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I was horrified when Richard Chamberlain and Rupert Everett said gay actors should stay in the closet. They were saying to people that they should live a lie and not be liberated, to live in fear of being found out.

Alan Cumming

Sometimes people get really sniffy about the films you choose if you’ve done more dramatic projects or you’re classically trained.
ALAN CUMMING

Choose Film People Really Sniffy Sometimes
Nowadays people don’t know how to handle it if all the ends aren’t tied up and they’re not told what to think in films. And if they’re challenged, they think it’s something wrong with the film.
ALAN CUMMING

Challenge Feel Greatest Like Man One Perform
Often for me, if I hear a song I know, it clicks for me and I hear it in a different way and I think, “I could sing that song. I’ve got something to say about that song. Wanting to connect with an audience and wanting them to rethink songs.
ALAN CUMMING

Click Different Here Know Often Something Song Think
In my first year at drama school, I did this kids’ show called ‘Let’s See.
ALAN CUMMING

Call Drama First Kid Let School See Show Year
So if I’m swirling around on some wires, talking to Fred Flintstone, I make it the funnest I can. I also want to be good at it. I don’t want to be a crap cartoon character. I want to be proud I’m a vitamin!
ALAN CUMMING

Cartoon Crap Flinstone Funny Good Make Proud Swirl Talk Want
I think people deny themselves by putting themselves into categories.
ALAN CUMMING

Category Into People Put Themselves Think
Pantomime is a big thing in the cultural calendar of my country, you know. So subtlety’s not my forte.
ALAN CUMMING

Big Calender Country Culture Forte Know Pantomime Subtitety Thing
Working with good people is always good.
ALAN CUMMING

Always Good People With Working
Performing a one-man Macbeth feels like the greatest challenge.
ALAN CUMMING

Cinema Film Home People Television Temple Theatre
Actors aren’t stupid, mostly, and if there’s a sensibility and an aesthetic that a director’s going for, if you’re aware of that too, you can do things to help that.
ALAN CUMMING

Actor Aesthetic Director Gone Mostly Sensible Stupid
Some things are just really difficult to do. That’s what I find hard. I usually can find a way to do a character to make it real and work. But sometimes it’s a struggle sustaining that, because there’s such a level of personal involvement and personal, physical, and emotional distraughtness.
ALAN CUMMING

Character Difficult Hard Just Make Real Really Something Usually Way Work
Kids are more genuine. When they come up and want to talk to you, they don’t have an agenda. It’s more endearing and less piercing to your aura.
ALAN CUMMING

Agenda Come Genious Kid More Talk Up Want
A sweaty Macbeth with blood on his arms coming in fresh from the battle doesn’t interest me.
ALAN CUMMING

Arm Battle Blood Come Form Fresh Interest People Sweet
My mum always told me I was precious, while my dad always told me I was worthless. I think that’s a good grounding for a balanced life.
ALAN CUMMING

Always Dad Mom Precious Told Worthless
So the experts think we could have an AIDS-free generation in Africa by 2015, even if the mothers are positive.
ALAN CUMMING

Aids Country Expert Free Generation Mother Positive Think Yera
You could then, when you lay that as the groundwork, say, “Here I am. This is what I think. I come in peace.” Then you’re able to push out, to be able to talk about more things. And that’s been a really heartening thing about my life, actually.
ALAN CUMMING

Able Groundwork Peace Push Really Talk Think
I’d been depressed before, of course. But I’m talking about really depressed. Not just feeling a bit down or sad, a depression that has something to do with biorhythms. I’m talking about the kind of depressed that floats in upon you like a fog.
ALAN CUMMING

Biorhythms Before Course Depress Down Feel Just Really Sad Something Take
Usually, there’s a story I’ve told that leads up to why I’m singing the song. The whole concept of the show was about being authentic and connecting with these songs. The best way to do that was in a room with an audience and for people to listen to that.
ALAN CUMMING

Lead Sing Song Story Told Usually
I’m quite good, though I say it myself, at making strangers feel at ease.
ALAN CUMMING

Feel Ease Good Make Myself Quite Say Stranger
If the president of the country is not actually saying something, allowing equality to happen, how could you expect to counsel kids not to bully other kids?
ALAN CUMMING

Actual Allow Bully Country Equally Happen Kid President Say Something
I like the tragedies way more than the comedies because they’re so universal.
ALAN CUMMING

Comedy Like More Tragedy Universal
If you are a cabaret artist and you are mostly singing other people’s songs, you’re asking them to rethink a song, listen to it in a different way. The most impact you can have while asking them to re-listen to a song is if it’s a song they know very well.
ALAN CUMMING

Ask Cabaret Different Listen Mostly People Rethink Sing Song
I’m not a fan of Twitter.
ALAN CUMMING

Fan Twitter
You’ll see Dame Judi Dench in a Bond film, in Shakespeare and then starring in her own sitcom. You never see that here with Meryl Streep.
ALAN CUMMING

Author Bond Dame Dench Film Own Sitcom Starring
It’s interesting, for me sappy means sentimental and something that gets you in your heart, gets you emotional. That’s what I mean. Also, of course, it means that I’m slightly setting up the audience that there’s a bit of fun involved, as well.
ALAN CUMMING

Emotional Get Heart Interest Mean Sappy Sentimental Something
My feeling about work is it’s much more about the experience of doing it than the end product. Sometimes things that are really great and make lots of money are miserable to make, and vice versa.
ALAN CUMMING

Do End Experience Feel Product Work
Romeo is the most misunderstood character in literature, I think. He’s hardcore to play because he’s displaying the characteristics of Hamlet at the beginning, and, well, then everything else happens.
ALAN CUMMING

Character Characteristic Everything Hamlet Happen Harcore Literature Lover Misunderstood Most Play Think

I was horrified when Richard Chamberlain and Rupert Everett said gay actors should stay in the closet. They were saying to people that they should live a lie and not be liberated, to live in fear of being found out.

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I was horrified when Richard Chamberlain and Rupert Everett said gay actors should stay in the closet. They were saying to people that they should live a lie and not be liberated, to live in fear of being found out.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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