Film star backs kids' charity

nlnews@archant.co.uk
06 June 2005

Jonathan Pryce

BETWEEN jetting off on speedboats and starring in swashbuckling blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean, film star Jonathan Pryce still finds time to support a charity much closer to home.

The actor, who lives in Highgate, is taking time out from his filming schedule on June 21 to host an evening of fundraising for the Friends United Network (FUN), which teams up trustworthy adults with children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Camden and Islington.

Mr Pryce, a patron of FUN, is currently filming in Budapest for a new release, The Moon and the Stars, and is also working on the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel, Dead Man's Chest.

He said: "Pirates of the Caribbean is a lot of fun and films two and three are going to be as good, if not better, than the first.

"You get to go to work in a speed boat rather than a bus. It's almost like being on holiday in the Caribbean - and occasionally you have to put a wig on."

The film star always enjoys coming back to Highgate from filming in far-flung places.

"Highgate is a great place

to live. It's fairly green and there's a sense of community there," he said.

Mr Pryce will perform a cabaret with musical comedienne Victoria Wood at the event for the fun charity.

He said: "When I was a child I had a large family unit and could go to aunts and uncles.

"But with the disintegration of family units, that's not there for kids. It's about providing stability - to have one person you can always rely on and go to."

FUN's chief executive Frankie Weinberg added: "For 21 years, people like Jonathan have helped hundreds of vulnerable children and young people through the difficult transitions of childhood and adolescence. Many of these friendships continue to this day."

The fundraising night, which marks the charity's 21st anniversary, will be held at The Savoy, in The Strand.

It includes dinner and an auction with top prizes up for grabs, including autographed scripts from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and a trip to Berlin to see Sir Simon Rattle rehearse and perform with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tickets cost £150. For more information, call Dinah Garrett on 020 8994 7252.