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John Barrowman interview (Captain Jack Harkness)
Did you know Captain Jack can sniff parts of himself no human can? That’s John Barrowman’s jack russell, ‘Captain Jack’, of course! Read on for more such extraordinary insights.
WORDS: Sarah Herman
Courtesy of: The Official Torchwood Magazine
What is the full name on your birth certificate?
John Scot Barrowman. Scot with one T!
What is your nickname?
Jinny Bazza is the one that everyone knows. That’s a name that was created by Eve Myles. I answer to that or 'J' most of the time.
What is your earliest memory?
Riding my Big Wheel tricycle down our street in Mount Vernon in Glasgow, with everyone looking at me going, 'Oh my gosh! What is that?' We'd brought it back with us from America, and no one had ever seen one over here. It’s just a plastic low-riding trike for kids, but it looks like a souped-up hotrod. It was awesome!
When was your first kiss?
My first, most important kiss was when I was 19 or 20. It was in a swimming pool in Nashville, Tennessee, with a guy I had fallen for, and it was under the stars in the middle of the night.
What was the last dream you had?
This is terrible, but I was dreaming that Charlotte Church was getting really ticked off at me because I was flirting with [her partner] Gavin Henson! I was going to give him a great big snog, and she was saying, [adopts a strong Welsh accent] 'John Barrowman, if you touch him I’ll kill you!' Let’s just say I woke up very happy…
When was the last time you cried?
I cried with laughter yesterday. My partner Scott came back from an assault course saying he was in severe agony. I was on the telephone to my sister, and we were making fun of him, saying it was only because he'd been trying to impress another guy on the course. Turned out he was actually sick, and we had to rush him to hospital at 2am! He's fine now, but we were laughing so hard before we knew!
Do you believe in aliens and the supernatural?
I have to think there is life out there, even if it’s not within our solar system, or even our galaxy. It would be a bit arrogant to think there wasn't anything else. As for the supernatural, yes I do believe, but for personal reasons that I don't like to talk about.
What makes you happy?
Lots of things make me happy, but one of the things that makes me happiest is the fact I’m doing what I love to do, and every day I get to go to work with a grin on my face!
What really winds you up?
Inconsistency and lying! I’ve got hundreds of examples of people doing that in my life. It really bugs me when people are asked to do something and they don’t do it, and then they give you an excuse. Don’t even bother! Be honest with me and say you didn’t have the time, or you couldn’t be arsed, but don’t make up some kind of lie as to why you didn’t do it. I also hate people chewing gum around me! They’re like cows chewing cud!
What are you scared of?
I think everybody knows that I don’t like to fly, because I really don’t like turbulence. I’m not sure I'm afraid of it, though. There are not many things I’m afraid of. I'll try almost anything as long as I can assess the risk and make sure it doesn’t put me in unnecessary danger. I try not to look at things from a fear point of view.
John Scot Barrowman. Scot with one T!
What is your nickname?
Jinny Bazza is the one that everyone knows. That’s a name that was created by Eve Myles. I answer to that or 'J' most of the time.
What is your earliest memory?
Riding my Big Wheel tricycle down our street in Mount Vernon in Glasgow, with everyone looking at me going, 'Oh my gosh! What is that?' We'd brought it back with us from America, and no one had ever seen one over here. It’s just a plastic low-riding trike for kids, but it looks like a souped-up hotrod. It was awesome!
When was your first kiss?
My first, most important kiss was when I was 19 or 20. It was in a swimming pool in Nashville, Tennessee, with a guy I had fallen for, and it was under the stars in the middle of the night.
What was the last dream you had?
This is terrible, but I was dreaming that Charlotte Church was getting really ticked off at me because I was flirting with [her partner] Gavin Henson! I was going to give him a great big snog, and she was saying, [adopts a strong Welsh accent] 'John Barrowman, if you touch him I’ll kill you!' Let’s just say I woke up very happy…
When was the last time you cried?
I cried with laughter yesterday. My partner Scott came back from an assault course saying he was in severe agony. I was on the telephone to my sister, and we were making fun of him, saying it was only because he'd been trying to impress another guy on the course. Turned out he was actually sick, and we had to rush him to hospital at 2am! He's fine now, but we were laughing so hard before we knew!
Do you believe in aliens and the supernatural?
I have to think there is life out there, even if it’s not within our solar system, or even our galaxy. It would be a bit arrogant to think there wasn't anything else. As for the supernatural, yes I do believe, but for personal reasons that I don't like to talk about.
What makes you happy?
Lots of things make me happy, but one of the things that makes me happiest is the fact I’m doing what I love to do, and every day I get to go to work with a grin on my face!
What really winds you up?
Inconsistency and lying! I’ve got hundreds of examples of people doing that in my life. It really bugs me when people are asked to do something and they don’t do it, and then they give you an excuse. Don’t even bother! Be honest with me and say you didn’t have the time, or you couldn’t be arsed, but don’t make up some kind of lie as to why you didn’t do it. I also hate people chewing gum around me! They’re like cows chewing cud!
What are you scared of?
I think everybody knows that I don’t like to fly, because I really don’t like turbulence. I’m not sure I'm afraid of it, though. There are not many things I’m afraid of. I'll try almost anything as long as I can assess the risk and make sure it doesn’t put me in unnecessary danger. I try not to look at things from a fear point of view.
This extract was taken from a feature in issue #10 of The Official Torchwood magazine.
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