 Nobody could ever accuse Patrick Swayze of not having a varied career. Dirty Dancing, Ghost and Point Break - his three most famous movies - have all been appreciably different. Now, he's hoping for yet more success with what is another departure for him - a comedy. Not only that, but a comedy which takes the mickey fairly and squarely out of Patrick himself. He wouldn't be the first Hollywood star to take exception to a little gentle ribbing, but the likeable Texan - chain-smoking his way through our interview and drinking strong black coffee as well - is delighted to be laughed at in Keeping Mum, a movie filmed primarily on The Isle Of Man. "Let's say I had a bit of a problem after I did Dirty Dancing," he says. "I had difficultly letting go and I was taking myself, and everything about me, way too seriously. "I'd be sitting in some hotel, in the middle of some publicity tour, and I'd be getting more and more hung up about my image. So I'd drink and that didn't help - it never does. "What got me back on track was an appearance on the American comedy show Saturday Night Live while I was filming the movie Point Break. "I did some jokes, fooled around a bit, discovered that it was fun being fun and - crazy though it may sound - that was a turning point. "From that day on, I no longer took myself anywhere near as seriously as I had done previously and I feel a whole lot better about myself as a result." All of which means that scenes that might once have been embarrassing to Patrick in Keeping Mum are no longer anything of the sort. "There's one, in particular, that would once have made me cringe, where I get filmed in a red thong, in a bedroom scene with Kristin (Scott Thomas). It hides so little of my body that I'm glad I stayed slim! But, hey, it was a blast!" In the movie, Patrick plays a sex-obsessed golf tutor who has a dalliance with Kristin's character Gloria, the wife of a vicar played by Rowan Atkinson. If that all sounds a little Carry On-ish, then that's because it is! "Oh sure, there are parts of the movie which pay homage to that great British series of movies! My character, Lance, is ruled by his crotch and even his language is sex-orientated. "At times, I felt like I was Sid James, or Kenneth Williams, or someone like that, there were so many double entendres. "My character comes out with stuff like: 'Don't worry if you get the ball in the bush because you know what you get when the ball is in the bush? Relief!' "The guy basically uses his talents as a golfer to get into women's undergarments." It's all a far cry from the more straight-faced roles Patrick played in Dirty Dancing - his breakthrough film - and Ghost, the weepie in which he played the murdered husband of Demi Moore. He was on a deal with Dirty Dancing that allowed him to take a percentage of the movie's profits and the millions he made from it set him up for life. Which, in turn, has allowed him to take on any work he chooses to do. "If a script takes my fancy I will consider doing it. I don't need to worry about what it will 'do' for my career. And that, I know, is a formidable luxury to be able to enjoy." It's now 18 years since movie Dirty Dancing and 15 years since Ghost. Does he think Keeping Mum could hit a similar kind of cinematic/DVD jackpot as those two films? "Who knows? I think it's a great picture, but then I would say that because I am in it! "I will let others judge. But what I would say is that I didn't do too bad a job in choosing Dirty Dancing and Ghost so maybe people should trust my judgment and give this new movie a try!" | 
Movie double-acts come in all shapes and sizes ...and with varying degrees of success.
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