45. Rose d'Or Festival Luzern 2005
Interview with Christopher Lee
On the occasion of the Rose d'Or Festival in Lucerne Sir Christopher Lee spent some of his precious time to give an exclusive interview to OutNow.CH. The famous actor is well known as Count Dooku (Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith) and Saruman (The Lord of the Rings). OutNow.CH was very pleased to meet his excellence in person.
OutNow.CH (ON): According to the biggest movie-database on the web, imdb.com, you were part in 220 Films ...
Sir Lee mit Gemahlin
Christopher Lee (CL): No, there were more than 220 Films. I haven't made lists. But different people all over the world, they do, they're interested, so they make lists of appearances in front of the camera. So it could be film, it could be television, it could be a documentary, it could be black and white, many years ago, it could be a series, it could be a film, it could be a short film, it could be long film. So they're doing lists and they say I did between 280 and 300. But I don't know, I really don't know. I only know what they tell me.
ON: Is it hard to keep track of all those memories?
CL: No I remember everything I was in.
ON: Really?
CL: Yes, everything. Also sometimes they write that I was in films I wasn't in. They just say I was in. I remember a very famous film called The Longest Day and everywhere I see in biographies that I was in this film... I wasn't. It must have been somebody who looked like me and maybe they thought it was me. But you know if you ask me, if I was in this film, I will tell you yes or no, because I know. The trouble is that some of these people don't do their homework and they just write something down and you suddenly see that you've done a film that you haven't done. Mind you, I have done quite a few films, I wish I had not done.
ON: Could you give me an example?
CL: No. But for a lot of reasons producers say to me, we have these actors in this film and they've signed their contracts and you think "Oh, my goodness, well when they are gonna do it, I'll do it." And then the day comes where you start working and you ask: "Where are all the other people?", they say: "Well, they're not in the film." That happens all the time.
ON: May I ask you, which movie you're particularly fond of?
CL: Well, there are different reasons. Obviously the most successful movies that I have ever been in: The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, no question. And it doesn't matter how much you do, you can have one day, but if you are in a huge success, that's very important. Now, those are the most successful films I've ever been in. My favorite film is something that you may not even have seen here. That has become a big cult film all over the world. It's called The Wicker Man. In America, you mention The Wicker Man everybody goes like that (Holds up his hands and waves them) and in England and in France. I did it in 1972 and it's a wonderful film. But the most important film I've ever done in terms of the story, the challenge to me as an actor and the responsibility I had, was - it's now available on DVD in Britain and it will be available in United States - when I went to Pakistan to play the founder of Pakistan, who is just as famous and just as revered as Gandhi is in India and his name was Jinnah. Mohammed Jinnah. It's the most important film. So I did make the difference: The most successful: Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. The best picture I've been in as an actor and the story, was: The Wicker Man. It became a great cult, a classic in America. The most important film was Jinnah.
ON: May I ask your opinion on the newest James Bond?
Sir Christopher Lee
CL: I haven't seen them. I think I saw one. Which is the one, where it starts on the river in London? I think I saw some of that. But I haven't seen the others. My opinion of course is very personal, not just because I did one, but because Ian Flemming, the writer, is my cousin. Therefore, I know more about James Bond than anyone in the world, probably. Because he talked to me a lot about who was really James Bond. Who was the character he based - the real person - he based the character on? What was his name? What did he do? And I think out of all the James Bonds, Pierce Brosnan is by far the best, for me ... knowing what I know about Bond. He's nearer the character that Ian Flemming had in mind when he wrote the books. Everybody who played Bond had something, different qualities. But I think Pierce is the best by a long way. And I've done two films with him (Around The World In 80 Days and Death Train) and I like him very much, he's a very nice man.
He does it very well. I don't know whether he's going to do the next one. They say they're gonna do another one, they say he wants a lot of money. Well, look, one very important point in making movies. People say they are paying millions of dollars to somebody. What do I think about that? And I said: "Look if you put this man or this woman into a film and the film is a collusive success all over the world and makes hundreds of millions of dollars, they're worth it, because people come to see them. But if you pay people millions of dollars and put them into a picture and it's not successful, don't pay them that money. You know, it's logic, isn't it? But they do, they're paying people huge sums of money, very young people, very young 18, 19, 20, 21 .... Very, very young, pretty boys, pretty girls, but nothing behind the eyes, empty faces, it's very sad and very dangerous for them. They haven't the experience, they haven't the knowledge, they haven't the background and they put them into an enormous part in a huge budget picture and it doesn't work, it just doesn't work. And it's not they're fault really. Imagine, somebody offers to you 5 millions dollars, you'd take it, wouldn't you?
ON: Let's switch the subject for now. What can you tell our users about your work at UNICEF?
CL: Well, I'm not a UNICEF-Ambassador. That means that you travel all over the world and I am too old for that. But I'm the next thing you might say. I go to as many UNICEF functions as I can in different countries and I talk about UNICEF, explain what it's about. Explain why the Rose d'Or is here this year and why it's here and what it is for. Last year it was something else, this year it is for the tsunami in Sri Lanka, another year it's AIDS, another year it's polio, another year it's something else. So I try to help as much as I can, because as I've said all along, if you're well known - it doesn't matter why - you can be a footballer, you can be a painter, you can be an actor, you can be a politician - god forbid - but you can and you can be anything, but if you're well known you should try and help. You didn't hear what Bob Geldof said last night, did you? What each person in Africa, each child, what they are getting basically is 65 cents. So what we try to do, is to, whenever possible to meet people in other countries and make public declarations. Either going to dinners or come talking to you, about UNICEF, about what UNICEF does and about why we are here in Lucerne. The Rose d'Or, it is basically to give awards for television. But the money that people pay to go to these big functions, that money goes to UNICEF and UNICEF gives it to these countries. We hope. The problem today, is that you give money to countries: But where does it go? In some countries straight into the pockets of politicians.
ON: Thank you very much for your time.
Wow! What a personality. He hypnosised me like Saruman does. It was a great honor, Sir Lee. Thank you very much!
