Anyone who has sat through even one screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey could be forgiven for thinking the two lead actors, Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood, who play astronauts Dave Bowman and Frank Poole, wouldn’t exactly be the life of the party, if you were ever to meet them.
After all nary a snigger, let alone the merest of smiles, was ever forth coming during their ill-fated voyage towards Jupiter. Aside from the… BBC 12 interview that is, but such theatrics are referred to as spin in today’s post-2001 world.
However were you to meet the two actors in person you’d almost be forgiven for thinking they were part of Comedy Inc. A latter day version of Laurel and Hardy, god help us, piloting the space shuttle.
“It’s full of Aussies,” quipped Lockwood, to much amusement, as the actors walked on to the stage at the Orpheum theatre, in the Sydney suburb of Cremorne.
The actors spoke at a special 2001 event last Wednesday evening, which also included a screening of the 70mm version of the movie. “A very good print, actually,” Dullea told us.
And he was right, not only was it visually stunning (as always), but the soundtrack really hit us in the face also. Never before has the Moon monolith’s electronic scream seemed so shrill, high pitched, and L O N G!
The two actors were interviewed by Australian film critic David Stratton, and for the most part spoke candidly about almost, well everything. The conversation was laced with antidotes about working with director Stanley Kubrick, and the movie itself.
There were plenty of asides including discussion on the “science of acting”, with Lockwood insisting improvisation is not an acting method per se, plus stories of meetings with Orson Wells, John Lennon, and Neil Armstrong over the years.
There was little doubt that their participation in the movie has indeed been the highlight of both their acting careers. And how couldn’t taking part in the greatest movie of all time, not be?
Greatest movie of all time? Lockwood told us the story of the time someone approached him and mentioned that 2001 was ranked the 34th “greatest” movie ever.
“Oh yeah?” Lockwood had retorted, “well name the 33 movies that come before 2001 then!”
Yes, good point. Er, Star Wars?
Perhaps? ;)
