John Simm says he is an "in and out" vegetarian because of 'Life on Mars'.

John Simm

John Simm

The actor traced his attitude to an incident when he was filming in abattoir for the BBC drama and confessed it made him reconsider his food intake.

He said: "I go through periods. It started when we filmed an episode of Life on Mars in an abattoir. That turned my stomach for quite a while, the smell and the screams had a horrible effect on me, but I have to admit it didn't change me completely.

"It's because it's weird when you think about it. Why drink bovine breast milk? We don't even drink human breast milk. It's not for us, it's for baby cows."

John is starring in 'Macbeth' at the Chichester Festival Theatre and admits he loves playing the Shakespeare character.

John added: "He's such a contradiction. He's this incredible warrior that everyone talks about, looks up to and respects at the beginning. Then it gets really interesting, he gets the bloodlust and turns into a tyrant. It's a fantastic part to play."

The 'Doctor Who' star feels that 'Macbeth' is still relevant in the modern world.

He told The Guardian newspaper: 'It's a play about power, and corruption and lies, a tyrant, political intrigue. There's a lot of relevance right now, it's a tale for the ages."

John admits he prefers theatre to television, saying that 'Life On Mars' made him feel 'numb.' I love doing theatre, I prefer it, I don't feel anything when I film any more. Being in every scene (of Life On Mars) it was virtually impossible to learn the lines on time, I couldn't really prepare properly, it was all shot out of sequence and it's confusing enough as it is. I mean I loved every second of it, don't get me wrong, but it made me kind of numb."


Tagged in