Anyone who has seen my show Eclipsed or read my book will know how much fun the whole thing has been for me and my family. Even the low points of my career seem appropriate now and serve a purpose for my story and so I enjoyed reflecting and explaining why they happened and how I coped.
Two favourite sections of my book are the accounts of when my mum (Granny Tess) cooked a meal for the cast and crew of The Impossible. Apple crumble and custard on a Thai beach – surely the first time ever?
And the time where I bravely call myself a ‘hero dad’ – when I flew to Thailand for a two day visit to surprise my boys. It was two long flights and a car transit (not to mention the cost) – but seeing the kids faces was worth whatever effort and cost.
So imagine then my shock when it was my turn to be surprised.
I am in Edinburgh with the family – doing the festival for the first time in over a decade. A show called Eclipsed about my life in general – of which Tom plays a major part, obviously. I am so fortunate because my head is in a place where I am able to do this enormous festival again – and this coincides with Homecoming to complete my narrative so completely and give me such an attractive hook. Thank you Tom.
The only downside being that Tom is in Montreal making Chaos Walking for LionsGate. We had talked about Tom making it over for a weekend but the logistics were against and so I moved on. Shows to do and stuff to concentrate on.
So standing in my kitchen the other morning and the door bell rings – I have no idea what is about to happen. Actually, we’ve ordered Tess a new collar and I’m hoping its a delivery.
Seeing Tom in the lounge – I am overwhelmed. Harry is filming it of course and it is unlikely that this video will ever be released since I start blubbing like a baby.
It was the perfect day.
A long walk with Tess in Edinburgh – surely one of the world’s most beautiful cities – in to a pub for lunch – Tom comes to my show – we do a photo shoot and an interview for a newspaper – and then we go to dinner with some old friends.
In the words of Lou Reed – ‘Just a perfect day’
