Kuka näyttelijä pitää itseään John Waynen seuraajana?

Tässä pari otetta erään kiistellyn ja palvotunkin, edelleen kovaa porskuttavan amerikkalaisen elokuvatähden hauskasta, tuoreesta haastattelusta.

”We think the world’s going to stop when a pope dies, or a king. And then…life goes on.

Is that part of your philosophy?
Absolutely! One hundred percent. When John Wayne died, they said, How are they ever going to fill that void?

It’s curious: Your career took off just after John Wayne died.
Exactly right. I have a picture, he and I together. I’m in my rented tux. But he did something, and I’ve done it to younger actors. I was at, I think, the People’s Choice Awards. I was incredibly nervous, and all of a sudden this big fellow walks across the room-it’s John Wayne! And I’m going, ”Oh, my God!” I look over my shoulder. There’s nobody. I am the target. And he goes, ”I wanted to introduce myself. My name is John Wayne. Welcome to Hollywood.” I was nobody. Zero! So when I would meet, like, Leonardo, I’d say, ”I’m (nimi poistettu). Welcome to Hollywood.” I don’t even know if they remember. So that influenced me very much: Here’s a man that crossed the room for a fellow who was sort of invading his turf? That showed me a lot of character. Most guys are just the opposite.”

Ja meno on muutenkin kovaa:

”Chaplin wrote me after (elokuvan nimi poistettu). Three people wrote me that I never got over. One was the president, the second was Chaplin, and the third was Frank Capra, when I lost for best actor. Talk about Capra-esque! I said, Damn, I’m just a guy off the streets of New York. Charlie Chaplin! And they all identified with my character. Capra wrote, But take heart, angels make note of things like that. Because it’s fitting that the character you created would lose, that other people would take all the glory. I never forgot that.

What did Chaplin say?
Chaplin said, (roolihahmon nimi poistettu) reminds me of a little character I used to play. We’d love for you to come to Switzerland and visit. And you know what? I never went. A few months later, he was dead. Same thing with Elvis.

Elvis wrote you, too?
He called and said, I’d like to screen (elokuvan nimi poistettu). We’ll rent the theater in Memphis, and we’ll watch the film. And I didn’t go. I was shy, believe it or not.”

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