Interview with The Vampire: Christopher Lee Speaks.

By: Craig D. Reid
Date: Monday, April 17, 2000

Perhaps one of the most engaging actors in the history of film is the resplendent Christopher Lee. He has that uncanny ability to hold your attention with a mere glare of his eye, a guttural growl, of his voice or as we most recently saw in SLEEPY HOLLOW, a methodical yet almost hypnotically looming pointing of his finger. Although he only appeared in the film for less than five minutes and was on set for just 2 days, his portrayal of the Burgomeister splendidly sets the mood for the whole film. Leaning forward from his lofty, governmental throne, he ominously gestures at Ichabod Crane and in his classic, deep, sonorous voice bellows, 'And now it is you who will be put to the test.' It's this same kind of acting that has made Lee a formidable entertainment weapon in anything he is associated with. This is the man who deftly recreated the world's most famous vampire in HORROR OF DRACULA (1958), and anyone who has seen his into-camera soliloquy in Jess Franco's COUNT DRACULA (EL CONDE DRACULA, 1970) is immediately mesmerized by his seductive Hammer suavity as the Count. From Amicus to Hammer, Dracula, the Mummy, Frankenstein, Lord Summerisle, Fu Manchu and let's not forget Olivier's HAMLET, his associations with Hercules, Pirates, James Bond, Caesar, Rasputin and all the classics he did with arguably his closest friend Peter Cushing, Lee has etched out a menacing yet dynamic niche in the annals of cinematic history.

So suffice it to say that when I recently received a phone call that began with an overseas operator saying in her nurse-like English accent, 'You have a collect call from London, England, a Mr. Christopher Lee, will you accept the charges?' Do Pinto's explode? After a few words about the weather, the outspoken Lee is quite deliberate with his words as well as his thoughts, and he is always tactfully honest.


FANDOM: IN THE PAST YOU HAVE SOMETIMES BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT BEING STEREOTYPED AS AN ACTOR IN HORROR FILMS. WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO GET INVOLVED IN YET ANOTHER HORROR FILM, 'SLEEPY HOLLOW?'

Christopher Lee: Well now wait a minute, wait a minute, I've never been 'concerned.' I have always said, and I've constantly being misquoted, so here is a golden opportunity if you were to put it right--I have always said all over the world to all the press on television like my talking on the telephone now, on radio or whatever--I've always said that in 1957 after 10 years of learning (and I'm still learning, as a so called actor, if you like to call it that) I was given an opportunity, which I certainly didn't expect, several you might say, because there was the FRANKENSTEIN picture I ever did for Hammer, plus the first DRACULA, plus THE MUMMY. All right, yes, I suppose one would call them horror movies. It's not a word I like and I never have liked it.

I've always thought of them as fantasies, fairy stories, morality plays. Whatever phrase you like to use but those are the ones I use because they never really do any harm except in the case of people who are already unfortunately slightly unbalanced. That has been known to happen, but generally speaking they don't. Not anything like the harm that some of the films that are made today and have been made in the last 20 years do, with the violence on the screen these days that I'm convinced can lead to real life violence. I think there's a lot of evidence of that. Whereas what we did was pure fantasy--couldn't happen. And I've always said I never regretted it because being in those films playing those parts gave me a kind of launching pad like a rocket. What I'm saying is that in our profession apart from hopefully entertaining the public it's extremely important for any actor or any actress at some point in their career if they are going to make a lifelong career, because to me a career is for life. If they are going to make a lifelong career out of their vocation craft, work, job, art, call it what you like, if you're a real actor, if you're going to do that, you have to make yourself known to the public worldwide. In other words, they have to know your name and know your face, and they have to put the two together. And the reason I did THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN [1957] is very simple. Up till then, people didn't really know me, and I don't blame them, because until I began to learn properly I was not at all a good actor. Who would be when you start in any job? I really wasn't. I knew very, very little. I'm talking about 1947 onwards. I didn't have the experience, I didn't have a name. And I wasn't given the chance to learn, so I decided I would do that on my own, which is why, in that ten years, I went all over the place: Europe, working with opera companies, amateurs, professionals, films, all sorts of films, in different languages, and so on and so on and so on. So when the time came, I was ready. But until 1957, I had not made any mark, and nobody was particularly interested in my name, if they indeed knew it, or my appearance. So I thought, well, if I disguise myself to the point where I'm completely unrecognizable and it works, people will say, 'I wonder what he really looks like.'

