Soul Man

David Soul shot to fame in the 1970s as the blond hunk in the long-running television series, Starsky and Hutch.After further appearances in other television shows such as Star Trek, he moved to London and started acting on the stage. He will be appearing in the play, Deathtrap, at the Churchill Theatre.

You star as playwright Sidney Bruhl, a man who has been very successful but fallen into anonymity. Can you relate to him?

Anyone who's been around in the business as long as I have can relate to this guy. Bruhl has a great line in the play: "Nothing recedes like success". Eventually you have to watch as the possibilities slip away. You can either react to this with grace, or you can react to it in an angry, resentful way.

You must have the opportunity to make a lot of money from your fame. Why did you choose to come to London and act on the stage?

I first started out acting on the stage before I did television so it seemed a logical step for me to return and test myself against the challenges acting on the stage offers. For me, the commerce of the work has never been as important for me as the substance of it.

This play deals with some dark subject matter. A has-been scriptwriter plots to kill his younger up-and-coming rival

The story is a play within a play within a play. I hope that's not too complicated! The performance is quite intense but there are upbeat moments in it. Even the thriller parts have a lightness and a dance and in the end it's a cheery kind of thriller.

You started doing theatre here a couple of years ago. Now it seems every Hollywood star wants to tread the boards in London's West End with Kevin Spacey and Gwyneth Paltrow set to follow Nicole Kidman. What do you make of these actors?

I don't know how other actors will do when they come here from Hollywood. I anticipate Kevin Spacey will be great because he has his roots in theatre in America. But these actors have to have a bedrock of fine actors around them and that is why the regions are great. They are the underbelly of British theatre. If these theatres didn't exist the tradition of British theatre would cease to exist. Pubs, football, theatre: they all really give identity to the British way of life, to who the people are.

Are you as surprised as others by what you find yourself doing now?

I think it's more people's perception of me which makes these things seem surprising. Sometimes I feel an obligation to be accessible as a personality but for me the driving force since the beginning has always been good work, taking risks, trying new things. If the door opens, go through it. Always go forwards. Also, I'm not the richest man in the world: I've been married a few times and I have six kids, but I'm happy doing what I'm doing.

What are your memories of Starsky and Hutch?

Ah, the screeching cop-chase days! What's kind of neat is that Starsky and Hutch has continued to have a worldwide affection. It speaks now to those thirty-somethings who are realising they are not kids anymore and they have one last look back. It's nice to give continuity so by my presence I can say all that was not just some commercial flash in the pan, it really meant something.

And how about your co-stars?

I'm still close friends with Starsky, Paul Michael Glaser. We wanted to get together for the film remake of the series but it hasn't worked out. Mind you, there were times when we corpsed horribly. Once, Paul and I had to re-shoot one scene 67 times because we kept looking at each other and laughing whenever the camera was switched on. It happens on stage sometimes but luckily the audience are very forgiving!