In 1957 a film director called Chris (Peter) Noble who knew my mother, asked if I wanted to be in the BBC Television series Robin Hood. The first day I arrived on the set in a kind of sack dress, that the under-financed prop department thought would make me look like a 14th Century village boy, I was a little scared. Richard Greene as Robin and Archie Duncan as Friar Tuck were really nice to all of the kids and I loved the adventure, until the director pointed to an enormous horse. Evidently the casting director had asked my mother if I could ride, obviously she said I was born in the saddle, even though I had never seen a horse except in cowboy movies. To make it worst there wasn't a proper saddle as we were meant to be village children in the Middle Ages.
"OK!" the second director shouted as I clung to the temperamental stallion. "All you horsemen " OMG I thought, this monster is going to throw me in the first ditch.
"Gallop across that field as fast as you can, try to look scared as if you're running for your lives!" In my case that was absolutely true, I'll never know how I stayed on the beast, but at the end of the afternoon the director came over to me and said, "Well done son you acted truly terrified." I've never forgotten how to ride. I don't know if my childhood acting help me to be the author I am today, but I had a wonderful time.
"OK!" the second director shouted as I clung to the temperamental stallion. "All you horsemen " OMG I thought, this monster is going to throw me in the first ditch.
"Gallop across that field as fast as you can, try to look scared as if you're running for your lives!" In my case that was absolutely true, I'll never know how I stayed on the beast, but at the end of the afternoon the director came over to me and said, "Well done son you acted truly terrified." I've never forgotten how to ride. I don't know if my childhood acting help me to be the author I am today, but I had a wonderful time.