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Compiled by: Jack Foley
Q. What did you think when you first read the script?
Did you have any trouble getting the tone of the movie?
A: I remember in the early 80s someone had a bootleg
tape of the Monty Python guys doing that spam song, and I’ve
been a changed man ever since really. It affected me deeply. So
the timing was perfect.
Q. And did you ever think you'd end up being Churchill?
A: The thing that Peter really had going for him is that
I do live in Hollywood and I am an American so when I read the
script I thought it was a true story. I completely bought it hook,
line and sinker. By the time I got over there he could do whatever
the heck he wanted.
Being an actor, after reading the script I read a lot of books
on Winston Churchill, and started to gain weight and really prepare
emotionally, mentally and physically for the role.
Then I came over for the wardrobe fitting and they handed me my
little vest and I realised we were going in a different direction.
So I shifted gears and started to watch a bunch of Bruce Willis
movies. That was really the key for me.
Q. How was it working with so many British comics –
were there a lot of crack ups on set?
A. There absolutely were. Really, for me, when I got
there I wasn’t quite sure of the tone of the film or what
the whole idea was, but I got there and I think the first scene
that we shot was with Vic and Bob where they’re trying to
drug Neve, and they’re in their outfits and the wigs, and
he’s wearing his glasses.
That gave me a good sense of it, it was a good way to start and
it gave me a good idea of the direction we were going in.
Q. And Rik Mayall – was he assaulting the bounds
of good taste?
A: There were things he said which wouldn’t be
appropriate. They didn’t make it into the film either.
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Q. What happened to the film
within the film sequence?
A: The film within the film ended up taking you out of
the finished film. Seeing it in the final analysis, it just became
a little distracting. People forgot what had happened in the beginning,
it was a book-end type thing.
The book-end that Peter ended up with is, I think, a little sweeter
and nicer. The original version is a little darker and a little
bit more cutting.
Q. What was more daunting, playing Winston Churchill,
or following in Jack Nicholson’s footsteps for One
Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest?
A. Like I said, I really didn’t know that this
wasn’t a factual story. Doing the play, initially I did
have some trepidation about it but I always wanted to come to
the West End.
It was a terrific opportunity to go to Edinburgh and be a part
of the theatre festival there. It is a wonderful play at the end
of the day, and a great role.
What I ended up doing, at the suggestion of the director, was
not watching the movie at all. I focussed mainly on the book and
got a treasure trove of information from that.
That made it possible to play RP McMurphy as opposed to Jack Nicholson
really.
Q. Was it ever competitive working with all those comedians?
A. It was, it was a nightmare and you can quote me on
that.
Q. What are the differences of working in the US and
here?
A: Well there’s something about doing theatre in
London is it sinks a little bit deeper into your soul maybe, as
an actor. There’s something about the tradition of theatre
here, about performing on a West End stage.
Broadway is wonderful and exciting, and I love that was well,
but this is the first time I’ve ever been in the West End,
it’s an exciting play and to be in a London theatre and
in the West End is a great honour.
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