Interview by Rosanna Greenstreet

Sean Bean, 47, was born in Sheffield. After leaving school at 16, he 
worked in his father’s foundry and studied at Rotherham College of 
Arts and Technology. From there he went to Rada, made his film debut 
in Winter Flight in 1984, then was cast by Derek Jarman in 
Caravaggio. He starred in the long-running TV series Sharpe, appeared 
in Patriot Games, played the villain in Goldeneye and became an 
international star after taking the role of Boromir in The Lord Of 
The Rings. In 2002 he returned to the stage after 13 years to play 
Macbeth. Outlaw, his latest movie, has just been released. Divorced 
three times, Bean has three daughters and lives in London. 

When were you happiest? 
When I was a kid. 

What is your greatest fear? 
Used to be flying in helicopters. Ghosts now. 

What is your earliest memory? 
Slipping on some ice at the bus stop when I was about seven, and 
being concussed. 

Which living person do you most admire? 
Tony Benn. He tells the truth. 

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? 
Impatience. 

What is the trait you most deplore in others? 
Narrow-mindedness. 

What was your most embarrassing moment? 
I walked into a lamp-post the other day in Wardour Street. 

Aside from a property, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever 
bought? 
A car. 

What is your most treasured possession? 
My helmet (from the movie Troy). 

Where would you like to live? 
Where I live now. 

What would your superpower be? 
Flying. 

What is your guiltiest pleasure? 
Fray Bentos steak and kidney pies. 

What do you owe your parents? 
My genes. 

What makes you depressed? 
Guests at LA dinner meetings – they all have to be in bed by 10 
o’clock. 

Would you rather be clever and ugly, or thick and attractive? 
Happy the way I am. 

What is your most unappealing habit? 
Swearing too much sometimes. 

Cat or dog? 
Dog. 

What is your favourite word? 
Mardy arse. 

What is your favourite smell? 
Greasy chip butties. 

What has been your biggest disappointment? 
Not carrying on playing the piano and drawing. 

What is your fancy-dress costume of choice? 
My Richard Sharpe gear. 

What is the worst thing anyone’s ever said to you? 
‘Do you support Sheffield Wednesday?’ 

What do you most dislike about your appearance? 
Nothing. Did you see Hello! last week? [In a poll its readers voted 
him most attractive man.] 

Is it better to give or to receive? 
Receive. 

What or who is the greatest love of your life? 
My kids. 

Which living person do you most despise and why? 
George Bush. He’s a wanker. 

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party? 
Peter O’Toole and John Hurt. 

Which words or phrases do you most overuse? 
‘I’m not bothered anyway.’ 

What is the worst job you’ve done? 
M&S cheese department. 

If you could edit your past, what would you change? 
I’d just edit other actors who got jobs that I wanted. 

If you could go back in time, where would you go? 
To Paris or Rome as a wealthy man with loads of birds. 

How do you relax? 
In the pub with my mates. 

What is the closest you’ve ever come to death? 
A horse landed on my head in Sharpe once. 

What single thing would improve the quality of your life? 
A bit more exercise, probably. 

What keeps you awake at night? 
Coffee. 

What song would you like played at your funeral? 
Sunny Afternoon by the Kinks. 

What is the most important lesson life has taught you? 
Treat people as you find them. 

Where would you most like to be right now? 
In bed.