Harry Potter actor Timothy Spall has said that his leukaemia diagnosis in the 1990s helped him understand “what suffering was really like”.
The 66-year-old was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in 1996 while on the cusp of promoting Secrets & Lies at the Cannes Film Festival.
In a recent interview with this week’s Radio Times, Timothy said that his AML battle gave him a clear “focus” on what was important in his life.
He stated: “I was peeking over the precipice! It gave me an understanding of what suffering was really like.
“The possibility of not making it and leaving a young family, the most important things in my life, made me focus on what is and isn’t important.”
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Despite being in remission since 2006, the dad-of-three said this knowledge is “in the bank” and claims it is “a wonderful benchmark to work against”.
“I don’t recommend it as an aide-mémoire for making you a better actor, but it certainly gives you an idea of what it’s like to feel really up against it,” he added.
According to Cancer Research, AML is a type of blood cancer that begins in young white blood cells or can be found in monocytes in the bone marrow.
However, this isn’t the first time that Timothy has gotten candid regarding his leukaemia diagnosis.
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When appearing on The Graham Norton Show, the Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, actor said: “I was diagnosed with leukaemia the day I was supposed to go to Cannes.
“And when I saw everyone coming down the red carpet I was having my first chemo stuck directly to my heart when I was watching this all going on.
“It was nice because they were winning prizes while I was sort of doing an impersonation of not trying to peg it which I valiantly managed to achieve.”
Timothy is currently promoting his new BBC drama, The Sixth Commandment, where he plays elderly author, Peter Farquhar.
The show is a fact-based story documenting the 2015 murder of a 69-year-old teacher at the hands of Benjamin Field, 32.
Before taking on the part of Peter, the actor said he “wasn’t aware” of the crime but was “intrigued and touched, and slightly horrified.”
He also stated that the events of the crime are “unusual and peculiar”.
The first two episodes of The Sixth Commandment will air on Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th of July on BBC One.
Read the full interview in this week’s Radio Times – out now.
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