You once said that you were only interested in acting that you can’t see. What did you mean by that exactly? Andwilson58
The best way to describe it is to cite the one exception to the rule: Laurence Olivier. He was a genius, always put on a good show, was riveting and sometimes very funny. I admire how the children act in [Courtenay’s new film] The Railway Children Return. They just do it. Perhaps they do it more than they need, to draw attention to themselves. My old friend Albert [Finney] didn’t try to draw attention to himself. He didn’t have to; he’d just come on and be simple and direct. So I like acting where I can’t see the wheels going round, except in the case of Olivier, where his wheels are wonderfully exciting.
Did you ever think that you would enjoy such a long, illustrious acting career? VerulamiumParkRanger
That’s a very quick answer: no. It’s extraordinary to think that I left drama school in 1960 and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner came out in 1962. It’s so extraordinary, I can’t figure it out.
