Pete Postlethwaite (1946–2011)

This autobiography is a densely-packed tale, mostly of Pete Postlethwaite's acting career.
His voice is singular and remarkable in our celebrity age, he is absolutely unstarry. While clearly proud of his famous film work (eg Jurassic Park - Lost World, Usual Suspects and an Oscar nomination for In the Name of the Father), he gives more weight to his theatre work, his politics and his family.
He says that his approach to a new project is never "how will this make me look" but always "what is show more the job I am here to do?".
The only criticism I would have of the book is that while we hear a lot about what Pete does and how he approaches his acting roles, there is not much context, eg the times he lives in, how he feels, his very active social life.
Ultimately, while I felt in awe of the man at the end of the book, I did not feel that engaged as I was reading. show less

I've long been a fan of this - in my opinion - underrated actor, so when I saw this autobiography on the returns trolley at the library, I knew I had to check it out.
The account is honest and open. Postlethwaite tells it like it is - warts and all - which is the essence of who he was. A fascinating and moving read.
Pete was taken from us too soon. He is missed.