Kenneth Branagh recalls the opening ceremony of London 2012 27 July: the actor relives working with Danny Boyle to help create the dazzling opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics (GUARDIAN)

"I have never learned a part more thoroughly": Kenneth Branagh performs at the opening ceremony. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

I was in Liverpool on a location scout for the film Jack Ryan when I got the call. Danny Boyle rang me and explained that they'd had a great tragedy – Mark Rylance's daughter had passed away and he was pulling out of his role in the opening ceremony. He asked if I would take over. I was standing on a street corner and I was so shocked at Mark's news that I didn't really take in the second part.

A couple of days later I went to see Danny at the Olympic Stadium. It was three weeks before the ceremony and the place was packed with thousands of people all doing things impressively. Danny seemed to know everybody's first name – it was like taking a walk with the Pied Piper. We climbed on to the hill that I'd eventually be doing my piece from. It was quite a lot to take in. Danny said, "You'll be here in the person of Isambard Kingdom Brunel performing Shakespeare to the accompaniment of Elgar," and I said, "God, that's a lot of Great Britons all at once." I asked him where the prompter or autocue would be and he said, "Oh, no we won't have one of those." I have never learned a part more thoroughly in my entire professional career. The notion of screwing up in front of a billion people concentrated the mind very strongly.

On the opening night the energy was incredible and hard to resist. There was a temporary structure built as our dressing rooms and all the children involved were on the top floor. They were so wild with excitement the building was shaking. I remember being in my dressing room with the Arctic Monkeys rehearsing "Come Together" for the 5,000th time next door, and on the other side of the partition, Rowan Atkinson and Simon Rattle were discussing, in minute detail, how to be funny in two minutes and 11 seconds. Across the way Danny Boyle was talking JK Rowling off the ledge because it was her first time performing in public. As for me, I was just trying to keep my head straight and going through my lines: "Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises…"


READ MORE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2012/dec/23/kenneth-branagh-danny-boyle-olympics