Mark Strong ‘not responsible’ for George Clooney’s injury after beating him up in Syriana: ‘He absolved me’

The actor had to beat up George Clooney in 2005 film Syriana (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/ REX/ Metro.co.uk)

Shazam! star Mark Strong, 58, on the second season of Temple, weird voiceover work and beating up George Clooney.

So what’s Temple all about, then?

A surgeon called Daniel gets into an unholy alliance with a prepper who lives in the tunnels underneath Temple Tube station. Daniel performs some illegal surgery to pay for keeping his dying wife in those tunnels secretly.

Season two picks up where we left off, with Daniel trying to get things back on course after a shooting. For a while it looks like he’s done it but it doesn’t last long… I’d love to do a third season because we’ve got a lovely way to round it off.

Does acting have anything in common with heart surgery?

You have to have confidence and a complete understanding of your subject, and you can’t let self-doubt creep in.

You need a lot of front to cut people’s bodies open and deal with their internal organs, and you need a bit of an ego to be able to walk on stage. It’s about managing your fear.

When did you first get that inclination to get on stage and manage your fear?

Once I got to university. I studied law first, then changed to doing English and drama, where I really got the bug. The more I did, the more I realised how bad I was and how good I wanted to get.

You did the rounds early on in EastEnders, The Bill, Morse and so on.

Yeah, it’s fascinating talking to young kids about getting into the business because there are so many more opportunities to get on camera these days. The other day, a 16-year-old boy told me, ‘I’m just gonna go to the gym, get hench and get a Netflix series.’ That was his plan. I just smiled wisely and said, ‘Good luck with that…’

Mark played a terrorist in 2005 film Syriana alongside George Clooney (Picture: Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

Is there a role that’s defined your career?

I’ve always loved the variety and never been hung up on just playing leads but there have been a number of moments that have led to the next step.

Our Friends In The North did it for me in television and in one year in film I was in Polanski’s Oliver Twist and played a Muslim terrorist in Syriana, where I ended up beating up George Clooney.

I got a call from the Coen brothers to meet them because they couldn’t believe it was the same actor playing both parts.

Was it nerve-racking having to beat up George Clooney?

There was a great responsibility attached to it and he actually did his back in when he chose to fall into shot still tied to the chair.

I met him years later, thinking I’d been responsible, but he absolved me.

George Clooney suffered a serious back injury while shooting the film (Picture: Warner Bros. Pictures)

You’ve done a few video games as well.

Yeah, the most recent is Star Citizen, which the makers crowdfunded to the tune of nearly $300million. Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman and Gillian Anderson are in it as well, and it was done with motion capture. A lot of the others are voiceover gigs where you’re doing sounds, grunts and noises.

My favourite direction was: can you make a noise as if you’ve just jumped off a wall? Then, can you make a noise jumping on to a wall? I remember doing Rome: Total War, where there was a lot of ‘man the gates! Flee from the gates! Shut the gates! Open the gates! The gates are open! Who’s forgotten to shut the gates!’ Pages of it, and that’s just the gates. It’s a bizarre job but I like the discipline of it.

Have your kids played any of them?

No, he was a Fortnite junkie for ages, then got into a Wild West game. It’s probably for the best. If I found him killing one of my characters then I would have to question my parenting skills.

As an Arsenal fan, do you think Mikel Arteta is turning things around?

It looks like it, doesn’t it? He seems to have his team together, working for one another, and I can see the plan. But if you’re a Gooner then you have to beware of false dawns.

How was lockdown?

An opportunity for so many things that I didn’t do. All I did was relax, frankly. You never know where the next job’s coming from, as an actor, and this was an opportunity to chill out because nobody was working.

I’m busy again now, though — I’ve done Everest with Ewan McGregor, I’m going to do a heist movie called Severance in London before Christmas and in the new year I might do a movie with Adam Sandler.

How did you enjoy doing Desert Island Discs?

I was delighted — I’ve spent my life compiling my favourite tunes in my head so to get them played on the radio was great.

I knew I didn’t want to choose classical pieces to show how intelligent I am or clever pieces to show what a great sense of humour I’ve got. I just wanted eight kicking tunes.

Temple season two is on Sky Max at 9pm on Thursdays

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