From Mr Big in comedy to Pompey in <i>Julius Caesar</i>

Actor Christopher Noth may be best known in Malta for his role as the charming, but enigmatic Mr Big in the HBO smash-hit TV series, Sex and the City, on Paramount. But his repertoire is wider than that and, indeed, he prefers a less contemporary role...

...such as the one he recently took on in Malta.

Noth was here for the shooting of the TV mini-series Julius Caesar, which wrapped last Wednesday, following a nine-week shoot, and in which he is starring as Pompey, alongside Christopher Walken (Cato).

A Sex and the City viewer, I am slightly conditioned by a preconceived image of the actor, based on his role in the daily comedy.

Slipping in and out of his roles with amazing ease, Noth is suddenly Pompey again - serious and stern, discussing Caesar`s future, with an air of authority.

When he is not acting, the 48-year-old, standing 6`4`` inches tall, is funny and flirtatious, grabbing every opportunity to wink and smile at the female extras and cast, and pass the odd, naughty comment.

I almost expect his one-time partner in the series, protagonist Sarah Jessica Parker, to prance onto the set. But, Sex and the City, which Noth acted on for four years, is history for him. Sorry fans, but he is "pretty much done with the TV-series life... It is so limiting... You`re stuck doing that one part."

"I may go back and do one episode, but I`m pretty much through with it."

Noth has leaped back thousands of years between his role in the comedy and that in Julius Caesar, but is not too willing to elaborate on the latter: "I never really like to talk too much about my character. I like the audience to find out when they are watching. I don`t want to tell you who it is until you see it!"

Fine!

"Obviously, all the characters (in the mini-series) are big, historical figures, who helped reform the world they lived in and shape Western culture, which is kind of exciting."

A lover of history, Noth prefers going back in time than playing a contemporary role, not least because it is a "great history lesson; it`s incumbent upon you to do the research; I love being able to learn and feed the imagination".

Noth`s knowledge of Julius Caesar came through Shakespeare, but he admits that he did not realise just how "fantastic a general" he was until he started reading up more.

"He is truly the greatest military mind and political figure - way up there with Alexander the Great."

Comparing work on films that are set in the past and those in the present, Noth maintains that although "good writing is good writing, it is more of a challenge to explore historical periods".

"You can get awfully caught up in the idea that a human being was different then, but I believe that the basic human instincts and emotions remain intact over the millennia. So, you have to research those few changes - obviously, there are things you would not do in ancient Rome - and find and keep your humanity. People laughed, they loved, they cried and died... Same problems, different set."

Speaking of which, the set at Fort Ricasoli is "fantastic" and just looking at it is inspiring to Noth.

Filming of Julius Caesar, which has now moved on to Bulgaria, was described as a tough shoot: "people are either working everyday, or waiting ages. To my mind we could have used another week, which we do not have," Noth had said, adding that "this is no small painting; its `canvas` is huge".

But, the vibe seemed to have been good. Noth and Walken share a chemistry of sorts. "It`s good to laugh!"

Noth elaborates: "Something happens after you`ve worked on one thing for a while. You go a little goofy to let off steam. Sometimes I get angry, but usually I just get goofy."

On the set, it appeared that Noth was free to voice his opinions to director Uli Edel, which is important to the actor: "It is your face up there. So, at the end of the day, you have to be sure that you are not just realising someone else`s idea and feeling terribly wrong about it inside. You have to know what you want and go for it because it can be regretfully painful if you don`t.

"Uli is wonderful in that way; he listens... It`s only the bad directors who do not allow dialogue and are tyrants... There are only a few good directors; many feel they have to be control freaks. A good director hears out an actor and goes with his instinct. Although it may not be in line with the director`s vision, the actor is, after all, going with the scene in a way that could be better for its development and that of the character. Uli is open and has a wonderful eye."

Asked about his future plans, Noth breaks out into a song about its uncertainty. But, on a more serious note, he explains that he is currently working on a play about a Romanian, 20th-century poet, with a tragic, interesting life, written by a friend of his.

Noth is looking to do another play on Broadway, following his interpretation of Gore Vidal`s The Best Man last year - which he considers to be his greatest achievement to date. Indeed, Noth hails from the theatre - his first love.

Then again, every acting job - among which was Noth`s appearance in Cast Away (2002) - is an achievement in itself. "Working with Chris Walken has been one of the most extraordinary experiences," he says, only because the actor happens to be passing by - and they both burst into laughter.

So, no more TV. Asked whether he believes movies - as opposed to TV productions - would further his career, Noth says he does not know anymore what furthers one`s career.

"I used to think I knew when I was younger, but now I no longer do things because they can further my career; I do them only because I like them. I am no longer 21. I am on a hunt for good writing and a challenge; something that keeps the spirit of acting alive in me."

Noth had been in Malta for a couple of weeks at the time of the interview and his impressions were that "the locals are incredibly cultured and generous. There`s a warmth to the Maltese that I find truly `heart-warming`," he says.

"To be honest, I haven`t really got into the snails and the rabbit, though," he continues.

Although he was on a tight schedule, working everyday, Noth managed to visit Valletta. He would have also liked to see the island in June and, aware of the great underwater sites, go diving.

"But, I imagine that, at the rate at which films are being produced in Malta, at some point in the future, I`ll be back shooting another movie here."

If Noth were not an actor, he would be a travel writer, "so I could come to Malta and try out all the restaurants".