General Kutuzov
Played by Brian Cox
General Mikhail Kutuzov is a celebrated military leader with many decades’ experience. He has been chosen by the Tsar to lead Russia’s army against Napoleon. Kutuzov is wise and battle hardened and knows that no amount of glory is worth needlessly risking the lives of his men. An old friend of Prince Bolkonsky, he happily accepts Andrei on to his staff for the campaign in Austria.
Interview with Brian Cox
Tell us about General Kutuzov
General Kutuzov is an extraordinary man. He was really a military genius, because he knew that the further the Napoleon forces were away from their supply lines, the weaker they’d become. It was Kutuzov who said that retreat was the best strategy, because the more you retreat, the more your enemy is obliged to follow you and the more you lure them in. That’s what happened with Moscow. Everybody disagreed with Kutuzov about his strategy, and he said, no, it’s the only way. And he was proved right.
Is this old soldier disdainful of the younger troops’ fixation on the glory of war?
Yes. He’s quite practical. He is also slightly contemptuous of Andrei’s “death or glory” approach and all that nonsense, the nobility of war and all that. Kutuzov doesn’t see it that way. He doesn’t buy it into the way that these youths go for the glory of it, because war isn’t like that. War isn’t glorious - it’s horrendous and horrible.
I’m a bit of an old soldier myself, I suppose, especially in this game!
Kutuzov has been badly injured in the past, hasn’t he?
Yes, he’s only got one eye. The make-up team did fantastic work. It was long, I tell you. It took about an hour to do it in detail. Then once I’d got the makeup on, I couldn’t get the false eye out, so it had to stay in all day. I couldn’t see anything out of that eye, which was problematic!
Why do you think War & Peace is such an enduring classic?
I think it’s the original war story. I mean, if you look at anything, you see its influence; Gone with the Wind, for instance, is basically a retelling of War & Peace. There are variations on that particular theme, but Tolstoy’s scope is unique.
Tell us about your unusual link with Tom Burke, who plays Dolokhov?
I’m directly responsible for him being here! I was the matchmaker of his parents!
