Laurence Fishburne's London

This prolific actor hopes to one day make his home in London, a place where he finds peace and privacy. Here, he shares the secrets of this favorite getaway.

Written by Mark Seal

Laurence Fishburne made his stage debut at ten, but at fourteen he sailed into the cinematic consciousness. After lying about his age, he landed the role of a Navy gunner in Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam War epic in which he shared the screen with legends Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, and Robert Duvall. In dozens of films in the two decades since, Fishburne has proven himself worthy of his auspicious debut. In the '90s, he won the actor's Triple Crown: an Oscar nomination for his searing portrayal of Ike Turner in What's Love Got to Do With It, an Emmy for his appearance in the premiere episode of Fox TV's Tribeca, and a Tony for his Broadway performance in August Wilson's Two Trains Running. From Boyz N the Hood to last year's sci-fi sensation The Matrix, Fishburne makes his presence known. But when it comes to his personal presence, the prolific New Yorker aspires to live in London, where he's been a regular visitor since first flying over to film Just Cause in 1995. "Belgravia, Knightsbridge, Holland Park, or Portobello Road," Fishburne says, ticking off the names of London neighborhoods that might serve him well. "My plan - within the next two years - is to have a place there where I can go when I need my privacy." This month, he makes his directorial debut in Once in the Life, a film for which he is also star, writer, and producer. The movie is based on Fishburne's one-act play, Riff Raff, a family drama involving a bungled drug heist. Here's a weekend in the royal city with Laurence Fishburne.

FRIDAY
Lodging "I always stay at The Halkin, a really modern hotel in Belgravia. All the consulates are located near Belgravia Square, so you see a great mix of people from all over the world in this little area. The hotel is like a cool, modern, jazz creation. I love it there. The Cliveden Town House [formerly The Draycott] is also a great place to stay. It's near Sloane Street, the shopping area. It's like a big house that they've converted into a hotel. Halcyon in Holland Park is also like that. It's great because they have this one room, the Halcyon Suite, that has its own conservatory. A lot of people are staying at Blakes now. I spent a great night in their restaurant and bar.

Dinner"My first night in, I always go to San Lorenzo. Everybody goes to San Lorenzo. It's traditional Italian cuisine, really excellent. Eric Clapton has a table where [co-owner] Mara Berni always seats him. One time I had a three-hour meal there with Sidney Poitier, and another time, a great meal there with Branford Marsalis. Mara has art from artists like Andy Warhol. She's got these great Marilyn Monroes. They don't accept credit cards, so you'll have to pay in cash. Mara is so incredible, because if she meets you once, she remembers you. It's like you have a home there.

Entertainment "I would probably wind up at the Met Bar, which is in another hotel called The Metropolitan. The bars in London close at a particular time, but since this is in the hotel, it's sort of like a private club. You can hang out there all night. It's a very hip bar where they play raving and bumping music and people just go to have a good time."

SATURDAY
Breakfast "I would have the concierge call Soho House, which is a bit of a private club that's sort of a [film] industry hangout. The concierge could call and ask them to make an exception since I am an American gentleman visiting town who happens to be in the industry…and would they allow me to come in and use the club and have a little breakfast and a little tea, and read the paper? The thing with London is, they're real sticklers for reservations, whereas Americans just think, Well, I'll just roll up to this joint. They do things a little bit differently."

Sights "There's the West End, which is the theater district; there's Soho; there's Portobello Road, where they have the great market. There's Camden Town, another area where they just have huge outdoor/indoor flea markets. There's Hempstead Heath, which is a lovely green area with lots of trees and grass and hills. And, of course, there's Hyde Park, which I used to walk through all the time. Then, there's my other favorite part of town called Holland Park, where they have the most beautiful homes - absolutely breathtaking. It's lovely to either stroll up and down or ride around the streets and take in the architecture, because it's just really staggering."

