- From tough guy and horseman to Nightsleeper and whisky
- Buddhist monk explores how to thrive in hard times
Scottish actor James Cosmo – who has appeared in no less than 130 Hollywood movies – made a sell-out appearance during the first weekend on the Wigtown Book Festival.
Known for everything from Braveheart and Highlander to Game of Thrones, The Chronicles of Narnia, Troyand Trainspotting he spoke about his long career and the people he has met along the way.
The fact that he was a big man and an accomplished rider proved to be a huge help in his early days.
He said: “I tended to play Bigfoot lumps. I did a lot of tough guy stuff. I could ride horses, so did an awful lot of stuff on horses. In fact, if you look at me from behind, my backside is actually saddle-shaped.
“And then I tried to deny middle age as long as possible. But it arrived anyway, and I found that you actually start to play more interesting and deeper characters. And that’s a wonderful thing about being an actor, you can act until you fall over.”
He is currently appearing in the BBC thriller Nightsleeper and has a three-part series for Amazon, filmed in Glasgow, with Martin Compson called Fear.
Recently his career has taken a new turn as he has been working with Annandale Distillery to develop his new Storyman label whisky.
A contrasting figure was Gelong Thubten, actor-turned-Buddhist monk, whose Handbook for Hard Times offers a guide to surviving and thriving through life’s difficulties.
The monk, who spent years at the Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Centre at Eskdalemuir, is a world-renowned teacher of meditation.
Over the weekend he led a workshop allowing people to try relaxation techniques.
This year’s festival features more than 250 events and activities and runs until 6 October.
Highlights of the second weekend include a festival-within-a-festival dedicated to food with demonstrations and talks.
They feature a host of well-known guests such as The Hebridean Baker Coinneach MacLeod, Scotland’s National Chef Gary MacLean, MasterChef finalist Sarah Rankin and Sanjana Modha Sanjana, creator of amazing modern Indian cookery.
-Ends-
Notes
- This year’s Wigtown Book Festival has more than 250 events and takes place from 27 September to 6 October. See
- Donations to support the work of WFC are welcome.
- For more about Wigtown Book Festival see www.wigtownbookfestival.com
About EventScotland
EventScotland is working to make Scotland the perfect stage for events by securing and supporting an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events. It provides funding opportunities and access to resources and information to develop the industry.
EventScotland is a team within VisitScotland’s Events Directorate, the national tourism organisation, alongside Business Events and Development teams. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit www.eventscotland.org or follow Twitter @EventScotNews and follow us on LinkedIn.
About Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. It enables people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life. Creative Scotland distributes funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. For further information about Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland.
For media information: Matthew Shelley at [email protected] or 07786 704299.
Wigtown Festival Company Ltd, 11 North Main Street, Wigtown, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland, UK, DG8 9HN. Wigtown Festival Company Ltd is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. Scottish Charity No. SCO3798