TOM BAKER
Interviewed by
Cardinal Cox
During his tour to promote his
autobiography "Who On Earth is Tom Baker?" the world famous actor
visited Peterborough on Friday December 5th. First he met the fan's
at Dillons Bookshop and there accepted a cheque on behalf of Shelter
from Cult TV. Then he signed some more books at the Waterstones
Bookshop in Queensgate. During this I was lucky enough to get him to
answer a few questions.
In the Ray
Harryhausen film 'The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad', how difficult was it
to act to monsters that would be added later?
I found it
quiet easy because I'm a very imaginative person. I'm used to seeing
strange creatures. I think I got on well with Ray because I could
understand the script and storyboard, and act to thin air.
You have played
Sherlock Holmes a couple of times, how do you prepare for a role
that is so well known to the general public?
Its very
difficult with Holmes because he is such a humorless character. He's
rude to his friends, has a dodgy attitude to women, smokes far too
much Black Shag, takes drugs, a terrible person. I always had
difficulty keeping a straight face. The actor I think who got it
right was Jeremy Brett. He played it as though he was in another
world. Actually, I was recently chatting to Edward Hardwick, who
played Watson to Jeremy's Holmes. Italian TV want to do a series
where Dr. Watson meets a character very much like Dr. Who.
Interesting.
What technical
difficulties were there in playing your role in 'Medics' - Did you
have to have special coaching?
Oh doctors are
easy, they speak such a load of old bollocks.
I then changed
tack a little by asking him about the legend I'd heard about him
having known Jim Morrison of 'The Doors'. To reply, Tom looked
completely blank and said no. That crushes that tale!
Moving on, I then asked if he had
any roles he would still like to play?
I do like
hypocrites, and Dickens wrote some marvelous characters. Pecksniff,
who was played so well in the recent adaptation of 'Martin
Chuzlewitz' is the greatest hypocrite. I'd like to play an old Count
Dracula, Or the Lord of the Fairies from 'Midsummer Night's Dream'.
Oberon. Wouldn't matter who was the Titania, I think I'd be a good
elderly Oberon.
I'd also like to play Lady Bracknel
from Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Ernest'. You seldom get a
chance to play what you are not in the theater these days. They
won't 'allow' a white actor to play Othello. Does that mean that
only actors with hunched-backs can play Richard II or only murderers
can play Macbeth? I know a woman played King Lear not too long ago,
but that is so rare these days.
My wife works on documentaries so
we're always having transvestites and transexuals ring up. This
happens in the real world of Maidstone, and I suppose here in
Peterborough, so I think I'd make a good Lady Bracknel. Or Miss
Prism.
Have you
considered retirement?
No.
(Good).
But the
business seems to be considering me for retirement. There's not a
lot of work around. I suppose I could write another book.
Thankyou.
 Midi file this page: "Dawson's Creek."
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