'I used to be gay, but I had to give it up because my eyes were watering' : Michael Gambon in 2016. Photo: Mike Marsland/WireImage
One of the most disarming things that Sir Michael Gambon, who has died aged 82, did during interviews was to tell often incredulous journalists that he usually made up outrageous stories, but because he liked them and felt comfortable close to them, he will tell them nothing but the truth. For nearly six decades of his distinguished acting career, “the great Gambon,” as he was nicknamed by the admiring Ralph Richardson—himself an eccentric, no stranger to making up funny anecdotes to copy—has enjoyed presenting himself as a charming eccentric who wanted to lead a quiet and ordinary life, but with whom the most outlandish and incredible things just happened.
Gambon was too experienced an actor to constantly expect to be believed, and some of his more absurd fabrications could be easily refuted. However, he led an inimitable, sometimes absurd life, and many of his more fictitious stories were in fact completely true. Here are the 10 best tales he ever came up with; some of them are lies, others are exaggerated and embellished, and the rest — no matter how incredible it may seem — actually happened.
About his fictional beginning of his career
Although Gambon drew heavily on his Irish heritage, he moved to the UK when he was six years old and quickly became a British citizen. However, he had a passionate desire to return to his homeland, and so, at the age of 24, he wrote a long and detailed letter to the Irish impresario Michiel Mac Liammoir, then director of the legendary Gate Theatre, in which he gave an impressive account of his theatrical activities. career to date, and explained that while he had a high-profile Broadway run to attend, he might be able to devote some time to Mac Liammoir and The Gate along the way.
The director was impressed and offered him a job in the production of Othello; however, every word of the letter was a complete fabrication, since the only professional experience he had up to that moment was a passing role in the Unity workers' theater, where he was brought from the street at the last moment. to deliver one string.
Michael Gambon in The Gate Theatre's production of Samuel Beckett's The Last Krapp Feed credit: Anthony Woods on how to «fart » for Laurence Olivier
After a short stint at the Gate, Gambon returned to Britain and auditioned for Laurence Olivier's then nascent National Theater company, which was based at the Old Vic. He decided to use an excerpt from Richard III as his audition speech. “I was as thick as two short boards at the time and didn’t know that he had achieved quite remarkable success in that role,” he said. “I just lost my shit because of the meeting with the Great Man. He realized how green I was and started farting.
During the audition, Gambon punched a pole and caught the ring on it, cutting his hand and requiring the humiliation of Olivier himself providing emergency first aid. The older actor then brushed him off, saying, “I think I have a good idea of how you're going to do it. You better get along now. We will inform you.» A humiliated Gambon returned to the engineering plant where he worked, his hands heavily bandaged, only to be offered a minor job as a spearman in Olivier's company. According to Gambon’s recollections: “The foreman comes up and says: “Oh, where are you going?” “I have bad news,” I say, “I have to go.” He says, “Why are you taking your toolbox?” I say: “I can’t tell you, this is very bad news, it may be necessary.” He never returned.
About small talk with Olivier
Soon after he was given the role, young Gambon was having breakfast in the theater dining room when Olivier entered. trembling. Desperate to start a conversation, the young actor noticed that Olivier’s expensive leather case was embossed with the word “Norway.” Gambon decided that this was symbolic and said cheerfully: “In your case, Sir Lawrence, it says “Norway, Sir Lawrence.” It is very interesting. Norway… that's Norwegian for Norway, isn't it. Was this given to you at Elsinore, Sir Lawrence? For the role of Hamlet? Tired Olivier sighed and took his coffee. “Elsinore is in Denmark. And Hamlet was Danish. And you ***».
About your sexuality
Gambon has had two important relationships in his life: one with his wife of 40 years, Ann Miller, and the other with his current partner Philippa Hart. However, because he was an actor — and whose friends and colleagues, such as Derek Jacobi and Ian McKellen, were openly gay — he was often asked about his sexual orientation in interviews. Although he took a certain perverse pleasure in playing perhaps his most beloved character, Professor Dumbledore, in a significantly more colorful and flamboyant manner than his predecessor Richard Harris ever did, Gambon refused to play the game and simply told the truth by saying instead this: «I used to be gay, but I had to give it up because my eyes were watering.»
Michael Gambon as Jerry and Penelope Wilton as Emma in The Betrayal of Harold Pinter, 1978. Photo: Alami About his ballet career
One of Gambon's special joys was that he outright lied about his previous career, even when he was an established and beloved actor. One of the funniest was his statement that he had once been a ballet dancer. Given that he had always had a fairly strong physique, even in his youth, one of the interviewers made the mistake of questioning this statement, and so Gambon decided to embellish the situation further by saying that he was a promising and even gifted dancer, but one day he fell into orchestra pit, which ended his career.
