A dreamer fulfilled

The door swings open onto actor Tchéky Karyo's suite, where he is lingering in the shadows, plucking a guitar on his bed.

In between filming, he has retired to his room in Mdina's Xara Palace Hotel, where parts of the movie Clarion's Call are being shot.

Mr Karyo (The Patriot, GoldenEye), grey-haired, rugged-looking and handsome, calls the shots and immediately asks me to remove my sunglasses as he puts on his shoes and we move onto the terrace.

Unfortunately, the fog that hung over the mediaeval town in the early hours has started to lift and I brave the glare to please him, squinting through our conversation, while Mr Karyo, whose look is anyway intense and expressive, talks about himself with matching depth.

The French actor immediately launches into a series of questions, reversing the roles... It's an interesting approach. Once he is satisfied with the answers, he passionately explains his character in the movie - a role that, given his three marriages and attitude to life, he can easily relate to.

Clarion's Call, a romantic comedy, tells the story of a woman who brings her family to Malta on vacation, but has a secret agenda; a date from 25 years ago with a man she had had a mad, passionate affair with in Malta.

In the words of line producer and production manager Jacquelyn Renner, they had promised that, regardless of what was going on in their lives, they would meet on this date at a little café called Clarion's Call and the movie is about how they have grown and changed and what happens when they discover each other again.

"I guess I am the secret pages of the agenda...", Mr Karyo says.

"They made an agreement when they were young and met in Malta on holiday - the best holiday of his life. They were so in love and so idealistic. He thought he could change the world and she was reading James Joyce and thought she would become a writer. They had such a high opinion of how life should be that they thought their love was too powerful for the world and decided to meet in 25 years," he continues with a hint of regret, still immersed in the character he plays.

"They did not want to grow to hate each other like most adults do..."

Mr Karyo insists, in his charming French accent: "We made a mistake. Let's do it right this time. Let's stay together forever and ever in Malta". And although he is just relating the plot, he sounds convincing.

"I would hate to be, in real life, a husband who is just focused on jigsaw puzzles, forgets about the children's presents and is just the third child of the family.

"What is important is the ability to fulfil a dream and not get overwhelmed by things that make life sad and boring." That seems to be his life's motto.

Mr Karyo was instantly attracted to the character and director Joan Carr-Wiggin's dramaturgy because "in my life, I always said to myself I don't want to betray the dreams I had when I was an adolescent. I don't want to lose that.

"I make sure that my daily life is not a burden... to myself, which does not mean that we do not have roles to fulfil as members of society but that we must think in advance to ensure that our life does not put us in jail."

Mr Karyo has just turned 50 and is still constantly attacking new projects and ambitions. "I dreamt of riding horses and I do; I dreamt of playing the guitar and I do..."

His latest goal is to be a "great grandfather. My daughter just called to tell me she is pregnant. This means so much to me," he says in awe. "Suddenly, soon I will be a grandfather," he repeats as though to make sure it has sunk in.

"I hope I will have the time - and that my daughter will grant me the time - to take this child to see the world, teach him some stuff and expose him to different cultures. I would love to plant these seeds inside my grandchild."

Mr Karyo was 20 when he had his only daughter, who is now almost 30. "We practically grew up together," he says, planning to take advantage of his youth as a grandfather.

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Mr Karyo grew up in Paris. "As a child, I lived in a French surrounding, which was also very multi-ethnic - the immigrant district. So, for me, being Turkish was always a source of pride. I don't know why... the history, maybe, the music, the culture, the exoticism, my name" gave him that edge. Today, however, and particularly when he travels, Mr Karyo is as French as they come.

One of France's most popular actors, his roots are firmly planted in theatre. "It gives you a cultural background... When you do theatre, you really learn your instruments.

"In theatre, you learn to name what is inside you. I think anyone can be an actor. Some are more gifted than others... But everyone is alive and has emotion inside. And in theatre you learn that."

Mr Karyo has an intense and focused look in his eyes, one of which is bruised with make-up for the movie. He also has a particular stance, feet apart, shoulders hanging, like a boxer about to dodge a blow and hungry for action...