Tom Burke, the 44-year-old actor known for roles in The Musketeers, Strike, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, opens up about his fears, embarrassing moments, and career regrets in a candid interview.
On His Worst Job and Embarrassing Moments
When asked about the worst job he has ever done, Burke replied: "A movie. Does it have a name? It might do." He also recalled a particularly mortifying incident involving chocolate mousse. "I put chocolate mousse in my agent's face. Somebody had done it to me – that thing where they go, 'Smell this, it smells funny', and then they put it in your nose. A year later I was in this French restaurant with a very 1980s-style dessert trolley and, before I knew it, I had a bowl of chocolate mousse in front of me. And my agent went, 'What's that smell?', and it felt impossible not to … I immediately felt awful and tried to apologise. He, of course, said that he found it funny. But I knew he didn't."
Personal Traits and Fears
Describing himself in three words, Burke said: "Steady, reaching, bewildered." He deplores rumination in himself and outrage in others. His greatest fear is being stuck in the past. "What scares you about getting older?" he was asked. "Having regrets and not knowing what to do about them," he replied.
Celebrity Crush and Guilty Pleasures
Burke revealed his celebrity crush is Lauren Laverne, and his guiltiest pleasure is buying sunglasses. He also admitted to overusing the word "incidentally."
Close Calls with the Law and Death
Burke has twice missed jury service due to fringe play commitments. "Both times I was doing a fringe play and wrote a letter saying, 'You don't understand, I don't have an understudy.' And both times I didn't realise they'd written back saying, 'You've got to turn up', because I was so busy getting the play on and didn't open my mail." He also came close to death at 14 or 15 during a running accident: "I fainted but I was a bit of a jester and they thought I was taking the piss, so I was left for a bit. I woke up in hospital."
On the Internet and Aging
What makes Burke unhappy? "The internet." If he could bring something extinct back to life, it would be the pager. His most unappealing habit is taking the last item from a box and putting the empty box back. He also ruminates at night, kept awake by a feeling that he didn't get enough time for creative work.
On Legacy and Death
Burke hopes to be remembered as reliable. "I've not always been great friend material. I've tried to get better at that, so to be remembered as reliable by a few would be great." On what happens when we die, he said: "You reach a certain point in life and suddenly know a lot of dead people, and I've noticed you don't stop getting to know people who are dead. Those relationships continue and I like that."
