Nigel Parry Click photo for larger image. Listen In Listen to a longer version of Patricia Sheridan's interview with Alfred Molina. To download the file to your computer, right click on the above link and select "Save Target As ..." After the file has finished downloading, double-click on the file to listen to the audio.

Most people recognize his face, if not his name, but actor Alfred Molina has had some impressive big-screen credits, including "Frida," "The Da Vinci Code" and the villainous Doc Ock in "Spider-Man 2." He's also been on Broadway, most recently playing Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof."

The 54-year-old English-born actor has been married for more than two decades to actress Jill Gascoine, who is 16 years his senior. Molina will be starring in "The Company," a CIA drama set during the Cold War, along with Chris O'Donnell and Michael Keaton. The three-week television event on TNT begins Sunday.

Q: I read that your father was a communist. Did that influence your own political views, or were you too young?

A: My father had fought in the Spanish Civil War and was a member of a trade union militia. He was very young; he was like 17 or 18. He was a refugee from the civil war in Spain and made his way to England. He joined the British Pioneer Corps and fought with the British in World War II. As he got older he opened up a little bit. I don't remember conversations about his political beliefs, but I do remember hearing him talk about his disillusionments about the way things worked out. By the time I was old enough to talk to him about it he was so disillusioned and, I think, mistrustful of any kind of political ideology.

Q: Did you ever have a chip on your shoulder coming from a working-class family?

A: I'm sure I did at some level, although I don't know quite how it may have manifested itself. I remember having lots of very heated discussions and arguments when I was at college. Whatever I imagined myself going through was usually nothing in comparison to other people [laughs].

Q: Would you say your ambitions were modest when you got into the entertainment business or did you see your name in lights?

A: I think they were modest in public. In private, in my fantasy life, in my heart, the secret I kept to myself was that I wanted everything. I was hugely ambitious. The skill of being a successful human being is to make the most of it. I knew as a young actor I was too big and too gangly. I wasn't the right type to play Romeo, but I thought, I'm a character actor, I'll play the guy that wants to kill Romeo [laughs].

Q: You've played the star and the supporting actor. Are you equally comfortable in both roles?

A: Absolutely. What I always describe myself as is a character actor. I know a lot of actors sort of balk at that a little bit. I've had conversations with colleagues who say, well, we're all character actors. We all play characters. What I mean by that is that I'm not a conventional leading romantic hero. No one is going to cast me as the guy who gets the girl. I will always be the best friend of the guy who gets the girl. Nowadays, of course, I'll play the father of the girl [laughs].

Q: What is your measure of success professionally and personally?

A: The only measure I have is to keep working. If I'm employed and I'm making money and paying my bills, you know? That's it. I don't mean that in some kind of heroic way or altruistic way. That's really what my ambition has always been.

Q: Then you are wildly successful!

A: Well, thank you for saying so, and as you are saying that I am touching every piece of wood in the immediate vicinity. I'm happy with the way things are going, and I'm hoping I'm not complacent about it.

Q: You live in L.A. surrounded by beautiful women, yet you've been married to the same woman more than 20 years and she is considerably older than you. Are you ever tempted?

A: We've been together 25 years [laughs]. You might as well have asked me, "Have you stopped beating your wife?" Whether you answer yes or no, you know you are screwed. I'm married. I'm not dead. I think the idea of a man not sort of looking or appreciating ... of course you see other women, and you can appreciate how beautiful they are, but I think it's ...

Q: Does your wife get really annoyed when you are asked about the age difference?

A: No, not at all. In fact, her more than me, we've always been very open about it. My wife's never lied about her age. It's a matter of public record, and it's not something we're ashamed of or want to keep quiet. She's 16 years older than me, and she just celebrated her 70th birthday. I'm 54. So.

Q: Is it hard to resist the glitz and glamour lifestyle of L.A. once you make it in Hollywood?

A: It's not hard to resist when you're my age because it's just so bloody exhausting. But I think if I'd have come to Hollywood when I was in my 20s, I'm sure I would have been just as much at risk for falling for all that garbage as any other 20-, 22-year-old. I think it's to do with your age and your sort of vulnerability. I don't blame people for falling for it. If that had been me, I'm sure I would have fallen for it, too.