Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming, OBE, is a Scottish character actor, author, and activist who has appeared in numerous films, television shows and plays. His London stage appearances include Hamlet, the Maniac in Accidental Death of an Anarchist, the lead in Bent, and the National Theatre of Scotland's The Bacchae. On Broadway he has appeared in The Threepenny Opera, as the master of ceremonies in Cabaret, Design for Living and a one-man adaptation of Macbeth. His best-known film roles include his performances in...
NationalityScottish
ProfessionTV Actor
Date of Birth27 January 1965
CityAberfeldy, Scotland
I don't avoid anyone but I always think some people hate me.
Actors aren't stupid, mostly, and if there's a sensibility and an aesthetic that a director's going for, if you're aware of that too, you can do things to help that.
Sometimes people get really sniffy about the films you choose if you've done more dramatic projects or you're classically trained.
Kids are more genuine. When they come up and want to talk to you, they don't have an agenda. It's more endearing and less piercing to your aura.
I'm quite good, though I say it myself, at making strangers feel at ease.
In my first year at drama school, I did this kids' show called 'Let's See.
Macbeth was the first play I ever read.
Once in a while it's good to challenge yourself in a way that's really daunting.
Sometimes people do you a favour when they drop out of your life.
It's actually quite a good ethos for life: go into the unknown with truth, commitment, and openness and mostly you'll be okay.
Performing a one-man Macbeth feels like the greatest challenge.
With Urban Secrets, I just really liked the idea of wandering around chatting to people.
I usually can find a way to do a character to make it real and work. But sometimes it's a struggle sustaining that, because there's such a level of personal involvement and personal, physical, and emotional distraughtness.
I think American actors are much more intimidated by Shakespeare.