Creatures of habit; NORTH WALES ACTOR JONATHAN PRYCE ON HIS NEW TV DRAMA ABOUT ADDICTIONS.

Byline: By SARAH BATLEY

MY ZINC BED Wednesday, BBC2, 9pm

FILMING with Hollywood movie A-listers is all in a day's work for North Wales actor Jonathan Pryce - even if those actors are the Bourne Ultimatum's Paddy Considine or Kill Bill's Uma Thurman.

This week the three of them will be swapping the big screen for the small, with BBC2's compelling one-off drama My Zinc Bed, David Hare's adaptation of his acclaimed stage play.

This powerful, provocative and sinister drama explores the nature of addiction - whether to drink, to relationships, or to business - with characters enslaved by their own resilient habits.

Paddy Considine is Paul Peplow, a gifted but penniless poet and recovering alcoholic, who lives alone and works as a freelance journalist. Impressed by Paul's poetry, multimillionaire business tycoon Victor Quinn - played by Jonathan - agrees to an interview.

But during it, Victor disputes Paul's addiction before surprisingly offering Paul a job.

Later one evening in the office Paul encounters Victor's wife, Elsa (Uma Thurman). Both recovering addicts, they have different opinions about addiction, and they find comfort in each other.

Paul knows that, together, they will destroy one another, and in the end he has to make the difficult decision as to whether they should be together or apart.

Jonathan Pryce grew up in Holywell, the son of a coal miner and shop assistant, and often returns to his family home. The 61-year-old has a long list of film credits, including an evil newspaper magnate in Bond classic Tomorrow Never Dies and Keira Knightley's dad in all three Pirates of the Caribbean.

But he jumped at the chance of the BBC adaptation, after seeing a stage version at London's Royal Court. Though he approached the programme more like a movie than a TV drama.

"It's a film about addiction," he said. "Whether that is to relationships, or to alcohol, or in Victor's case to business.

"Business gives Victor an adrenalin buzz, and he is obsessed with doing a deal.

Having seen the finished film it's almost Bergmanesque in its examination of painful relationships. I think because of the way David has rewritten My Zinc Bed it doesn't feel like a stage play anymore, it feels like a film. So the challenge is for the director and editor because it is very dialogue driven with very little action.

"Acting for stage or film is the same - you hopefully can find the truth of a character and tell a story. The only real difference is that on stage you're louder."

And filming was a good time for the actors and playwright.

"We had a great time. I hadn't worked with Uma since she was 17 and we were both in the Terry Gilliam film The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. She has grown into a wonderful actor - especially in this role. I'd always liked Paddy's work and it was a delight meeting him and working with him."

Jonathan, now based in London, will soon be seen in a BBC3 comedy, Clone, but that doesn't mean he's turned his back on Tinseltown.

"It's just coincidence these two television projects are going on at the same time as I've been part of three films this year - GI Joe, Bed Time Stories with Adam Sandler and The Gift - so no I wouldn't say I'm taking a break from Hollywood. But it is great to go home after work each day."

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Jonathan Pryce (main picture and inset with Uma Thurman) plays Victor in the film My Zinc Bed