Simon Callow: ‘Scottish reeling almost killed me.’

Simon Callow is a critically acclaimed actor, director, author and star of classic movies such as Room with a View, Shakespeare in Love and Howards End. However, it’s his part as Gareth in Four Weddings and a Funeral that many took to their hearts.

Callow’s failures include a childhood rejection that still haunts him, a play he directed which was savaged by the critics, painting and how he was ‘very annoyed’ not to get the movie part of Amadeus despite having played it on stage.



✨ IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Intro

01:35 Childhood Aspirations and Influences

02:12 Coming Out and Its Impact

02:46 Reflections on Being Openly Gay in the Industry

06:34 Iconic Role in Four Weddings and a Funeral

08:16 Challenges and Fun of Filming

09:11 Amadeus: Stage to Screen Transition

12:31 Failures and Rejections

17:26 Personal Life and Family Background

20:12 University Days and Discovering Acting

22:10 Directing Challenges at the RSC

31:19 Artistic Pursuits and Painting

35:31 Modern Acting and Final Thoughts



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Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan

Studio and Mix Engineer: Matias Torres Sole and Gulliver Tickell

Senior Producer: Selina Ream

Executive Producer: Carly Maile

Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini



How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production.



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How To Fail with Elizabeth Day is a podcast that celebrates the things in life that haven’t gone right and what we might learn from them along the way. Every week, Elizabeth’s guest explores three failures, and what these failures have taught them about how to grow and succeed, better.

We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with Elizabeth to share your failures, problems or questions - anonymously or otherwise. She'll go through these each week with the help of her very special guests. And remember: a fail shared is a fail halved. https://forms.sonymusicfans.com/campaign/how-to-fail-uk-2023/


An Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Original Production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow @sonypodcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]

• No. of episodes: 312
• Latest episode: 2025-08-27
• Society & Culture

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