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Robert Vaughn interview - Radio Times, March 2004 |
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The star of Hustle shares early memories, and thoughts on the pros and cons of acting, with Andrew Duncan.
On his childhood
"I met my father three times, briefly, and only have vague memories, but he was a star to me because in the 1940s I could turn on the radio and hear him acting in a play."
"I suppose my lack of trust in women started because my mother wasn't there when I grew up, but I was never analysed so I don't know."
"My stepfather was my idol, everything I wanted in a father. A six-foot Irishman, handsome, athletic, with a beautiful speaking voice. Looking back, the most wonderful time of my childhood was spending holidays with him and my mother, surrounded
by charming and funny actors. I remember when I was six, they had a low period in Chicago - my stepfather was bartending and mother was a dice girl. She made me recite 'To be or not to be' in front of John Barrymore, who was a regular. He'd say, 'More, lad,
more. Another round of drinks.'"
"I never noticed [his step-father's alcoholism] at the time. To me it was exciting he could
drink all day and never seem drunk. In the end he was selling the clothes off his back for alcohol, and died in 1950, aged 39. My mother was once again left a widow, at 43, with no money."
On hitting the big time
"Within days my life changed dramatically. I moved my mother into a penthouse, bought a new car and started dating Natalie Wood [then 18], who was the hottest actress in the world because she'd just made Rebel Without a Cause. I thought life was exactly as it should be. My mother was pleased by my success but, although she never said it, I feel
she wondered, 'Why has he had it easy, when it was so hard for me?'"
"I enjoyed fame and knew it would happen only once, so I took every advantage. To be in Hollywood in your 20s with a few shekels in your jeans, famous on TV, was to die and go to heaven. Every beautiful woman in the world arrives there at 18 - and usually returns home disillusioned by 24 - but for six years … "
On acting
"Show business brings rejection at every level. When you start no one knows you;
later, others get the roles you want. They say, 'Who's Robert Vaughn? Get me Robert Vaughn. Get me a Robert Vaughn type. Get me a young Robert Vaughn. Who's Robert Vaughn?'"
"I decided to act when I was four after my mother taught me 'To be or not to be' from Hamlet. I've been fortunate: semi-retired since I began because this is not a proper job. It's fun, good pay, and no deep introspection."
"Luckily, I'm now able to work when I want, and can pick the most attractive locations. For me that's London. I'd like to do Hustle for another 100 years because filming it gave me 12 good laughs before lunch, and that rarely happens."
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Read our interviews with Robert Vaughn and Richard Chamberlain - or take a look at our full Hustle guide.
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