You just have to open the newspapers in most Western news to see real violence.

I don't think you see a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder, for example. And even with the accents.

There's not a lot of direct back story but you do get to see them playing around each other a lot.

I suppose you just feel on an instinctive level if something is honest.

For me, because I've had classical theater training, when people say, "Oh, my god, the play is amazing!," I'll never get to see it because I'm in it.

Hence the genius of having Ken steer this ship as well. You have to invest these characters with a Shakespearian quality and not in a way that might disengage the audience but in a way that actually lets you play to an audience.

It really reminds me of the great movies of the 30's and 40's with huge sets and voluminous fireplaces you could walk around in. Glazed floors. I was expecting a Busby Berkley dance number. Big fanfare and all the girls coming out. I'd have joined in. It's got that scale, you know?