peter o'toole interview - 2008 galway film fleadh

While few actors make legendary impressions on both the screen and stage, Peter O’Toole has made numerous impressions on both platforms. As such, this afternoon in the Town Hall will comprise a public interview followed by a film of a play being performed in a playhouse: Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell.

Which style of acting does O’Toole prefer? Once he was asked, and replied: “Oh, it’s painful seeing it all there on the screen, solidified, embalmed. I love the theatre, because it's the art of the moment. I’m in love with ephemera and I hate permanence. Acting is making words into flesh. And I love classical acting, because you need the vocal range of an opera singer, the movement of a ballet dancer and the ability to act - as you turn your whole body into the musical instrument on which you play. It's more than behaviourism, which is what you get in the movies. Chrissake, what are movies anyway? Just fucking moving photographs - that’s all. But the theatre! Ah, there you have the impermanence that I love. It’s a reflection of life somehow. It’s…it’s like…building a statue of snow.”

What an answer! Profane, yet profoundly lyrical. There was always some glint in the eye of Peter O’Toole that made you wonder. His characters seemed to withhold the full hand,
and left you questioning his true intention. How many hours have I stared into the blue eyes of Peter O’Toole on the big screen, or on the TV and wondered what he was thinking. Now, like many others in the audience of the Town Hall Theatre, I might have the distinct honour
of asking him in person.

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