The Street
Toby Kebbell plays Paul
Toby Kebbell, a bright new star in the acting firmament, could scarcely believe it when he was given the role of Paul in The Street.
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Paul is a young man who is gradually trying to find his way in the world. Living in a bedsit and working as a gardener, he has recently been released from prison, after serving a sentence for a heinous crime he committed as a minor.
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His world is rocked to its foundations, though, when he comes face-to-face with Jean (Jodhi May), the mother of the victim of his childhood offence.
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The 25-year-old actor, who has previously appeared to acclaim as Joy Division's manager Rob Gretton in Control, says:
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"Paul is a fascinating character to play. Anyone who has been taken away from society and spent that amount of time on his own is bound to be out of the ordinary. He's self-built. He has also inevitably been formed by the influences of the institutions he has been in and the people there trying to punish him."
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Toby, who is currently working on Guy Ritchie's new movie, would be the first to admit that Paul is not a character it is easy to sympathise with.
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"It took me a while to comprehend where I could find sympathy for him. But he knows full well that the ultimate crime has been done to Jean and that he can't take that back.
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"All children are born with the capacity to do anything and very sadly without the correct nurturing, nature can sometimes take a very frightening course. In this drama, we examine that issue very deeply indeed."
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Without in any way wishing to excuse his crime, Toby continues that he also realised how damaged Paul had been by what had happened to him as a child.
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"Paul's parents disappeared when he was young and there was no one in his life whose example he could follow. For anyone, the most important people in their lives are their parents. They are the people you love, respect and sometimes fear most in the world.
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"If your teacher tells you off, it's a hassle, but if your parent tells you off, it's very serious. Similarly, if your parents congratulate you when you do well, it really counts and gives you a huge boost. Paul has had no such presence in his life."
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The actor, who hails from Pontefract, is well aware that this is a subject that needs to be handled with the utmost care. "It's a very difficult subject," he acknowledges. "But Jimmy McGovern has handled it with such sensitivity. As a writer, he's endowed with tremendous humanity and insight.
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"Also, when I met the director, the first thing he expressed was his concern that this should be approached with immense caution. I hope we have addressed this topic with the thoughtfulness and the respect it deserves.
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"Tragically, these things do happen in real life, but we weren't drawing on any events in particular in The Street. We're just telling what we hope is a very powerful story."
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