Jared Harris says that fame is like ‘a hall of mirrors, it distorts the way people look at you’ - Rii Schroer

Jared Harris has said that actors needed to take parts they don’t love because they “have bills to pay”.

The Bafta winner, 63, said it was “quite rare that something comes along that ticks all the boxes” as he discussed taking a role in Marvel’s Morbius for money to pay off his mortgage.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Harris said: “You’ve got bills to pay. You’ve got people you have to look after. You say yes to things because they tick certain boxes.”

The Mad Men star explained that in rare circumstances roles ticked “all the boxes,” which he described as a “great part with a great director”, well-written, well-paid and something that will be “seen by lots of people”.

“Maybe three times in your whole career it’s going to be something like that, if you’re lucky,” he added.

Harris starred in miniseries Chernobyl in 2019 - Liam Daniel/Sky UK Ltd/HBO

Harris, who is the son of Irish Oscar-nominated actor Richard Harris, added that he could still “walk down the street and not be bothered” by anybody recognising him.

He has played prominent roles in the popular miniseries Chernobyl and the first season of The Crown – as King George VI – as well as well-known supporting roles in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

“My take on fame is that it’s a hall of mirrors, like at a funfair,” he said, explaining that it “distorts the way people look at you and how you see the world.”

“It’s extremely difficult to deal with,” he added.

Asked if he had learnt any lessons about handling recognition from his late father, the actor said it was to have a place to “get away to”.

“He was always pretty resolutely himself,” Harris added, explaining: “He didn’t hang around Hollywood and do the Hollywood things.”

He has previously told The Telegraph that his parents – his mother was the actress Elizabeth Rees-Williams – never expected him to go into the same industry, saying “they thought I’d be something like a lawyer or teacher” because of his shyness.

Discussing whether he ever felt he was in his father’s “shadow”, Harris told Radio Times: “I mean, he was my dad. I couldn’t compare it to something else.

“Sometimes I’d be aware…[but] the biggest difference about him was that he lived by his own rules.”

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