Actor Mark McGann has gone public about being married to an HIV positive woman - former PN columnist Caroline Guinness. Rose de Freitas spoke to him
Mark McGann, 42, actor, musician, and now HIV activist, reckons he has played John Lennon more times than any other actor; first in the highly successful West End musical Lennon in the mid 80s and then in the TV movie John and Yoko: A Love Story.
 Photos: Nikki Kastner |
He is also one of another fab four from Liverpool. The McGann brothers, Joe, Stephen, Paul and Mark, are all successful actors, with Mark probably best-known for his performances as the wicked Marcus Bannerman in the long-running 1998 TV period drama, The Grand, and the highly acclaimed ‘The Hanging Gale’ for BBC TV which was loosely based on his own family history. He also appeared in Shackleton with Kenneth Brannagh (2002) and has several other big film appearances under his belt.
More recently McGann appeared as Joseph Bazalgette, ‘The Sewer King’, in an hour long drama-documentary about the great Victorian civil engineer’s life. He’s also an accomplished songwriter and musician.
But enough of Mark’s illustrious career. We’re here to find out something else: what it’s like to be a heterosexual, HIV negative man (with a public profile) who’s in a relationship with an HIV positive woman.
Why did you decide to come out in public now about Caroline’s
HIV status?
Caroline
has wanted to do it for a while. Both of us have been enjoying an idyllic private
life for the last few years but have been only too aware
of the dangers of becoming complacent. Witnessing Justice Edwin Cameron’s
speech on World Aids Day was a catalyst for us. Caroline used to be so
active in HIV work in the past. She was one of the founding members of
Positively
Women and has been chomping at the bit to lend our support to issues like
the Global Campaign for Microbicides. The time just seemed right. In comparison
to this, acting does tend to pale in significance. I wanted to lend my
support to her and every other person living with the virus.
You came out publicly at Cameron’s Princess Diana Memorial lecture,
why?
Ironically, it was I and not Caroline who was invited to Edwin Cameron’s
speech on World Aids Day in December, but when I accepted the invitation and
told them who my wife was, they fell off their chairs to get us there. Both
of us had been blown away by Cameron’s previous speeches and articles,
and perhaps Caroline being a South African gives us a particular affinity,
but we’d never seen him speak in person. He is a great man. He has helped
to get the South African government to change its policy towards HIV while
living with the virus himself.
It was pretty spontaneous though; we just got carried away by Edwin’s speech and decided to talk about our own story on the night. The Evening Standard was there and got the scoop, but we were unhappy that they first said they would not be running the article the following day and then proceeded to print an old piece that Caroline had written for the British Medical Journal in 1995. I can only imagine that they wanted to avoid paying the fee to a charity we had requested as payment for the interview.
We’ve since done two proper interviews with the Daily Mail and the Observer that were fine. We chose these two because they arguably represent opposite ends of the popular newspaper reader spectrum. We wanted to get our message across to as many different people as we could. Perhaps if people in England can identify HIV with a mature and accomplished woman like Caroline, who is married to a well-known actor, then perhaps we can break down some myths about who gets HIV in this country. HIV knows no social boundaries.
What’s your reaction to the public’s image of people with
HIV?
It’s the kind of issue people naturally feel compelled to brush under
the carpet. The English don’t like talking about sex, and the subsequent
ignorance about HIV/Aids causes them to run scared. A lot of the press around
HIV is sensationalist and equated with death and therefore can only serve to
drive the subject underground. It’s these misconceptions we hope to challenge.
What about the recent conviction of a man for passing on HIV?
Whether this guy is guilty or not, I am deeply worried about the criminalisation
of HIV. I simply don’t believe you can legislate adequately for a sexual
relationship between two consenting adults. I obviously feel a great sympathy
with the lady involved, but as someone living with a person with HIV, I also
know that it’s not easy to be accepting of your own status when you
know that you have the virus. More importantly though, whatever the outcome
of this particular case, we must stop demonising people with this virus.
