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On his birth: |
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"I was an
afterthought..." |
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On his childhood: |
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"Rather sour..." |
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On his childhood: |
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"It was a shy and
retarded upbringing and I didn't really know [my parents]." |
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On his schooling: |
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"I wasn't [a bright
student]. I had a terrible time, didn't learn anything and failed my
exams." |
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On himself: |
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"I'm a small stumpy
guy who came into movies a bit late!" |
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On fatherhood: |
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I'm not sure what that
means. Obviously I haven't been there all the time. I left a lot of [my
children] to flounder, I suppose, but I've always been there when they
need me." |
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On the 1968 film production of
'A Midsummer Night's Dream': |
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"A total disaster. For
some reasons [director Peter Hall] didn't want to worry about continuity
which tended to make it rather difficult." |
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On 1976's 'Shout At The
Devil': |
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"That was an appalling
experience!" |
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On interviews: |
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"I haven't said very
much, ever. I think too much is known about people. There used to be an
air of mystery about thespians. Nowadays, everybody knows everything there
is to know about everybody." |
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On director Terry Gilliam: |
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"I adore working with
Terry. He always presents a marvelous platform for actors to work on and
to invent." |
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On his talking head scene in
1979's 'Alien': |
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"We spent four hours
with my head poking through a table. I was covered in ... milk, spring
onions, spaghetti and marbles!" |
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On 1997's 'The Sweet
Hereafter': |
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"Very touching. I
think the film's a masterpiece. I don't think I've ever worked in a film
that has been so completely satisfying to me..." |
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On Hollywood: |
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"It's such a false
place. I can't imagine anything worse than living in permanent sunshine on
the edge of an earthquake." |
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On acting as King Lear: |
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"I didn't find Lear a
difficult journey mentally, although physically it was a tremendous
strain. I woke up every morning thinking, 'Tonight I have to climb Mt
Everest. Again!' " |
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On his size (5ft 6in): |
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"People tell me I must
be worried about being so short, but it never bothered me!" |
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On his private life: |
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"[It's] been
disastrous, with a lot of broken hearts and bad feeling left behind. I
suppose I could excuse it by saying I had a long growing-up process
because I had elderly parents, but we can all use some excuse." |
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On attending stretching
classes: |
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"I'd like to work as
long as possible, so I have to look good and young. The parts run out and
I don't want to sink into cameo-ville." |
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On his son, Barnaby, who did a
stint in acting: |
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"I'm prepared to say
he was a minimalist." |
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On losing his virginity: |
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"...I
married at 24...which was quite late to have your
first...experience." |