With the London production of Beckett's
Krapp's Last Tape currently in progress, the star of the one-man play, Michael Gambon, opened up about his life, getting into the acting game, and work on stage and screen. In the middle of the rather long and in-depth interview with
The Arts Desk, Michael gleaned over his work in the Harry Potter films, in which he plays Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Michael spoke about his reaction to when he found out Dumbledore died at the end of
Half-Blood Prince, and some tips
Prisoner of Azkaban director Alfonso Cuaron gave him the first time he portrayed the role on screen.
Quote:
Is Harry Potter a life sentence?
No I like Harry Potter. I died in the sixth one.
How did you find out that you died?
Erm, I think I read it in the paper. I read I'd died. It was such a shock. I thought, Jesus Christ.
Have you read the books?
I just read the scripts. I know people read the whole book but then you get cross about what's missing. A lot of actors get upset that their parts are a bit smaller.
To what extent did you have to inherit Richard Harris's performance?
No one ever spoke to me about it. Not a word. On the first film I did which was directed by Alfonso Cuaron I walked in there and I'm naturally Irish and my first accent is Irish, I will speak Irish with my parents, and I played just a slight touch of Trinity College Dublin. That light lilt. I did that and Alfonso said, "What's the accent here?" I said, "Irish." He said, "That's OK." And no one's ever mentioned it. I'm a little bit more camp, I think, a bit lighter. A bit more ethereal.
Photos of Michael and
Harry Potter costar Maggie Smith at the press night for
Krapp's Last Tape from earlier this month can be found in our
galleries.
Michael reprises his role as Dumbledore in the final installments,
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which will be out November 19, 2010 and July 15, 2011.