To do so promotes the assumption that ‘everyone who has HIV is a danger
to someone who does not’. This is simply untrue.
How did you find out about Caroline’s HIV status?
I actually knew about it a year or so before we became an item. She was a friend
of my brother Joe and he had mentioned it to me. As I got to know her, it
only enhanced the respect and appreciation I felt for her. She is truly a
remarkable person. She struck me as having a very special energy. It was
1998 when we first met. I flew off to Peru with a friend to reflect on what
had been a frenetic period in my life. When I returned I phoned her up and
she invited me over for a chat. We started talking and I never left! We were
married in South Africa in 2000.
How did you come to terms with her status in your relationship?
We took it slowly. I like to think of it as a beautiful dance in those early
days of courtship. We talked endlessly. She felt that I needed to know as
much as possible about HIV before it got too serious.
I met with Caroline’s HIV consultant, Margaret Johnson at London’s Royal Free hospital, who was fantastic. I asked her everything I needed to know about the risks, the effects and the treatment. She reassured me that I could have a normal life with Caroline and shouldn’t make allowances for her ‘being an ill person.’
When you love someone, all the things about them become natural and normal.
In fact I have come to see our relationship as a gift. It’s a luxury
to live with someone who has faced death in her life. She’s less likely
to get affected by the more trivial things. She doesn’t fear life.
Her experiences have had life-changing consequences on the way she approaches
everyday living and death. I particularly find her ‘living in the present’ attitude
incredibly inspiring and helpful to me. Perhaps I have been someone who has
previously dwelt a little too much on the past. I feel that Caroline has given
my life a real perspective.
Of course the other glorious benefit is the fact that if I let her drive, we get to use her disabled badge!
What about sex and testing for HIV yourself?
I was tested three times before being with Caroline, and the results came back
negative. Of course we promote safe sex and if microbicides were available
we wouldn’t have to worry about these things so much. Caroline and
I wholeheartedly support the trials of them. You have to ask yourself why
there is not a microbicide on the market when they could obviously be so
effective, especially in empowering women across the world who find it difficult
to insist on monogamy or condom use. I suppose it’s because the projected
profits are not as enticing to potential investors as certain pharmaceuticals
or a vaccine. It’s a highly political issue that must be addressed
as soon as possible and one that Caroline and I are planning to campaign
for in the future.
What do people around you think?
I’ve told everyone close to me about her. I’ve never had a bad
reaction. My family are incredibly supportive. They all love her. And the reaction
we’ve had to the recent articles has so far been great. Of course there’s
always the worry that someone will react negatively but there are more important
things to concentrate on than worrying about such things. My step-daughter
Lee, who’s now 20, did have some difficult times at school a few years
back due to the ignorance of the parents of certain school friends. However,
they soon saw their stupidity when confronted with the facts. Lee, who’s
negative, has now become very outspoken herself about HIV.
Lee has occasionally had a tough time worrying about her mum’s condition, but has borne it with great maturity, compassion and acceptance. I love her so much. When I came on the scene and let her know that it was my plan to be with her mum, she seemed so happy, and it seems to have given her a great sense of relief and comfort. We have a very special relationship.
Has your acting career been affected by your serodiscordant relationship?
I hope that it’s made me a better actor. I feel (and so does Caroline)
that I have found a new clarity to my work. It certainly helps working in a
profession that is inhabited by people who, due to their artistic commitment,
are often more open-minded about life. I have yet to experience any professional
restriction related to my living with a person with HIV. I believe that it’s
more important to have love in your life than to be a celebrity. I only ask
that I am judged as a professional on my skill as an actor rather than any
aspect of my private life.
What’s up next?
I have a busy schedule ahead. I am going to Poland and Mongolia in the next
few weeks to film a drama about Genghis Khan for the BBC. I am directing
a play and have just completed a film directing course. Caroline and I have
committed ourselves to the upcoming campaign for microbicides and I have
songs to finish in my studio. But right now I am going to give my beautiful
wife a big kiss and ask her if she minds cooking tonight! Fingers crossed....
