Ian McShane: ‘When I was about to get it on with Richard Burton, he said I reminded him of Elizabeth’
The actor on the fate of Lovejoy’s leather jacket, appearing nude on the cover of Cosmo and how to make a perfect cup of teaWhich of the so-called serious actors – Richard Burton, John Hurt, Oliver Reed etc – that you worked with were the funniest? Kellysahero1970Oli. We did Sitting Target together. I knew him before that and we had a good time together. The trouble was he became inclined to be a bit of a bully when he drank, but he was charming most of the time. Richard was terrific. I think he was very underrated when we did Villain and I played his bisexual driver fixer, Wolfie. There’s the infamous scene where we’re about to get it on and he looked at me and said: “I’m very glad you’re playing this part.” I said: “Really, Richard?” He said: “Yes, because you remind me of Elizabeth.” I said: “Well, that’s nice.” Most modern actors take themselves too seriously. Keanu [Reeves, McShane’s John Wick co-star] is one of the most wonderful human beings I’ve ever met. Keanu is by no stretch of the imagination a ball of fun, but he’s seriously sensitive and great to work with.Whose idea was it that you should not blink when you played crime boss Teddy Bass in Sexy Beast? soonheisatuneThat’s an old actor’s technique. It wasn’t just Teddy Bass. For any character: don’t blink until you see the whites of the other person’s eyes. It’s like walking downstairs as an actor. You don’t look down, else it looks like you’re looking for your marks. There’s all sorts of tricks and techniques you accumulate over 60 years as an actor. Continue reading...
The actor on the fate of Lovejoy’s leather jacket, appearing nude on the cover of Cosmo and how to make a perfect cup of tea
Which of the so-called serious actors – Richard Burton, John Hurt, Oliver Reed etc – that you worked with were the funniest? Kellysahero1970
Oli. We did Sitting Target together. I knew him before that and we had a good time together. The trouble was he became inclined to be a bit of a bully when he drank, but he was charming most of the time. Richard was terrific. I think he was very underrated when we did Villain and I played his bisexual driver fixer, Wolfie. There’s the infamous scene where we’re about to get it on and he looked at me and said: “I’m very glad you’re playing this part.” I said: “Really, Richard?” He said: “Yes, because you remind me of Elizabeth.” I said: “Well, that’s nice.” Most modern actors take themselves too seriously. Keanu [Reeves, McShane’s John Wick co-star] is one of the most wonderful human beings I’ve ever met. Keanu is by no stretch of the imagination a ball of fun, but he’s seriously sensitive and great to work with.
Whose idea was it that you should not blink when you played crime boss Teddy Bass in Sexy Beast? soonheisatune
That’s an old actor’s technique. It wasn’t just Teddy Bass. For any character: don’t blink until you see the whites of the other person’s eyes. It’s like walking downstairs as an actor. You don’t look down, else it looks like you’re looking for your marks. There’s all sorts of tricks and techniques you accumulate over 60 years as an actor. Continue reading...