However, he later offered a different take on the theme, saying: “When I was doing Tales from Hollywood at the National Theatre, I was invited to dinner by the choreographer Kenneth MacMillan. He told me that I had the heart of a dancer and asked if I would like to appear at the end of Romeo and Juliet as a monk. I said I would be happy to, but unfortunately MacMillan died soon after. But the costume was made for me, and I like to think that it, with my name on it, is still there in the Royal Ballet wardrobe.” Whether this story is true or not is impossible to verify, but it would be great if it turned out to be true.
About (almost) the role of James Bond
After George Lazenby decided to stop playing 007 after his only appearance in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, producer Cubby Broccoli turned to just about any British male actor of the right age who could convincingly do half the work before eventually admit defeat. and hire Sean Connery again for Diamonds Are Forever. One of these actors was none other than Gambon, who later said of his meeting with Broccoli that he was completely unsuited for the role because, as he recalls, “I said I didn’t want the part because I not like him [Bond]. My hair is ugly and I'm a little fat.» Broccoli responded that «well, the current James Bond doesn't have hair… it's a wig», prompting Gambon, who showed little regret at not being cast as Britain's most famous secret agent, to lovingly describe him as «Good man.»
Michael Gambon was a mischievous man Photo: Philip Hollis On simulating a heart attack in the air
Gambon was an avid car enthusiast who not only lent his name to the last corner of the Top Gear race track, but later proudly said: “My name has now become a household name thanks to this corner, Gambon's Corner. Everyone knows me.» However, he also held a pilot's license and offered to give fellow actor Terence Rigby a ride in a two-seater plane after Rigby admitted to Gambon that he was afraid of flying. The flight went smoothly at first, but as the plane was about to begin its descent, Gambon decided to have fun by faking a heart attack and pretended to collapse onto the controls, sticking out his tongue and collapsing completely. He glanced at Rigby, who he expected to be panicked and terrified, but his fellow actor — either because his fear had been cured or because he knew Gambon's old tricks — reacted coolly, smoking a cigarette and not showing any external signs of fear. .
On pretending to know Robert De Niro
One of Gambon's most prized possessions, which he brought into every dressing room he acted in over the years, was an autographed photograph of Robert De Niro that read, «Best wishes and everlasting love to Mike, Bob.» If Gambon had been asked how he knew De Niro, he would have happily launched into long, detailed stories about their close friendship and the adventures the two actors shared. However, this was a complete fabrication; Gambon didn't have a professional relationship with De Niro until he directed the spy thriller The Good Shepherd in 2006, so he wrote the caption himself, either wanting them to get close one day or just because it was typical a fun ploy to trick fellow actors.
About the ban for improvisation
Watching Gambon on stage was always a pleasure, given his versatility and ability to bring life to every role he played. However, he often had to line up on the spot, partly because of his increasingly fading memory, which led him to abandon stage roles long before his death, and partly because it amused him. So it was with some trepidation that he was handed a formal letter, supposedly from the actors' association Equity, at one show in 2000, stating that he was «upholding the standard of verbal fidelity among our members» and that Gambon, as a known criminal, would be their first test subject. piggy. It was further stated that if he made four deviations from the text, he would be banned from practicing this profession, to which he responded by calling it a “black disgrace.” With some relief, the actor learned that the signatory, «Martin Aston», was none other than his colleague Douglas Hodge; a rare example of this consummate storyteller being embraced by himself.
Michael Gambon as Dumbledore Photo: Murray Close On Killing Dumbledore
Like many of the older actors in Harry Potter, Gambon was least likely to pretend that he had never read the books on which they were based, and therefore stated in one interview that Dumbledore's fate came as a huge surprise to him. In his words: “You just learn the story as you go, and then in the end they decided to kill me. And I can't say I blame them. So they killed me in the penultimate one, right? He pushed me off the mountain.”
However, he did not express regret or resentment over this decision, stating firstly that he was at least killed by his “best friend” (Snape played by Alan Rickman), and secondly that his return in the final film as the Good-Natured Spirit was welcomed, commenting: «When I had to walk alongside Daniel Radcliffe and he held my hand. Do you see, remember this moment? I'm floating.» In conclusion, he said, as always, mockingly: “That was my best part.”
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