The questions came out to 14 pages? Wow! It was sooo nice of him to answer (most of) them so patiently and candidly. And it must've taken you a long time, Edith, to prepare all this and then scan everything in for us to see. Thanks so much!
Oh dear, you've invited him to visit the board? Not that he couldn't easily have found it before (maybe he already has) ... but ... if he feels funny about all the attention, I hope he doesn't read the "fan club" section! *blush* (The only celebrity I know of who reads all the effusive stuff fans post about him online and doesn't seem to mind one bit is Geoffrey Rush. He actually knows his fans when he meets them by their screennames! No, I haven't had the pleasure. Yet.)
Hmm, I wonder what's the difference between "period" and "historical" plays. I imagine "period" means it's set in a past era, whereas "historical" conveys some aspect of recorded history? Or does "period" mean it was written during that era?
Ha ha, yes, I love that he doesn't like sports too. In fact, I can't believe he said his favorite sport is "badminton." Honest to God, that's the answer I always give too--in terms of participatory sports at least. (My favorite spectator "sport" is figure skating!)
And I feel the same about bars and smoke! And no camping that doesn't include room service? Pancakes, cake, and Pepsi? Not crazy about musicals?
And he can dance?! OMG, he is the perfect man. Oh, why can't there be more of him??? It's so unfair.
What an perfect way to describe Bach (especially for someone who doesn't play an instrument!): "methodical and mournful." (I love Bach.)
I like what he said about why he likes Chekhov, that "he doesn't judge humans." It seems to me this is a philosophy he lives by himself and why he's such a nice and generous person. (Goes along with what he said about not being fond of the term "creepy" but understanding people's struggles to "articulate subtle feelings and impressions.") He's very good at emulating his "kind," "articulate" role models.
If he likes humor and mystery in people, that must be why he enjoys playing Ben so much!
Ooo, he might actually share some of his artwork with us! That would be so awesome and so nice of him. *fingers crossed*
Odd habits: "Oh so many." Hee ... cute.
Likes bunnies at a distance?? Hmm, I guess he just hasn't met the "right" bunny yet.
I love bunnies, close-up and at a distance, but I know most are not the cute little bundles of fluff they seem at a distance! They can be very territorial, and I actually had one who was just like the "killer rabbit" in
Monty Python and the Holy Grail. They really do have "nasty, big, pointy teeth" ... and nails. (But then I had another who was as sweet and gentle and affectionate as can be, like a puppy.) I wonder if the bunny he worked with on the show gave him a hard time? Most rabbits hate being picked up (they're afraid of heights).
Wow, he sure hid his terror of working with the horses in Tunisia well! You'd never guess from watching the episode. (Ben is one bad dude, single-handedly subduing terrorists and expertly making off with a spooky Arabian horse he never rode before!)
"The only thing my hair does well": look awesome? LOL ... Wonder what it
doesn't do well? (Look bad, I guess!)
I like his answer about the clues being in the language ("see complete works, Wm. Shakespeare"). That's exactly what we learned in Shakespeare class. (He'd have gotten on well with my teacher!) And that he likes to play make-believe. (One reason I always dreamed of being an actress ... the idea of making a living at playing make-believe!) I can understand what you mean though, Crystal. Shakespearean English is almost like a different language, so if you're not into learning new languages, just trying to comprehend all the words could take all the fun out of it. (Personally, I love learning languages. In fact, I only started appreciating Shakespeare when I stopped trying to read it as "English" and approached it as a semi-foreign language, if that makes any sense.)
Funny how he admits to "playing the provocateur with recommendations." So Captain Beefheart maybe isn't really on the top of his everyday playlist, even if he appreciates him as a poet?
Hmm, his answer to Crystal's question about meeting fans certainly is a bit cryptic (although if you can read what he originally wrote and crossed out, it's a lot clearer), although I take "Your question contains its own answer" to mean "yes." I wonder if squeeing fans are among the half of the things in the world that scare him and/or among his 50,000 pet peeves! (For someone who has that many pet peeves, he does a good job of never saying a negative word in public!) Does anybody get what he means by "I am looking for a way to be graciously (although unnaturally) conspicuous"?
Sorry for rambling (it's my nature!), but so many of his answers make me think of more questions. This is just a daydream, but wouldn't it be cool if we could all sit down with him and get him to expand on some of his "provocative" comments ... and then turn off the lights and have him read us a ghost story!
(I can see how he'd have made a good teacher. He's good at making you curious about things. For instance, I'm dying to know what he meant by the "healing power of language" in that New Zealand interview. I think he could pontificate all day on the subject of his choice, and I'd be mesmerized.)
