Luke in the New Gangster Film Charlie 2004

Feb 6, 2004

Why Former BROS Star Luke Goss Has Turned to Crime in the New Gangster Film Charlie
2004
Long before Blue or Westlife, Bros were the boy band who played havoc with the hormones of a million teenage girls. From 1988 to 1992, the group topped the charts with songs such as When Will I Be Famous? and I Owe You Nothing. They shifted 16 million records worldwide, sold out Wembley Arena 10 times and packed 68,000 into Wembley Stadium for just one show. Then it all went downhill. Bassist Craig Logan quit among much acrimony, the twins Matt and Luke Goss fell out and the band went bankrupt.

Most wrote them off as yet another casualty of the fickle pop market, yet London-born Luke, 35, started a new career from the bottom rung in acting and has since won several high-profile roles. After winning acclaim as vampire Jared Nomak alongside Wesley Snipes in Blade II (2002), he is now starring in the new gangster biopic Charlie alongside acclaimed actor Steven Berkoff.

The film is based on the life of ’60s mobster Charlie Richardson who terrorised London before being jailed for 25 years in 1967 for GBH. While the Kray twins controlled North and East London, Richardson’s torture gang – including the notorious “Mad” Frankie Fraser – ruled the South. To prepare for the part, Luke even went to meet Richardson, now 69.

He now spends most of his time in LA and has been married to former George Michael backing singer Shirley Lewis, 43, for nine years. They’ve been together since Luke was 18 and Shirley has a daughter Carli, 20, from a previous relationship.

What was it like meeting Charlie Richardson? I’ll admit I was a little bit intimidated. I went up to him, shook his hand and he put his arm around me and said, “You’re a true South London boy, aren’t you?” and we immediately hit it off. I even took him and Frankie Fraser to lunch a few times after that. It’s strange meeting somebody you’re going to be playing. During the first scenes on set he was there doing a cameo and it was kind of off-putting because he was sitting to my left with a pint of bitter.

Do you think the film glamorises the Richardsons? No, because the movie’s based on a true story. Like it or not, it happened. It very difficult to glamorise the truth and all we’ve done is document something that happened in the ’60s. The thing about Charlie is that he didn’t mess with outsiders.

Are you based in LA full-time these days? At the moment yes, although because I’ve made four films in the past 12 months, I’ve been here, there and everywhere. I actually used to live in Jim Morrison’s old house in the Hollywood Hills where he was supposed to have written LA Woman. It wasn’t really palatial but I liked it a lot because it was very private with big hedges. I’m actually in Malibu as we speak, staring out at the most beautiful blue sky. But I’ve still got a place in London.

What was it like working with Wesley Snipes? We hit it off as soon as we met, but we really bonded while doing promotion for Blade II. We were allowed to borrow someone’s Gulfstream jet and flew all over the States together. I let him know I really loved the first film and since then our friendship has evolved. I took him to Chinawhite last year and we got very, very drunk together. I don’t think I got in until five o’clock the next morning.

Working so much must put a real strain on your family life? It is difficult and I miss my wife Shirley massively. Last year I only had about 15 days when I wasn’t filming but success affords you the luxury of making sure people you love are comfortable and taken care of, so it’s worth it. I had some time off at Christmas and New Year so Shirley, my stepdaughter Carli and I went out to the Joshua Tree in the Mojave Desert, lit a fire and had some food and it was very, very cool. You have to make sure you make time for that sort of thing.

Would you like Carli to go into showbusiness? If it made her happy. I’ve heard celebs say, “I don’t want my kids to get into showbusiness” and I think “Why not? You’ve done all right”. But Carli doesn’t want to do anything like that and is a tennis coach working with kids. She seems really happy. I don’t put any real expectation on her because I just want her to enjoy life.

Are you surprised at how you’ve managed to make a comeback after Bros split up? Absolutely. Some days I have to pinch myself. Being unsuccessful sobers you and has made me thankful to be in the position I’m in now. I’m always grateful when people call and ask me to read for roles and the movie industry is nowhere near as fickle as the music business. When I was a success the first time around, I didn’t know what to do, but now I’ve come to realise I just have to be myself. You won’t get me going to showbiz parties to get my face in the paper. I’m much more low key.

How do you feel about the whole Bros experience? It doesn’t feel like it was me, more like a young guy who didn’t know what was happening. For me, Bros is a couple of moments that were really fun, playing Wembley Stadium and seeing the world. There are certain aspects I was proud of. I speak to people now and they say, “I really used to hate you and now I don’t know why” and that tickles me. I think the reason we got so much stick was because we were the beginning of young money. Up until then, success and money had mostly come to men in their late twenties. There we were, making money while people were losing their houses in the late-’80s recession. None of them remember we’d been as broke as they were. I think I’ve every reason to be proud of it, but if I start doing those songs as a grown man, people can club me with a blunt object. The music was OK and the experience was brilliant but a grown man shouldn’t do those pop songs again.

Is there any truth in the rumours that you’ve fallen out with your brother Matt? We don’t speak as much these days but people saying we aren’t getting on is news to me. We’re not as close as we were and don’t hang out as much, but I have a big commitment to what I do.

What are your plans for the future? Eventually I would love to direct but I’ve got a lot to learn before I do that. I think I’m trying to find a role like Wesley had in Shaft or Blade – a really cool anti-hero. I’m in a fairly healthy situation at the moment but I don’t think I’ll ever become blase.

- Charlie is out today.