Full Monty star stunned film became a hit and thought ‘no one would watch it’

Actor Mark Addy was convinced iconic comedy The Full Monty, about a bunch of amateur strippers, would be a massive flop which no one outside of Yorkshire would watch

Mark Addy is amazed The Full Monty became an iconic film. The actor was convinced the comedy about a bunch of amateur strippers would be a massive flop.

To this day, he’s stunned by how much people adore it. Mark said: “At the time we were shooting the film, I thought, ‘This is probably not going to play outside Yorkshire… it’s got a very northern sense of humour, so I doubt it’ll travel’. “But I was wrong.”

The flick was a worldwide smash when it was released in 1997. It made £190million at the box office and bagged four Oscars nominations. Mark reckons it’s the down-to-Earth characters that made it a hit.

He added: “The Full Monty is about human life and human beings and that’s what audiences appreciate. It’s one thing to go and watch movies about special effects and fantasy worlds. But there’s something about seeing real people that everyone finds fascinating. That’s the kind of thing I enjoy working on.”

It’s been almost 30 years since The Full Monty hit cinemas, but Mark still gets asked about it almost every day. He said: “It’s remarkable that people still love it. It surprises me, but it’s still fresh in people’s memory.

“It gets repeated quite frequently. People tell me if they’re flicking through the channels and they see it, they’ll watch it to the end. It’s great to be part of a film that cheers people up a bit.”

The Full Monty is just one of a raft of hits Mark has had over the years. His glittering CV also includes Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey and A Knight’s Tale. He said: “I try to vary things. I do different genres.

“That’s always fascinating. You hope that people don’t get bored of you. There’s always a chance they’ll feel like they’ve seen enough of you!” Mark is on stage for his latest role The York-born actor is treading the boards in new musical The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry at Theatre Royal Haymarket in London’s West End.

It’s a thrill for him to be in front of an audience rather than a camera. He said: “You can’t beat the stage. You’re in the same room as the audience. You have that immediate response. It’s electric. That’s the great thing about it.

“I’m doing an emotional show. But it’s so beautifully written that it’s easy to find the right emotions.”

Mark always has plenty of offers on the table but he isn’t sure what he’ll do next.

He said: “Doing this show takes its toll a bit. After I finish, I’m going to have a bit of a rest. I’ll have a bit of a break!” The show is running in London until April 18. Visit haroldfrymusical.com