(LONG ROARS OF LAUGHTER)

And that's exactly what happened. Now, it was a tremendous help to me at the time, and I emphasize that. The only reason that people still associate me with that kind of film in general, and Hammer in particular, is television. And they don't show the films today, as far as I know, in theaters. They are shown on video, television syndication, and satellite. Because some of them are very good and become classics over the years, people say, 'My goodness,' and you know they get a shock when they meet me, and they also say again, 'My goodness.' Because I don't look like that anymore. Well, I don't. I mean, the difference between 1957 and 1997, is a mere 40 years. Quite obviously, if people honestly think they're going to meet somebody who looked like he did in 1957 there's something wrong with them!

WELL, DO YOU MIND THAT PEOPLE ASSOCIATE YOU WITH THOSE HAMMER FILMS AND THOSE SORT OF FILMS THAT YOU DID WITH THEM?

Well, but you see, they don't. This is the press. And again, I can only ask you to quote me correctly. Of course some people do associate me with those film because they know the name 'Hammer' and they like the movies. What they don't perhaps realize or think about, and why should they, is that it's 42 years ago, the first one, and the last one 27 years ago.

The next most important thing in a performance career is that he or she should make themselves known to all generations. I've made my mark in my generation, and all the subsequent ones. And they're still seeing me, in many cases as I was, and sometimes now as I am. Now, during that period from 1957 to 1970 there's no doubt about it, I was typecast. Although Boris Karloff said to me that Lon Chaney, Sr. said to him, 'Find something that other actors cannot do or will not do, and if you succeed in that, and you make your mark, you will never be forgotten.' And as Boris said to me, 'I don't mind being a type, as long as that type appeals to the audience.' Now, if you are a real actor, my belief is, if the audience enjoys your work, they'll enjoy you in anything. Because when people come up to me, and they do, all over the world, in the streets, or wherever, they say, 'Are you...?' I say, 'Yes.' You can see in their faces that they're speaking to someone who is still alive and say, 'Could I shake your hand?' 'Yes.' 'Could I have your autograph?' 'Yes.' And then comes the same statement 99% of the time, 'I so enjoy your movies.' They don't specify. Very occasionally somebody says, 'You scared the pants off me.' Or something like that. But it's, 'I enjoy your movies' or 'Your work.' That is for me the most important thing of all. Now in 1970, a couple of important things happened, I did THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, with one of the greatest directors in the history of the cinema.

BILLY WILDER.

Right. The other was a western I did with Raquel Welch called HANNIE CAULDER. If I were good enough to appear in a film directed by Billy Wilder, which basically, I suppose, for lack of a better word, could be described as a 'light comedy' of sorts, although there were dark depths to it as well particularly with the character of Sherlock, then it's absolutely no question of typecasting, because he wouldn't have taken me. And then my career started to change. In 1972 I did the WICKER MAN. Some people refer to it as a horror film. I wouldn't call it that. I would call it very disturbing, very horrifying, but not impossible to believe because there are still pagans in the world, people who believe in the 'elements.' Definitely, there are still heathens and those who don't believe in any particular religion.

Everything started to change. The last film I did for Hammer was in 1975, TO THE DEVIL...A DAUGHTER, and they made an almighty mess of it, particularly at the end. Ruined the film. That was their decision, not mine. Because we shot my death in that film and it doesn't appear on the screen.

IT WAS WASN'T IT? YOU WERE KILLED BY A STONE, WASN'T THAT IN THE END?

