I was reading that you nearly got the role of Anton Chirguh that went to Javier Bardem in ‘No Country for Old Men.’ Were you sad not to get that?
I was invited to meet the Coen brothers in New York. Those guys, they’ve directed nearly all my favorite movies. I just really admire the work that they do. If I could work with them, then I could kind of retire happily. And then, bizarrely, the opportunity presented itself. I remember thinking, “Oh, they’re going to see loads of people.” But it transpired that it was down to Javier and myself. I actually got a call where somebody said, “Hold fire, it looks like Javier’s dates might not work,” so for the whole weekend, I thought, “This might actually work out,” and then on Monday I got the call saying they’d gone with Javier. Then I got a lovely letter from the Coens saying, “Sorry, that’s just the way it works out.” They were really honorable about it. It was really just about getting to work with them. The fact that it went on to become this massive success and earn huge Oscars, was something that I kind of wryly smiled at. That was never my intention. You never know how a film’s going to do. I just wanted to work with them.

But it could still happen.
Yeah, I think so. I bumped into Joel at the premiere of ‘Sherlock’ in New York and of course I’ve worked with his wife, Frances McDormand, so it was nice to meet them there and have a chat. I shall bide my time and no doubt something will come along.

Do you ever hear that people think you look like Stanley Tucci?
Yeah! I’ve had not only Stanley Tucci, but Andy Garcia. It’s funny, isn’t it? I actually take that as an enormous compliment because I think it’s a mark of people starting to notice you. I’ve known other actors who suddenly do something that gets them noticed and the first thing that happens on this long journey of becoming a regular in the movies, people try to work out who you’re like. There’s also a football player in London for Manchester United called Dimitar Berbatov who’s Bulgarian. So what they’re identifying, I think, is that kind of Mediterranean, Eastern European thing. I take it as a huge compliment. Stanley Tucci and Andy Garcia are a couple of terrific actors.

Have you ever met either of them?
No, although I was at a premiere of a film and as I was walking down the carpet, I could hear a demented shriek of “Stanley! Stanley!” I kind of ignored it and then I turned and realized that the person screaming it was staring straight at me. As I walked over to see what it was she wanted, I realized on the way over that she thought I was Stanley Tucci and she wanted my autograph. I told her, “I’m not Stanely Tucci.” And she went, “You are!” And I said, “Look, honestly, I’m not. He’s American and I’m English, aren’t I?” And she said, “But you are!” So I signed her book “Stanley Tucci.” It made her happy but I hope he never finds out.

I haven’t been in ages, but last night I didn’t have to work, so I was able to catch a film noir double bill with two James Mason films I’d never even heard of, let alone seen! The first was The Man Between, set in post-war Berlin by director Carol Reed, with Mason as a shady German on whom naive Claire Bloom develops an ill-advised crush. Filmed on location, like Berlin Express or Reed’s much better known film, The Third Man, this isn’t the masterpiece that The Third Man is, but still such an intriguing document of the era and a worthy little noir romance in its own right. The second film was One Way Street, with the always fantastic Dan Duryea as a mobster whose back-alley doc (Mason) decides to relieve him of his latest heist earnings. Not to give anything away, but this year’s noir series poster promises “No Happy Endings!” And both of these remind me of two of my favorite Mason films, Odd Man Out and The Reckless Moment. The series programmer Eddie Muller aptly compared James Mason to Dana Andrews — still the doomed everyman, but with that patina of British charm and wit.

I’m so curious whether the apartment building from One Way Street is a real one or on a lot somewhere. Does it still exist in either case? The building’s two wings frame the only exit to the street, a long walkway in clear view of the upper windows, where anyone could take their enemy out with a single shot — making it a perfect castle-like setting for a paranoid gangster.

Got me thinking that I should revive the Los Angeles film noir guidebook that I started work on when I first moved here in 2000. I have so much research and took lots of photos — it wouldn’t take much to actually write the thing.

Charlton Heston, one of the last actors from the golden era of film, died this week. It wasn’t until I was updating my portfolio that I remembered I’d written a bio of him in 2001 for the now-defunct site Mr. Showbiz. I guess there isn’t much to add, except my own personal thoughts on the man.

I know a lot of people don’t consider him the world’s greatest actor and he’s probably more well-known for his NRA affiliation than his films. But dammit (or should I pound the sand and cry, “Damn you all to hell!?”) he was Judah Ben-Hur! Moses! The human in Planet of the Apes! If not for his arguing for it, Orson Welles would only have been his costar and not the director of Touch of Evil. I know, I know, Heston playing a Mexican. Doesn’t fly. Wouldn’t fly today. But I grew up watching his movies — Ben-Hur was my favorite movie when I was around 11 — and even if they weren’t from my era, I loved them.

I just watched Major Dundee for the first time on TCM tonight. It’s one of those films that’s supposed to be a mess and a failure but feels like an overlooked gem now. How can you go wrong with Richard Harris and Chuck squaring off against each other?

I got to meet Heston, briefly, on the red carpet for the Stunt Awards a few years ago. He’d already been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and seemed fairly frail. I took a photo then that I’ll have to try to find and scan. But, thanks to celluloid, we get to remember him the way he was, firm-jawed, defiant, cocky and yes, heroic. He’ll be missed.

I’m a Hollywood-based writer and lover of all things entertainment-related. Well, nearly all things.. there’s only so much Britney and LiLo anyone can take in a 24-hour period! (Wait, you’re telling me that’s NOT what the Internet is for?)

Anyway, Welcome, Wilkommen, Bienvenue, etc.

My portfolio site is here: sharonknolle.com