Close up... Colin Salmon

In ‘Alien vs. Predator’, Salmon reteams with ‘Resident Evil’ director Paul WS Anderson.

Oct 19 2004

Probably best known as right-hand man to Judi Dench’s M in the last three Bond movies, Colin Salmon is a familiar face from TV (‘Prime Suspect’), movies and theatre. In ‘Alien vs. Predator’, he reteams with ‘Resident Evil’ director Paul WS Anderson to play alongside Lance Henriksen’s robotics billionaire, both of whom end up as fodder for the titular critters.

Didn’t Anderson write the role for you especially in ‘Alien vs. Predator’ because he killed you off too early in ‘Resident Evil’?
I think so, and the response to the character was so positive he felt it would be good to bring me back. And we work together well. I met him for ‘Shopping’ and I thought he was arrogant. I met him for ‘Event Horizon’, and that was better. Then I met him again for ‘Resident Evil’, by which time I just said, “What’s the point, mate?”

Were you a fan of these films beforehand?
‘Alien’ was huge to me. The end of the ’70s, it was punk, Harry Dean Stanton, I had seen John Hurt in ‘The Naked Civil Servant’ as a kid growing up in a council estate, so it had all the touchstones. And a fantastic monster. I think ‘Predator’ was the best performance Schwarzenegger’s ever given. So yeah, they’re both important films. It was a great honour to be in it, actually.

Do you have any inside info on what’s going on with Bond?
I really don’t. It’s so important to get it right, and with the [casting] debate, what’s been said about younger Bonds, subconsciously it means we know we need to take it somewhere. I was always a Harry Palmer fan and feel maybe Bond should lean a bit more that way.

Pierce Brosnan once tipped you to follow him. Would you like to?
Of course I would. I think I know it. Pierce has had the opportunity to watch me do it for three movies. He’s watched all the tapes when I’ve worked with all the girls. He’s seen me be Bond.

What do you mean?
I screen test the girls. For the last three movies, preproduction, I’ve played Bond. I read with the girls, do scenes with them because it’s really difficult for them to come in, put on the costume, the Victoria’s Secret outfits, whatever, and be judged like that, then remember to be actors. Yeah, there’s kissing involved. It’s quite a good job.