MALCOLMMcDOWELL.US One-On-One (in-Person) Interview with Malcolm McDowell

Conducted by MalcolmMcDowell.US after the
Premiere of HALLOWEEN II

MALCOLMMcDOWELL.US had the great privilege and pleasure of attending the HALLOWEEN II Premiere in Hollywood, CA at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. If you haven’t seen HALLOWEEN II, go see it! To fans who reside in countries where the movie has yet to be released – keep an eye out for it! When it opens in your area, you do not want to miss it. The film is a tidal wave of fun, suspense and horror at its best. Additionally… we have the one and only Malcolm McDowell playing the legendary character of “Dr. Loomis”…I ask you, can it get any better?

The below one-on-one, in-person interview (summary) with Malcolm McDowell was conducted by MALCOLMMcDOWELL.US Webmaster Jenny Clark after the Halloween II premiere.

MALCOLMMcDOWELL.US sends a huge thanks to Malcolm McDowell and CR Management for making this interview happen!

Jenny: Malcolm, tell me about the “Dr. Loomis” of Halloween II.

Malcolm: “Well, as you may have noticed, I played this Loomis completely differently from the first one, simply because I did not want to repeat myself. It’s so boring for an actor just to repeat”…“This is not a television series. I remember saying to Rob [Zombie], ‘Do you mind if I do something different?’ And he said, ‘No, I want you to.’ I said, ‘Well I don’t have the beard.’ He said, ‘Good – I just want the mustache – keep that.’ I said, ‘Okay, fine.’ So I didn’t even look the same. But then having had a near death experience, I think [that] changes you. He’s [Loomis’] much more cynical and bitter now. And of course…he’s a real son-of-a-b*tch.”

Jenny: I thought the response from the audience was great – everyone laughed at the right moments, everyone screamed when they were supposed to--

Malcolm: “I thought they did.”

Jenny: Did you talk to Rob [Zombie] after the Premiere?

Malcolm: “I called him and said congratulations. I think he was proud of it because he did something different.”

Jenny: Now, you’re returning to the stage soon, correct?

Malcolm: “Next spring”…“It’s Kenneth Tynan’s diaries. And basically, I’m doing the diaries”…“He’s a great writer, so hopefully the writing will suffice.”

Jenny: What’s opening night like for an actor?

Malcolm: “In film or theatre?”

Jenny: Theatre.

Malcolm: “Oh, it’s very nerve-racking in a way, the first time you do it, because you’re never quite sure if you’re on the right track. Of course, it’s exciting”…“There are nerves and excitement, and then as soon as you get on, you forget about it. You just do it. I always feel really good about it. I always look forward to it.”

Jenny: Well that’s good! You don’t want to be afraid of it.

Malcolm: “No, those days of being afraid of it are well behind me”…“A lot of actors, you look in their eyes and you see fear.”

Jenny: And you don’t like that.

Malcolm: “No, because I don’t think you can work like that. You’ve got to be totally relaxed. Even if you’re playing a very heavy scene, you’ve got to be relaxed to be able to bring it out”…“It’s like anything, you can’ even write if you’re not relaxed. You can’t do anything if you’re not relaxed”…“It’ll be nice to get back on stage, because really, I’m an animal of the stage. That is my home. I started off in the theatre. If I had a regret about my career, I think it would be that I haven’t, really, done enough theatre. But you can’t do everything.”

Jenny: But I bet a lot of theatre actors wish they could have done more films.

Malcolm: “I’m sure they [do].”

Jenny: Can you tell me what your most memorable moment was on stage?

Malcolm: “Well no, because if you can remember it, you’re not in it. I’ll tell you a story about Laurence Olivier. And I can absolutely understand this. He was playing Othello and one particular night – now he was a rather technical actor in many ways. The great thing about Olivier was… he sort of had both – great technique, and yet, at times, a spontaneity that was just incredible. Anyway, this one performance, it was from another planet. It was just absolutely amazing and the audience in the theatre knew they were a part of something that was great. They didn’t understand it, but they just knew something out of the ordinary was happening in that theatre. When the curtain came down the audience jumped to their feet and applauded, applauded, applauded—screamed and shouted for him. And, when the curtain came down, even the cast, who knew also that something special had happened, turned to him and applauded him. He looked back furious, stalked off, went into his room -- slammed the door. And everyone [was] like…what the hell happened? Anyway, after half an hour, they went and tapped on his door… and they went, ‘Larry are you…?’ [And he said] ‘Go away! Go away! I don’t want to talk to anyone!’ [And they asked] ‘Are you all right?’ [And Olivier replied] ‘I’m so bloody pissed. I just don’t know how I did it!’”

Jenny: Which means he couldn’t repeat it.

Malcolm: “Of course not. And that’s what it’s like. If it’s heaven sent, you can’t repeat it. It’s like A Clockwork Orange. That character, that performance I could not repeat it. Even if [I had done it] a year after, I couldn’t repeat it”…“Things that come from another planet, the occasional times when you touch the flame… you don’t know how you did it. You don’t know. And that’s why Olivier was so pissed, because he couldn’t go back the next night and re-capture that. He could do it technically, but he couldn’t re-capture that imponderable. And, I understand that well.”

Jenny: But at least he did it once.

Malcolm: “Well, that’s it. Of course.”

Jenny: When was this?

Malcolm: “It would be the 60s.”

Jenny: Were you in the audience?

Malcolm: “No, I was actually told it by an actor who was in that production.”

Jenny: I thought you were going say that-- the reason why Olivier was so upset was because he didn’t think it was a good performance even though everyone else did.

Malcolm: “No, he knew it was brilliant. He just didn’t know how to repeat it. And that’s why he was so frustrated and angry with himself. He just knew that he would never be able to do it again”…“I had, I think, maybe one performance in [the play] A Look Back In Anger that was absolutely from another planet that I could never repeat. I don’t know how I did it. I just did it. And, you know, that was it”…”Have you ever seen the copy of it?”

Jenny: No I haven’t.

Malcolm: “Oh, try to get it. It’s on video. A Look Back In Anger”…“It took place in 1956 – [that’s] when the play opened. We did ours in 1980. It changed the way western drama went. It was about this character who railed against the establishment”…“It’s an amazing piece of writing.”

Jenny: Was Lindsay [Anderson] involved with this?

Malcolm: “He was involved with it. He didn’t direct the play. But at the end he came in to direct the video of it, which was done for Showtime. Very early on in Showtime’s existence. I think it’s a wonderful piece”… “A little antiquated, perhaps, but I am very proud of it.”

Jenny: And I’m sure the audience responded to it.

Malcolm: “Believe me. I mean, it was sold-out”… “It was like the hottest ticket in New York for a while. It was amazing.”

Jenny: Well I will definitely look for that on video.

Malcolm: “And this will give you just a taste, because you can’t re-capture on video what the stage thing was like, but you get the idea.”

MALCOLMMcDOWELL.US wishes Malcolm the very best on all of his current and future endeavors. Stay tuned to www.MalcolmMcDowell.US for Malcolm McDowell news and information!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN/READ PREVIOUS MALCOLMMcDOWELL.US INTERVIEWS WITH MALCOLM McDOWELL

MALCOLMMcDOWELL.US is owned, edited and designed by Jenny Clark