Oscar Dark Horse Timothy Spall on Finding Humanity in a Holocaust Denier

OscarWrap: “You have to figure out the weakness and fragility,” says Spall of his role as controversial historian David Irving

A version of this story about Timothy Spall first appeared in the “Dark Horses We Love” feature in The Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s Oscar magazine.

“It never upsets me to not be the cool guy,” said Timothy Spall of his role in Denial.

Spall’s Irving is a brash, egotistical fighter who must defend his controversial views in court–and while Spall has no chance of making the guy likable in a film that takes Lipstadt’s point of view, he does give depth to a man who could be a cartoonish villain.

Are There Echoes of Donald Trump in Rachel Weisz's Holocaust Drama?

You look at how somebody moves and how they talk, and you try to get some clues to what they’re like inside.

All these little detective things you do as an actor are very important — and even more so when you’re playing someone who’s not everyone’s cup of tea, because you have to play the humanity of them.

Whether you’re playing a king, a world leader or a schmoe that no one gives a f— about, your job is to strip it all away.

Because a king doesn’t wake up not feeling good and go, ‘Ah, Jesus, I’m the king, I’d better go take a dump in a kingly fashion.’