No. That's the whole point. I was hit by a flint which had a connection with the place where the altar was and thrown by Richard Widmark. I disappeared. I fell down and you never saw me again. And as somebody said, 'Could a representative of the devil be felled by a rock?' The point was, we shot a whole sequence, and there are stills of it, because I've seen them where I run after him while carrying Nastassia Kinski, I think it was her first film, and I crossed the circle of blood and divine intervention occurs. There's a flash of lightning, and I am flung over backwards in a kind of a crucified position. That was my death. Some genius at Hammer decided that, 'No, no, no, we can't have that. He's done that sort of thing before.' This sort of thing you have to put up with. That was the last film I did for Hammer nearly 25 years ago. Since then, in my opinion, I have not appeared in a 'horror film.' So the typecasting ceased. And when I came to the United States to live in 1976, the first film I did was AIRPORT 77. I only did it for one reason, I wanted to be in a scene with Jack Lemmon. (laugh)

YOU WERE GREAT IN THAT.

I certainly didn't expect that I would spend 3 days, 30 feet down. (laugh) Maybe 10 feet. I certainly didn't realize that if I hadn't kept my head, I could've died. Nobody told me that. When I happened to break the surface for the last time, I was handed a stuntman's belt buckle of which I'm very proud. So if you take those pictures between 1976 and 1985, when I came back to live in LA, there's not one single film which you could say I was typecast, not one. I'm not defending my position just saying to people, 'Do your homework. Get it right.' In 1978, I hosted Saturday Night Live. In 1979 I did a comedy for Steven Spielberg, a much reviled comedy at the time, 1941.

YOU WERE ALSO IN 'SERIAL,' PLAYING A LEATHER-CLAD, GAY BIKER.

Yes. Now where is the typecasting there? (laugh)

I ALSO RECALL THAT YOU PLAYED A RUSSIAN NOBLEMAN IN 'HOW THE WEST WAS WON' WITH JAMES ARNESS.

Yes, that's actually a true story. I played the Tsar's brother, the Grand Duke Alexis who really came to the West to hunt buffalo with Bill Cody. So I've done Westerns, comedy, hosted 'Saturday Night Live.' People started to say, 'This man is not typecast.' It's only the press, notably, I'm going to say my own country, because it's sloppy journalism. It's easy to pin a label on someone. Never in my entire career have I been correctly quoted in the British press. (laughs) For instance, 2 weeks ago my wife and I attended the opening of a restaurant called 'Hush.' Only reason we went was because Jeffrey Moore, Roger's son, runs it.

THAT'S RIGHT YOU PLAYED THE ASSASSIN SCARAMANGA WITH ROGER MOORE BACK IN 'THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN.' (1974)

Yes. I've known Roger for nearly 50 years, he's never changed, I'm very fond of him. There were about 600 people there. A woman from the British Press said to me, 'There's a lot of very well known people here this evening.' I said, 'Oh really, are there?' I didn't recognize anyone. She said, 'Yes, Victoria Adams is here.' I said. 'Victoria Adams? I don't think I know her.' She said, 'You must, she's one of the Spice Girls (Posh).' I said, 'Ah, yes, I see, I know who they are, but I don't know her.' What comes out in the paper the next day, and it's quoted over and over during the week, ''Who on Earth is Posh Spice?' says Christopher Lee. 'Is She Famous?'' That's the British press and we have to put up with this every, single day. They never print what you say. They invent things. Just like there are some casting directors who don't do their homework, and don't intend to, because nobody likes being proved wrong. If you're not on their lists, for whatever reason, and somebody asks for you, or in this case me, these casting people will say, 'Oh no, you don't want him, he only does this sort of film.' I've a lot of my career as an actor proving people wrong. There are certain casting directors in this country who actively try to prevent me from seeing a director or producer who want me in their film, in some cases casting directors I've helped start their careers.

I JUST SAW 'RAINBOW THIEF' DIRECTED BY ALEXANDRO JODOROWSKY.

Ah, now there's a legendary name in the cinema. There are actors that I know, no names, but very eminent actors who have said they would give their souls to work with this man. I'll never forget what he said to me, but of course he barely spoke English. He spoke Spanish, French, and presumably Polish. I was doing the interpreting from Spanish and French into English. He said to me when I finally finished the film, 'You know, this is the first film I made with a professional cast.'

HMMM. HE MADE 'SANTA SANGRE,' 'EL TOPO' AND 'HOLY MOUNTAIN.'

Yes, apparently not professional casts. At least I'm assuming that after what he told me. Why would he say that if it wasn't true. Well... that was a slightly long diversion from your first question...which was...?