Actor Julian Sands brings life to a legendary poet
In 2005, actor Julian Sands was contacted by playwright and poet Harold Pinter and asked to work on a special presentation of a set of Pinter’s poems in London. A lengthy and close collaboration with Pinter resulted in an insightful solo show directed by John Malkovich (yes, that John Malkovich) titled, A Celebration of Harold Pinter.
Having performed the show Off-Broadway and around the world for the past five years, Sands brings this unique evening of theatre to Chattanooga as part of the UTC Patten Performances next Tuesday evening at 7:30 p.m.
For those unaware, Pinter was a Nobel-prize winning playwright, director, actor, poet, and political activist from East London. Before he passed in 2008, he had written nearly fifty stage and screenplays—including The Birthday Party, The Caretaker, The Homecoming, and Betrayal—as well as directing nearly thirty major stage productions.
As for Sands, he has appeared in over 100 films including The Killing Fields, A Room With A View, and The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo, though he is best known for playing Vladimir Bierko on the television spy-thriller 24. We sat down with him to find out more about this portrait of the world-renowned playwright.
The Pulse: How did you get involved with Harold Pinter?
Julian Sands: l had studied Harold Pinter at high school, at Drama school (The Central School of Speech and Drama in London), and been in a few of his plays. Later, I was in a film of The Room directed by Robert Altman—I played Mr. Sands and Annie Lennox played Mrs. Sands. I met Harold a few times but it was really after playing Tony Blair in David Hare’s play Stuff Happens in LA that we bonded. Harold really wanted to know how that play had been received by Americans. Then he asked me to read for him in a presentation of his prose and poems he had to withdraw from; I accepted and we worked intensely together.
TP: What prompted you to create a solo show about Harold Pinter?
JS: After his death I repeated the recital as a memorial tribute in LA. John Malkovich, my old pal, was so taken with this body of work of which he had no knowledge that he urged me to collaborate with him and create a legitimate piece of theatre. We took it to Edinburgh Festival, then New York City Off-Broadway, then on tour. We are still on tour and it is more crystalline than ever.
TP: How did John Malkovich get involved and what has that working relationship been like?
JS: John heard the material in LA and he is a keen Pinter fan. We worked together on The Killing Fields in 1983 and bonded for among other things our mutual enthusiasm for Pinter. We are still the best of friends.
TP: How did you approach the creation of this show?
JS: The show was pre-determined by Harold but has evolved to encompass more of his work and the voices of others, especially his wife, the writer Antonia Fraser.
TP: How is this show different from most one-person shows?
JS: This show is direct to the audience…there is no fourth wall. It’s me and the audience sharing an experience…no pretense…no barriers.
TP: Describe your philosophy of acting prior to working with Pinter and how it has changed since.
JS: Working with Pinter was the greatest boot-camp I can imagine; it completely transformed my work. He demolished filters…armor…pretense. Everything I have worked on since has been purer because l ask myself, “What would Harold Say?”
TP: How do you keep the work fresh after doing the show for five years?
JS: The work is fresh because the audience is fresh. The performance is organic, immediate, and ever evolving. It’s always a discovery…a privilege.
TP: Where does Pinter fall in the great theatrical canon of British playwrights and poets?
JS: Pinter is part of the international cannon of repertory—Chekhov, Ibsen, Shakespeare, Beckett, Miller, Williams—of this there is no doubt.
TP: What do you think is Pinter’s legacy?
JS: His legacy is as the Nobel committee describe: he returned theatre to its basic elements—a contained space, unpredictable dialogue, and characters at the mercy of each other.
TP: What do you miss the most about him?
JS: I miss his monumental and formidable intellect and morality and his unimpeachable instinct for unsentimental conversation and drama.