'Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets' is family affair for Sting

March 14, 1997
Web posted at: 6:15 a.m. EST

From Correspondent Mark Scheerer

(CNN) -- Stir up an Agatha Christie-type English murder mystery, mix in just a hint of cannibalism and you've got "Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets."

Produced by Trudie Styler and starring her husband, Sting, you could call the film "Miss Marple Meets Eating Raoul."

"There's another one: 'Cold Comfort Farm Meets Sweeney Todd' or 'Remains of the Day on Acid,'" Styler laughs.

Although officially retired from acting, Styler couldn't resist taking on extra duties in the film.

"There was a great little cameo role here," she says. "I put my wig on and an apron and played Doris, the drunken housekeeper."

In turn, Sting plays a nefarious butler who turns a household upside down, a role reminiscent of his 1982 "Brimstone And Treacle."

Although most couples would advise not working with one's spouse, this couple couldn't have been happier.

"We don't get to see that much of each other because Sting's perennially on tour, so this was an opportunity to live together, work together and make babies," Styler says. "We made a baby!"

"Yeah, we spent 24 hours a day with each other for extended periods of time. That's unusual and very, very useful," Sting responds. "I saw a side of Trudie that a husband would normally not see. She was the boss, she was in charge and she was telling people off, hiring and firing, and I said, 'Wow, I've got to be careful.'"

Unlike the "Brimstone And Treacle" soundtrack which won him a Grammy, this film offers just one new song by Sting. It does offer, however, a provocative screen first for him, a love scene with another male actor.

"I did kiss a guy. A very cute guy," Sting admits. "I'd never kissed a guy before, and he'd never kissed a guy either, but we did it in one take. We didn't want to make a meal of this."

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