I loved to eat. For all of Hollywood's rewards, I was hungry for most of those 20 years.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I loved eating and I did put on weight. I never actually felt fat until I started going for castings, for auditions.
I thought I'd become an actress, but then I realized I eat too much.
I loved the domesticity of my life as a struggling actor. When I wasn't going to auditions, I could do things like cook dishes from scratch and take them to parties or be really thoughtful about birthdays and anniversaries.
My wife didn't like Hollywood or its stars, but she made an exception when, in 1972, we were invited to dinner - cooked by Frank Sinatra.
My first year and a half in Hollywood, I did three films. Then in 1959, I was in 'Gidget,' 'Imitation of Life' and 'A Summer Place.' After that, I was a star. It was fun.
Hollywood embraced me in the late '80s because there was a good project I was in and it was different. Nowadays, it's about corporate mentality, box office, youth.
The secret of being a great actor is a love of food.
I've never felt a strong urge to rush into Hollywood, so I bided my time and waited till I had a decent body of work to show people, the icing on the cake being 'Salmon Fishing' and 'Parade's End.'
I've been fortunate to have had the life I had prior to Hollywood. I wasn't starving; I was going to eat the next day.
'Hunger' definitely changed my life, in terms of being recognized by filmmakers, since that was very much a filmmakers' film.