Christopher Plummer at 81: I’m much better at what I do now, and having so much fun

CHRISTOPHER Plummer, the patriarch in the 1965 film “The Sound of Music,” plays a radically different patriarch in his next big movie.

LOS ANGELES—Many children grew up watching Christopher Plummer as the patriarch in the 1965 film, “The Sound of Music.” Now, at 81, he’s still very much around, winning acclaim as the widower who comes out of the closet at age 75 in “Beginners.”

Christopher plays a radically different patriarch, the haunted head of the Vanger family, in the much-awaited film adaptation by David Fincher of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” This is part of the Millennium series of three best-selling novels by the late Stieg Larsson.

“I’m having too good a time, almost more of a good time, now that I’m at an exalted age, than I had when I was 40 and 50, pretending I was having a good time,” said Christopher in a recent interview.

The Canadian actor’s marriage to Elaine Taylor for over 40 years is, like his career, an enduring one. “It’s a record-breaker,” said the man who has remained charming, humorous and gracious.

Below are excerpts from our interview:

Did you read the Millennium books beforehand?

Oh yes, I couldn’t put them down … I read the three of them in about 10 days. I was insatiable. I love playing Vanger because I think he’s the only nice guy in the whole story, isn’t he? So that was fun to play because I’m usually given the cynic. It was an interesting role.

What else did you base your portrayal of Vanger on?

I used the book and my own imagination as to how a sophisticated, old, successful Swedish tycoon who helped build the country would behave. I suppose my own great-grandfather, who helped build Canada, is an example … I had been around people who were marvelously successful as pioneers. So I drew from that. We all used accents. It’s terribly difficult to use a Swedish accent, except I knew how to do it. It’s so subtle. The Swedish speak English so beautifully. I think David Fincher was right for the cast to have a uniform accent going throughout. Of course, the minute I heard myself with the accent, I thought, “My God, it’s Max Von Sydow. Please get out of here, Max!” He’s a friend. I’m crazy about Max. But I suddenly sounded like Max.

You’ve worked with the best directors. What was your experience working with David Fincher?

David’s attention to detail and sense of atmosphere are stronger than that of almost any director I know. All his films immediately cast an atmosphere the minute the film begins. His atmosphere in our version of the Swedish film hits you immediately. Even more than the book does in a funny way because it took a while in the book to get going—once you got to page 40, it zoomed along.

But David hits the atmosphere right from the top. He was a lovely director to work with. Like Michael Mann, David does hundreds of takes. But they’re all interesting. They’re all for a good reason. And because he has such a sense of humor, you forgive him.

What did you think of the original Swedish movie?

I thought it was very good. Everyone was excellent. I don’t think it’s in any way a competition. I think ours will probably look more “spacious” and again, the atmosphere will be deepened. First of all, there was a lot more money involved. Rooney Mara, our little girl, is going to be marvelous in it. Because Rooney is much younger looking than the girl who played it in the Swedish film, it will give the film a more frightening look. She’s very dynamic, but at the same time rather virginal, which is a strange mix.

What was it like working with Daniel Craig?

DANIEL Craig and Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

I like him enormously, the little I got to know of him. He was fun. He has a lovely sense of humor but he had no time [to hang around] because he has a huge role. It’s such a heavy role.

What was it like when you and the rest of the cast of “The Sound of Music” got back together in an “Oprah” episode?

It was rather sweet, actually. I was dreading it simply because I thought, oh God, it’s going to be mawkish and God-awful. They were all such sweet kids. Somehow, they found a life of their

own … not all of them continued being actors. Suddenly, I found myself having a good time with them … Oprah handled it wonderfully because she has a terrific sense of humor, which I discovered upon meeting her. She guided it without too much sentimentality … I enjoyed it.

“Beginners” is about a father-son relationship. What was your relationship like with your father?

This is very interesting. I never knew my father. My parents had an old-fashioned divorce in the 1930s. I was born in 1929 so I’ve lived through an extraordinary century. In those days, if you divorced, you didn’t see each other. All the Christmas presents were sent back. My mother, God bless her, tried to bring me up both as a father and a mother. So I never knew my father. I met him when I was 18. But it was too late to form a relationship of any kind. Then he died.

Why do you feel better at this age than when you were in your 40s and 50s?

I’m much better at what I do now … I remember my mother telling me when I was at a terribly young age, “I don’t think you’re going to be very successful as an actor.” I said, “Well, thanks a lot!” But she said, “If you become successful, your big success will come in when you’re old. It’s not going to come quickly.” I thought, “Oh God, poor old mother. She’s so naïve.” I think what my mother said had a ring of truth about it. I do feel that I’m more successful [now]. I’m working more than I’ve ever worked before. I feel less pretentious and more natural. And I love my job. It’s keeping me alive, thank heavens.

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