The strange thing about James Frain is that though in person he reeks of charisma- all big green eyes, wolfish smile and tangles of curls -- his gift as an actor is to disappear. In over 20 films, he has crossed centuries and continents with his characters and costumes -- from swaggering around in a black leather coat as a seventies Irish gangster in Nothing Personal, to donning ruffs and pantaloons in Elizabeth, modelling prison stripes as the baddie in Reindeer Games, and going the Nepoleonic knee socks way in The Count of Monte Cristo, which opens early next year. But the character closest to the 32 year old's psyche is...the loss adjuster he played in the BBC's recent production of the William Boyd book Armadillo. "I wore a chalk-striped Hackett suit, a pink shirt and a red polka dot tie to meet a bunch of bankers. Then a sheepskin jacket to meet a bunch of builders. What the loss adjuster does is to become like the people he's with. Rather like an actor." Rather like Frain, who off set likes nothing more than to sling on his favourite sheepskin coat, jeans, denim jacket and Red Wing boots, and grab a bite at his local Notting Hill cafe."When I start looking really bad, I know it's time to get another movie," he grins. "Because, when I'm not working, no one's in charge of my grooming."
IS: Do you ever brush your hair?
JF: No. The hairstylist for this shoot asked how we could control the bounce. I said we couldn't.
IS: How important are costumes in becoming a character?
It depends. In Nothing Personal, the costume designer manged to find some old pairs of Seventies underwear. Sky-blu nylon Y-fronts with a white detail. You don't necessarily have to wear underwear from the period to steep yourself in a character. It was a kind gesture though.
IS: What have been your favourite costumes that you've worn on film?
JF: I loved the Thirties jazz look I had in Vigo. I wore a pinstripe suit, tank tops and a beret. And some of the sharp Sixties suits I wore in Hilary and Jackie, when I played the conductor, Daniel Barenboim, were beautiful. It was a shame that they were rented.
IS: Do you keep your outfits?
JF: I take as much as I can. I still wear the black leather coat that was made for me for Nothing Personal. I wore two beautiful Paul Smith suits in Armadillo, but couldn't have either, so I kept a load of T-shirts. I would have liked the brown contact lenses I wore in Elizabeth. Oh and the ruff would have been useful...
IS: Have you always enjoyed dressing up?
JF: Definitely. When I was six I was given a Red Indian outfit which I loved wearing. I also had a policeman's uniform. I was rather like a one man Village People.
IS: What's your favourite decade in terms of style?
JF: The American Seventies. It's the look Samuel L. Jackson has now and the funky musicians had at that time. I also love punk, which again is a Seventies thing. Johnny Rotten in his Seditionaries T-shirt and beret was a hero when I was a teenager. I suppose it's the figures who are around when you are a teenager who influence your style and how it remains.Does this mean kids in 15 years time are going to be dressing like Eminem? Probably.
IS: Do you ever wear suits?
JF: Not often. Though sometimes a man's just got to wear a suit. When I get the urge, I usually wear a pinstripe suit I own from Jigsaw. It has a Seventies look.
IS: What do you wear to parties?
JF: A couple of years ago I was in Los Angeles shooting a film for Miramax. It was around the time of the Oscars and I found myself invited to the Miramax Oscar party. I didn't have a suit, so a friend talked me into buying a beige one from Gucci. I arrived at the party and everyone else was in black tie. No-one could have missed me that night. I was the guy in the light suit. It was a lovely suit - just the wrong occasion.
IS: If money was no object, which designer would you wear?
JF: Vivienne Westwood. I love everything she does. To me, she epitomises what is cool about British style: which is to say, make it up yourself. It's the punk thing again - the mixing of styles that means you can wear tailored suits with ripped up T-shirts.
IS: How have the girlfriends you've had influenced your style?
JF: By stealing my shirts. You can always tell when a girlfriend is going to split up with you because suddenly all your favourite clothes start disappearing and you have to hide everything.
IS: Who has been your favourite leading lady?
JF: The question should be which leading lady hasn't been a pleasure? I got to kiss Charlize Theron in Reindeer Games. Obviously we had to do a large number of takes to get it right. And in Where The Heart Is I got to do a sex scene with Natalie Portman - her first one. She was nervous, but it's always rehearsed and there are about 50 people on set.
IS: Are you naked when you shoot sex scenes?
JF: Sometimes. Otherwise you wear attractive flesh-coloured underwear. Meanwhile, the make-up woman powders your back and you've got indigestion and are trying not to burp. Sexy, eh?
IS: How would you sum up your style?
JF: That's a difficult question to answer. Style is about what you feel comfortable in. I like mixing new stuff with vintage. I go to the fleamarkets in New York and LA and the Portabello Market here in London. I don't feel comfortable in clothes that are all new. Although whenever I go shopping with my sister, who's a stylist, she always tries to get me to be smarter. She says I'm too scruffy.
IS: Do you like clothes?
JF: I love them. I can talk clothes for hours with my sister. I can't talk about football. I don't know anything about football. Does that mean I'm not a real man?