designer is away... No one's been together at any one point, so it's been a bit hairy. Lots of dinners at Phyllis' house late at night discussing things.

I suppose the play having a small cast is a benefit in that sense...

Definitely, I've never actually done a two-hander. It's very intense, there's no let-up at any point.

Had you read much of Highsmith's work before you got the part?

I knew nothing about her at all. I hadn't read any of the books, so I really enjoyed getting to know her stuff. I've now read all five Tom Ripley books, she was a real master of the thriller-crime genre. But I'm sure she'd shout at me for describing her work like that!

That makes her sound like quite an angry woman, how is she portrayed in the play?

Well, she's taken herself off to Switzerland to live her life as a recluse really. She lived in Tegna in this massive fortress that was almost like a prison, but she lived there because she wanted to live there on her own. She wanted to be by herself in her little world where she could control everything, and didn't really like visitors. It is quite intense, the style Joanna Murray-Smith has written the play is similar to how Patricia Highsmith wrote: it's a heightened, dark, intense world with a nice vein of humour through it.

How does your character enter the story?

Well, that might ruin the story... I'm a visitor from her American publishing house, but, without spoiling it, I'll say that I'm not who I say I am. But I do become more and more welcome as the play goes on.

What were audience reactions like in Bath?

We had a lot of Patricia Highsmith fans come, who were awed by Phyllis. If you've ever seen her in anything before, she's completely different in this: a twisted and bitter human being.

With The Twilight Zone, Beginning and Pressure, the Ambassadors has received a few limited-run shows from elsewhere, bringing them to a wider market. Now with Switzerland, it's showcasing a regional piece, do you think that's something we should see more of in the West End?

That's great, I think it should happen more really. Because everything's so London-centric, the way to get the best directors and actors to do shows in Bath or Manchester or Birmingham is to know that it might - or will - have a run in London. The more that can happen, the more you will get talented people working outside of London. If these transfers became the Ambassadors USP, it would be brilliant. There's some great work out in the regions.

And around the world... didn't you tour China early in your career?

I did, it's culturally a very different place. That's one of the great joys of this job, being paid to travel around the world. I recently spent two months filming in the Amazon rainforest, which I wouldn't have had the confidence to do on my own. I was working with lizards and snakes and jaguars, paddling canoes up the Amazon, it was brilliant. It makes up for all the times you're working in a library or making coffee for people.

Is that something you're having to do regularly, go from acting job to coffee show?

You do. It probably isn't good for 'Brand Calum Finlay', but the truth is you have to. Two weeks before we started working on this again, I was in a library at a drama school categorising books, not knowing what was next. Just about scraping by. I think that's true of most actors, and why a lot of our industry is populated by more affluent backgrounds who have families who can support them through the difficult times.

After Switzerland, if you could handpick your next role, what would it be?

I would love to do Anne Washburn's new play at the Almeida. I loved her show Mr Burns from a few years ago. I thought it was really dark, anarchic and wild. This new show Shipwreck is a fictional dinner with the American president, and I just think it's going to be all of those things again. I'd love to do that.

Switzerland is at the Ambassadors Theatre until 5th January 2019. 

Switzerland tickets are available now. 

Photo credit: Nobby Clark

Originally published on

Subscribe to our newsletter to unlock exclusive London theatre updates!

Special offers, reviews and release dates for the best shows in town.

You can unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy