Exclusive interview with Tim McInnerny on ‘Past Life’

With a fascinating career spanning stage, television and film, Tim McInnerny has played everything from Blackadder’s bumbling Lord Percy to Shakespeare’s most infamous villain, Iago. In Past Life, he takes on the role of Sebastian, a sharp and self-assured lone wolf who understands other people’s psychological make-up better than they do.

Ahead of the the film’s show-opening world premiere at Grimmfest 2025, we spoke with McInnerny about what drew him to the project, his thoughts on past life regression, and how he approaches roles across genres.

Exclusive interview with Tim McInnerny on Past Life

William Knowles: You play Sebastian in this film. How would you describe your character in your own words?

Tim McInnerny: Extremely clever and hugely self-confident, to the point of not really having a great deal of respect for anyone else’s intelligence. He’s a lone wolf who understands other people’s psychological makeup better than they do. Whether that makes him a happy person is another question. I don’t think you can be that divorced emotionally from others and be truly happy. You’re kind of lonely and constantly have to prove yourself.

Was it that character’s struggle which drew you to the part, or was there another factor that led you to take on the role?

That’s a very good question. Obviously, it’s mainly about the character, but even if a character was interesting, I wouldn’t play it if the script was bad – it’s pointless. And I thought the script was great. I was completely hooked by the twists and turns, but it wasn’t just a twisty-turny thriller. It was about something fascinating to everyone, I think: past lives, past life regression, and what we would or could or should do under those circumstances.

It’s not a huge role, but I thought it was immediately exciting to play, and quite difficult. Trying to get certain levels of characterisation into something that’s not very large is a challenge – and I like challenges. I thought it would be fun.

Given your interest in the whole concept of past lives and hypnosis, do you have any belief in it, or are you more of a sceptic?

What am I? I don’t dismiss it, probably because I’ve seen too many films. The idea of it is kind of scary, but it seems to me that whenever people talk about it – people who believe they’ve lived in previous existences – by and large they’re dukes, kings and queens. And you think, well, not everyone can be that. Some people must have just been peasants working the land, and their lives weren’t very interesting.

I honestly don’t know. I do know, on a very basic level, people who have done hypnotism to get over smoking, for instance. I know several people who’ve done that, and it seems to have worked. So it’s interesting to see how that can be applied, and the question is always: even under hypnosis, can you do something you wouldn’t usually want to do?

I don’t like the idea of being under hypnosis because then you’re not in control, and I like to be in control of my life… although that’s kind of ironic when you’re an actor.

You’re a very versatile actor. You’re strongly associated with comedy, but you’ve worked across so many roles and genres. How does a thriller differ in the way you approach acting?

The way I prepare for roles doesn’t change that much. This is going to sound pretentious, but when I was doing Blackadder, I still created backstories for Percy or Darling. That’s how I learnt and trained as an actor. It’s not for anyone else’s benefit, just yours, because I don’t think you can play bleak drama or comedy unless you have an absolutely rock-solid basis for the character and their life.

Too many sitcoms rely on unbelievable characters telling jokes. That was the brilliant thing about Blackadder: it was absolutely about character for everyone, and then the jokes came out of the character and the situation. You don’t have to work that hard or be too aware that it’s slightly heightened.

I don’t think Past Life was that heightened – we created our own world on its own realistic terms. If you do something very dark, as I have many times, it can be difficult. On a movie, when it’s dark outside the scenes, you try to have as much fun as possible, otherwise it becomes too much.

Sometimes it can be harder in the theatre. I did Iago at Shakespeare’s Globe — he’s basically the daddy, the most evil character ever written. I played him for five months, and usually at the end of a play’s run you’re sad to leave the character behind because they’ve become part of you. I wasn’t sad to leave Iago. A character like that doesn’t just exist for three hours every night; it’s with you 24 hours a day. But actually, those three hours on stage are the best, because you’re with the audience.

With comedy, on the other hand, getting something absolutely perfect in terms of timing and situation is incredibly hard work. Good comedy is really hard. By the time it’s on TV, you’re sick to death of it.

What’s the main thing you want audiences to take away from the film?

First of all, they should be satisfied with the reveals. Hopefully they won’t guess any of it and they’ll be excited by the end. And – this is how I would feel – I think it’s great when you do something that’s not only psychologically realistic and fascinating, and keeps you on the edge of your seat, but also makes you think, “That’s actually a really interesting subject, I’d like to learn more about that.”

I’m not saying people have to go away and read about it, but I think it’s interesting when films can do that.

McInnerny’s sharp observations and thoughtful approach mirror the intelligence of the character he plays in Past Life. With his extensive experience across comedy, drama and the stage, he brings a grounded authenticity to the film’s psychological twists, ensuring that even a smaller role leaves a lasting impression.

If you didn’t see the premiere at Grimmfest, be sure to add Past Life toyour watch-list.