Time to try to be his own hero

IOAN GRUFFUDD wants to be on the A-list of Hollywood leading men.

“It’s so competitive now,” the lanky Welsh actor reflected recently over breakfast. “There are not an abundance of movies being made, and in my category of thirtysomething leading men, there are only a handful. But they are such brilliant actors, like Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, [Leonardo] DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jude Law. Naturally, I want on that list. I am determined to be one of those guys that people can come to.”

Gruffudd, 33, isn’t a new kid on the block. He’s been acting since he was cast at the age of 12 in a Welsh TV movie called “Austin.”

To Anglophiles, he’s best know for his work as C.S. Forester’s noble, brave naval hero Horatio Hornblower in a series of Emmy Award-winning adventures that aired in America on A&E.;

He’s also appeared in “Titanic” -- he was the officer who rescued Kate Winslet from the freezing waters -- “102 Dalmatians,” “Black Hawk Down” and “King Arthur.”

Five years ago, he and his fiancee, Alice Evans, whom he met on “102 Dalmatians,” moved to Hollywood. And though he’s not quite a “movie star” in the ranks of Jake, Heath or Leo, Gruffudd has been quietly moving up the ladder.

Landing the role as superhero Mr. Fantastic, a scientist who can stretch and twist his body, in the “Fantastic Four” Marvel Comics film franchise, has definitely helped. In fact, it led to him being cast in the period biographical drama “Amazing Grace,” which opens Friday.

Directed by Michael Apted (“Coal Miner’s Daughter”), “Amazing Grace” tells the story of William Wilberforce, who led the British abolition movement in Parliament to end the slave trade in the late 18th century. Besides Gruffudd in the title role, the cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch as William Pitt and Romola Garai as Wilberforce’s wife, Barbara.

Born into wealth and privilege, Wilberforce, an evangelical Christian, was elected to the House of Commons when he was 21 and spent his 20s and 30s trying to abolish the slave trade. For years, he faced steep opposition because many House members thought that ending the slave trade would destroy the country’s economy. Wilberforce and his band of reformers waged a modern political campaign by using petitions, boycotts, meetings and even handing out badges with slogans for their cause. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the passing of Wilberforce’s bill.

An animal lover who kept a pet hare, fox and other creatures in his house, Wilberforce also played an integral part in starting the first animal welfare society, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Apted said he was keen on getting the generational aspect of the story right, “which meant that the three leading actors would have to be very young. The studio was very concerned they wouldn’t have anybody in a leading role that could be sellable.

“It did make it easier for me that Ioan did have that kind of beginnings of a nice little power base in the hearts of the American audience with ‘Fantastic Four.’ I think we would have gone with him anyway, but it made it that much easier and made the studio much less nervous.”

The director met with Gruffudd several times and directed him in a small screen test.

“I was convinced he had that inner soulfulness to him,” Apted said. “There was a warmth and vulnerability to him, a sort of innocence in a way where you could see him taking on this cause and then being dogged with it. He’s a terrific actor. I hope he is going to be a movie star.”

Gruffudd doesn’t resemble the real Wilberforce. “He was an incredibly eccentric character,” the actor said. “He was a shrimp of a guy. His pockets were full of notes and speeches. He got his entire library in miniatures so he could carry them around with him. And he had animals everywhere.”

THE second installment in the “Fantastic Four” franchise, “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” arrives in theaters on June 15. The 2005 original grossed more than $154 million stateside and performed even better internationally.

Gruffudd recalls the first time the cast, which also includes Jessica Alba, was introduced to fans at a comic book convention before the first film went into production. The audience wasn’t pleased that a Welshman was playing an American.

“They were horrified when I started speaking,” Gruffudd recalled. “There were 7,000 people, and they were all gagging to get a picture of Jessica Alba or get her phone number. I was trying to endear myself to them and they were fuming. It was a terrifying experience.”

But, Gruffudd added, once the movie came out, the fans accepted him as Mr. Fantastic. “And I am really proud of what I have done with the American accent and the character,” he said.

If “Silver Surfer” does well this summer, Gruffudd hopes he can persuade Fox, the studio that produces “Fantastic Four,” to do a big-screen version of Horatio Hornblower.

“Sadly, A&E; had decided they don’t want to make any more,” he said. “These novels are great stories.”

Meanwhile, Gruffudd and Evans have decided to tie the knot in September, either in Los Angeles or Mexico.

“Alice has this idea of being married on the beach,” he said, smiling. They thought about marrying in England or Wales but decided it was important to “celebrate our new life here.”

Before he gets married, Gruffudd would like to do another film -- “not only for the satisfaction but also to get the money in order to have a lovely wedding.”

susan.king@latimes.com