Shopping "I love Ozwald Boateng clothes. His clothing is really exciting and vibrant and very, very cool. Ozwald is in his early thirties. He went to work on Saville Row when he was about fifteen years old. He's a young man of Ghanaian heritage, born and raised in London, who created this line of clothing that's just fantastic. 'Marks & Sparks' is what everybody in London calls Marks & Spencer, which is a department store where you can get everything. It's a great place to go and get the flavor of London. You should always go to Harrods just to experience it. First of all, there's this building that's perpetually lit up like a Christmas tree. They've got a whole grocery section, where you can buy everything from fresh produce to caviar, and they have a killer toy selection. If you like shopping, you could spend all day in Harrods."

Lunch "Everybody goes to The Ivy for dinner or lunch. It has this cool décor and the waiters wear these bow ties. They sit you down and the lighting is not loud, but it's not dark. It's just right. The food is really good, the service is reliable, and it's very likely that you'll see famous people, because it's sort of an industry hangout. The Ivy's sister restaurant, Le Caprice, is right off Piccadilly. It's a bit more casual than The Ivy. Right around the corner from Le Caprice is The Ritz hotel, where you can have a proper afternoon tea. I love the exterior of The Ritz."

Culture "The first time I went to London, I worked at Pinewood Studios in Slough. A lot of British TV shows and films are made at Pinewood. They have the 007 stage there, where they made the James Bond movies. Royal Albert Hall is an amazing venue modeled after Roman amphitheaters. It's interesting, because inside there's a warmth to it. You know how people think of the British as being sort of reserved and cool? Once you get to know them, you realize they're actually very warm people. Royal Albert Hall feels like that: reserved on the outside and inside very warm. They do a lot of musical and theatrical events there. I saw Sting play there."

Dinner "Momo is a Moroccan place where they serve the most brilliant food and play the most brilliant music. The turn the music up really loud and people will get up and start dancing. The food is traditional North African: tagene and couscous and lamb. The interior has lots of color and people who run the restaurant are the most vibrant, alive people you will ever meet. Mr. Chow is also cool. It's got this old vibe to it. It's nice, with lights on the tables and white linens and mirrors. The food is succulent. They have this squab dish they serve in a lettuce leaf…love that stuff, man. Coast is a cool, very modern restaurant. The food there is very good. It's all white walls and strange chairs. Cibo is a small, cozy, kind of quaint Italian restaurant."

Entertainment "I went to see Peter O'Toole at The Old Vic the last time I was in London. It was fantastic. Old Vic is a little theater - nothing fancy about it. You can tell the place gets a lot of use. After the theater, you can go to Atlantic Bar, which is kind of like a big ballroom. There's a lounge in one area, and a big dining room. In the lounge there are these big comfortable club chairs where people sit around and talk. For jazz, the place to go is Ronnie Scott's."

SUNDAY
Excursions "I bought a Harley in London and rode for miles and miles out to Bath, which is a beautiful old town that is very Romanesque. It has this great, huge street Royal Crescent, with all these houses all around it. It's like a question mark. I did a lot of shopping there. I went to visit the great Pump Room & Roman Baths, where they have a whole sort of museum, a whole tour. The water is green. After Bath, I rode out to Stonehenge, which was so cool. I just like rocks: Stonehenge, the Great Pyramids, the Great Wall of China. I think of them as old beings who have been here for a long, long time and who have a lot to teach us."

My Favorite Night in London
"On one of my flights to London, Goldie Hawn and one of her business partners were on the plane. Off we went to London, sleeping a couple of hours and waking up in the morning to see Goldie standing in the center aisle in her pajamas doing morning stretches. I thought, This is why this woman is a legend. The day after we got there, I was at San Lorenzo. Goldie came in, and she and Mara [Berni], the co-owner, greeted each other like sisters. It had been at least ten years since they'd seen each other, but Mara doesn't forget anybody. There was a small band in the restaurant - guys playing guitars and fiddles. The next thing you knew, Goldie was doing some interpretive-dance performance in the middle of the restaurant and everybody was clapping. They weren't clapping because it was Goldie Hawn. They were clapping because a woman had decided it was time to dance. It was a completely spontaneous, beautiful thing. Afterward, she and her partner and I proceeded to go out on the town. The really delightful thing about London is that there's a kind of freedom, another kind of vibe, that allows people like myself, or like Goldie, to be freer than we might be at home."