I still don’t feel I know Hitchcock at all. I find that the more one looks, the more elusive he becomes. But my admiration for Hitchcock the filmmaker remains undiminished. He is a giant of the cinema and the darkness in him informs his cinematic language. You can’t separate one from the other.
But I think the children of actors share a certain pragmatic approach. One is denied some of that ‘running away with the circus’ element of being an actor.
There are far more good actors than there are jobs for them, so it’s a big question of luck.
Certainly for my father, there were great times, good times, not-so-good times. He might be shooting a Fellini film for six months, then not working for two months. I’m used to that dynamic.
I don’t know if it’s harder but when you’re playing a real person you want to honor their memory – even if they’re a criminal or someone that the public loathed. That can be challenging.
I often get sent scripts about little men in big situations. There’s a comic element to it, which is forces stacked against this little guy, and how is he going to defeat them?
There is this miraculous thing I heard Hugh Grant talking about – the thing about screen acting is that you can read people’s thoughts. You are trying to register something inside and usually the eyes in cinema are where you will register that.
I know that I’m a very different person on my own than I am with someone else. We are different with each other. These things are constantly adjusted. And that’s true of humans. That’s not just true of famous people.
There are things that I would avoid, so I have the choice to say no, when I feel I’m repeating myself too much. But then there could be a reason to do that with a good director. So I think actors have to have a loose philosophy.
One key element to Hitchcock is the drooping jowl. That was crucial because his silhouette is crucial. There is something about his silhouette that became his brand.
You’re playing a character in a drama who happens to be based on someone who existed. It’s never going to ‘be’ that person, but it’s based on someone well-known, and you want to create enough of that person for it not to be a distraction.
There’s not a huge pile of scripts at home. It’s what happens to be on the table at that moment with your availability. And then you have no control over when these things come out.
It’s hard for it to make a mark in this city because London has so much culture to offer.
It’s always very strange to have your life dramatized because it never happens like that. Things will be different.
When working abroad you work pretty hard, but with time off, this is the greatest job in the world. You drive. You explore Memphis, or wherever you’ve landed, or go and see Dr John, or the Californian landscape. And, yes, I’ve had a few good meals.
All of these red carpet events may seem natural for you journalists, but it doesn’t feel natural for actors.