Iain Glen plays Alan Breck
"Kidnapped really is a wonderful adventure story. It's character
driven and it has big, big themes, which makes for very thrilling drama.
It's the power of Alan Breck's character that draws Davie into this
'road movie' across the Highlands into his world." - Iain Glen
Internationally renowned actor Iain Glen plays swashbuckling Highland
rebel Alan Breck, who helps Davie Balfour escape his kidnappers and
leads him on a journey into the heart of the Highlands.
"Stevenson describes [Breck] as someone whose every thought can be
read on his face. That's what I've tried to create in him. This very
colourful, very rich, very romantic character; a great poet; a traditional
romantic.
"Alan is a great swordsman as well, which is fun. It's something
I've always loved."
And in the grand tradition of the romantic hero, Breck's heroic idealism
is tempered with a healthy dose of egotism, a contrast Glen clearly
enjoyed:
"He's a very dual personality. He's an extrovert who has a deep vainglorious
belief, but nonetheless he's sacrificed his life in fighting for Highland
independence and their right to retain the life and community that they
want.
"It's a wonderful contradiction. Something quite altruistic done
in a very egotistical way."
Glen says that while Breck's larger than life persona makes him a
very watchable character, he's also immensely likeable:
"There's not a malicious bone in Alan Breck's body. He's very intuitive
and has a great love of life. That's a lovely mix to play. I'm very
fond of Alan and I think that Robert Louis Stevenson was very fond of
Alan as well."
The relationship between the characters Alan Breck and David Balfour
lies at the heart of Kidnapped:
"Stevenson developed this wonderful relationship between Alan Breck
and Davie Balfour who are opposites in so many ways."
The story's strong characters were a large part of what attracted Glen
to the role:
"Kidnapped is a great old adventure yarn but I think it's much more
than that. It's character driven and that is really what you look for
in a role.
"The novel was Robert Louis Stevenson's first real investigation
into character-led stories. The psychological detail that Stevenson
investigated in the novel is quite ahead of his time. It's his equivalent
of Hamlet.
"I think that the audience will get drawn into the world that we're
creating and really fall for these characters."
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