Keith Allen says he feels like a “self-absorbed hipster” after growing mutton chop whiskers to play the miser Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.
The actor will play the part in the production at Alexandra Palace, which was adapted by Sherlock star Mark Gatiss, and is set to run from November 24 to January 7.
He said: “What’s really weird, not so much for me, but for my family is I don’t feel very comfortable acting with stick-on beards and whiskers. I find it very constricting, so I’ve started to grow these mutton chops already and they think I look idiotic.
“Unfortunately I’m starting to look like some weird self-absorbed hipster.”
Allen, who said playing the character in the classic Christmas tale by Charles Dickens, had always been on his “bucket list”.
He said: “I think there are different interpretations of it .
“You can pitch it in a number of ways but I like the tone of this, it’s very interesting and I’m much more interested in people coming to understand why Scrooge became Scrooge as opposed to just presenting this mean old git.
“There are a lot of other layers to him which we will be exploring. I don’t think people have really considered why he ended up like he did.
“Man is not made, he’s developed, and I think there is a lot of stuff in his past that’s influenced how he ended up and I think when he becomes more altruistic later on he’s confused.
“You don’t suddenly become a nice guy, I think you find it confusing to be kind and generous.”
The original story was a huge success for Dickens when he first published it selling out in days in the run-up to Christmas in 1843 and has been in print ever since.
It has inspired countless film and TV versions as well as stage shows.
