Born and bred in Fife , Michael studied at Kirkcaldy College of Technology before joining what was then Queen Margaret College . Initially , he enrolled on the Stage Management course before switching to Drama and graduating in 1988 .
Donna finds out how it all started during his school days in Ballingry .
What sparked your interest in acting ? I have my sister to thank for that ! She was a member of Fife Youth Theatre and when the cast member who was playing the role of ‘ Tony ’ in the group ’ s production of ‘ West Side Story ’ dropped out , she encouraged me to try-out for the role as she knew I could sing . So I went along , auditioned and got the part . That ’ s when I fell in love with performing . As a teenager , I lacked confidence , and acting gave me the opportunity to express myself through the voice of someone else .
What was your first paid acting job ? During my first year at QMC , I appeared in an episode of ‘ Taggart ’. Our lecturers encouraged us to gain professional experience while we were studying . It proved invaluable , especially for the TV industry , having the insight into how things are run on a shoot and the production language used on set .
What did you do after graduation ? I performed in a lot of theatre productions with the Traverse Theatre , Communicado , Dundee Rep , Royal Lyceum Theatre and Wildcat Theatre . I also did a few BBC Radio productions and commercials , but I soon realised that if I wanted to establish a career in TV then I ’ d need to break into TV quickly , so I sought out more TV acting roles .
What aspect of your QMC course has proved vital for your acting career ? The greatest lesson I learned at QMC was that accurate listening is the most important part of acting . You can ’ t respond effectively if you ’ re not deeply engaged in listening .
What are your best memories of QMC ? I had a fantastic three years at QMC . The training was hard-work but our lecturers were amazing . They inspired us to be our best . My happiest memories are performing in student productions directed by the brilliant Marillyn Gray and Calum Mill . It was wonderful to learn from their wisdom and experience . Another highlight was being part of the QMC fencing team , travelling around the UK , competing in tournaments and winning a fair bit of silverware ! Our coach ( and fencing and stage-combat lecturer ) Bert Bracewell was hugely motivating .
What ’ s the most significant thing you ’ ve learned during your career ? The most important person in the room is the audience . The top directors have also been the ones who invest the time with actors during the rehearsal process to encourage the best possible performances , ensuring stories are told in the most impactful way to keep audiences engaged .
Which roles have you most enjoyed playing ? I loved playing the lead role in Shakespeare ’ s ‘ Macbeth ’. It was the most challenging role , both physically and mentally , but also the most rewarding one . I also enjoyed being Ivan Sujic in the Canadian detective series ‘ Durham County 3 ’. It was a fantastic production to be part of .
Are there any roles which you ’ d love to play ? Lots ! I ’ d relish playing ' Macbeth ' again and Eddie Carbone from ‘ A View from the Bridge ’ is another dream role . I ’ m also a huge ‘ Inspector Rebus ’ fan ; perhaps I ’ m drawn to the Fife connection ! I love traditional folk music and I ’ m passionate about the radical folk singer and songwriter , Euan MacColl . Another role is the Scottish-born American naturalist , John Muir . I ’ m a great admirer of his life and work .
Do you have ambitions to write , direct or produce ? Yes , definitely . The natural progression is probably to go from acting to directing but during last year ’ s lockdown , I spent some time script writing . I ’ m fascinated by folklore and history so I explored these areas . But as I worked on the script , the ideas became bigger and bigger and started to stray away from the original storyline , so I ’ ve taken a short break from writing , to think things through and decide what should happen next in the story . Who knows , maybe the script will become a novel !
What are you enjoying most about living back in Edinburgh ? Everything ! It ’ s an amazing city , steeped with character and depth . From its people , the arts , the architecture , its history and myths ( stories you couldn ’ t write !).
What ’ s next for you ? I ’ m due to start filming the second series of the TV crime drama ‘ Traces ’, which is set in Dundee . I play DI Neil McKinven . ❒
Selected appearances : TV / Film
Traces The Night Manager Line of Duty series 2 Durham County series 3 Rome series 1 & 2 River City Whisky Galore ! Child 44
Theatre
Macbeth King Lear Black Watch Cyrano de Bergerac Knives in Hens Victoria Gagarin Way The Cheviot , the Stag & the Black , Black Oil
Photo by Leila Nardone
QMYOU / Celebrating 50 Years of Drama 31