Michael On
Michael On
years actors agents
When you're a young actor you ring your agent every evening. It's not like when you're in Hollywood where you do one picture a year. You just hope you get a day on television.
editors lazy trying
I'm trying to work only with established, respected directors. I took a lot of bad scripts and worked for a lot of lazy directors, and it was discouraging to go to the screenings and see that the director had added nothing, the editor had added nothing, there was nothing to see.
laughter father years
I heard my first laughter on stage, when I was about 10 years old. It was gold pantomime and I remember I was playing Baron Fitznoodle, who was the father of the ugly sisters in "Cinderella." And I walked on and got a great big laugh and I thought that was fantastic, until I looked down and found that my flies were open. And so I always check my flies. I even check my flies on radio.
stars character interesting
For me, the performance was always playing different people. And so when I got older, was no longer the romantic leading movie star, it became more and more interesting for me, the characters I played, you know?
trying lucky film
In my early days, I didn't know what a good film or a bad film was, and I was trying to make some money. As it happens I was lucky. I made some good films.
oscars chance seventies
By the time the Oscars are on I'll be seventy. How many more chances am I going to have to get nominated for an Oscar?
nominations might gods-will
God willing, even I might scrape a nomination.
hero stuff young
I can never be the hero now. You have to be young and all that stuff. I used to be the hero.
knows
I didn't know what I knew. I wasn't aware of what I knew.
wander
I don't see myself as anything. I just wander around getting on with my life.
great-times
I've had such a great time, I'd like to come back as me - and do it all over again.
laughter people laughing
I enjoy making people laugh. The trick is to tell them jokes against yourself. If you praise yourself, your stories aren't funny.
stars acting movie-star
To be a movie star, you have to invent yourself.
stars wife half
My wife comes with me on all the movies, but she is not an appendage to a film star or anything like that. She is a completely intertwined partner. She is the other half of me. Also, we're still very much in love with each other. We always have been, we always will be.