Keir Dullea, who played astronaut David Bowman in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, relates a couple of behind the scenes anecdotes from the making of the film, in a recently recorded video interview.

One of these, the story about Derek Cracknell, 2001’s first assistant director, came up when Dullea and Gary Lockwood (who played Frank Poole) spoke in Sydney in 2006, at a special screening of the film, at the Orpheum cinema, in Cremorne.

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 any party they went along to.

After all nary a snigger, let alone the merest of smiles, was ever forthcoming during their ill-fated voyage to 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 Cremorne, Sydney.

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 his 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. How could taking part in one of the greatest movies of all time not be though?

Greatest movie of all time? Lockwood related the story of an occasion when 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. Star Wars?