British Actor Trevor Eve Plays Twins in Corsican Brothers

Trevor Eve said the biggest problem he had playing the dual roles of The Corsican Brothers was getting people to believe two different people were on the screen. "I spent a lot of time with the director, Ian Sharp, before we started shooting," he said. "We worked out the details of the twin brothers. In this case it was not a simple matter of good twin and the bad twin." "Lucien was the hunter. I played him as a rough tough kid. The kind who as a boy yelled a lot. He dressed roughly and wore the same clothes every day. His hair was wild and was never washed." "Louis was more cerebral and refined. He was better groomed. It was easier to play Lucien. You could flop out of bed in the morning and go to the set without brushing your hair."

"The Corsican Brothers," based on the book by Alexandre Dumas, will be broadcast on CBS Tuesday night as a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. The classic adventure also stars Geraldine Chaplin, Nicholas Clay, Olivia Hussey and Jean Marsh. Trevor Eve stars as the da Franchi brothers, whose family is locked in a deadly vendetta with the de Guidici family in 19th century Corsica. Lucien wants to continue Corsican traditions, while Louis wants to end the vendetta and declare peace. Both brothers are in love with Annamaria de Guidici (Miss Hussey), whose family – in "Romeo and Juliet" fashion – is a bloody enemy. The split-frame technique that allows Trevor Eve to appear on screen as both brothers works well, and the south of France local provides a rich and beautiful background. But the swashbuckling tale seems to hold interest only in the action sequences; it drags a bit at other times. Trevor Eve was offered the role of the twin brothers while on a visit here. Several CBS executives had seen him on stage in London. The first thing he did was read the Dumas book, which he said struck him as a travelogue. "Dumas had visited Corsica and came across this family," Eve said. "Louis never appears in the book and is only spoken about." Eve said his British acting background has given him skils he needed for The Corsican Brothers roles."

"I already knew how to fenc. I'd gone to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and fencing is a part of the course. It's sort of an offshoot of the commandos to be an actor. I spent a month brushing up on my fencing and horseback riding. "But then I'd done a lot of riding for Jamaica Inn. I'd love to do a Western. There were a lot of Englishmen in the Old West." American audiences know Trevor Eve for his roles in the TV miniseries Lace and the movie Dracula. In the future he may be seen here in two Brithish productions, Jamaica Inn, with Jane Seymour and A Brother's Tale. He is married to actress Sharon Maughan, who was in The Flame Trees of Thika. Trevor Eve is something of a cult figure in Britain because of his series Shoestring. It can also be seen in this country on the Arts & Entertainment cable service. "I play an eccentric detective,"" he said "He works at a local radio station in the West Country and people call in with their problems and he goes out and solves them. He has a record of instability. When the series began he was getting out of an institution. He'd had a breakdown working on computers." "It's set in the beautiful, rolling country around Bristol and Dorset. It was a huge success, and I did 21 episodes. They wanted me to continue but I pulled out after two years. I wanted to get out while it was still good. But I must say I enjoyed doing it."