Robert Preston in 'The Last Starfighter' had an aura. It was almost a surreal experience meeting him. He exuded charm, warmth and that movie star magnetism that is impossible to describe.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Lance Guest in 'The Last Starfighter' had such integrity and held himself to such a high standard that I just wanted to raise your own standard to meet it. He is a hard-working, giving actor. He made me feel secure and better in my role opposite him.
Every actor looks all his life for a part that will combine his talents with his personality... 'The Odd Couple' was mine. That was the plutonium I needed. It all started happening after that.
I never had that star aura.
For as long as I can remember, the thing that gave me a sense of wonderment and renewal... has always been the work of other actors.
I've been fortunate. I've worked in a lot of things where I had those kinds of experiences with actors who were perceived as very macho guys, everybody from Lee Marvin to Charlie Bronson to Harrison Ford to Robert Shaw.
With actors like Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and Harrison Ford, what made them such icons is that even in dramatic movies, their characters had a sense of humor.
Claude Kirk was probably the most charismatic person I ever met.
'The Last Starfighter' was the first movie I did in the U.S. It was an absolute joy to be a part of it. 'Night of the Comet' was a labor of love. Truly a collaborative effort. I am eternally grateful for the experiences.
I idolize Gene Hackman. He is not a natural star, not an incandescent personality like Jack Nicholson, but he makes luminous the problems of being an ordinary man in an extraordinary situation.
The big stars I felt a kinship with were never the romantic leads. It wasn't Steve McQueen or Robert Redford - it was people like Walter Matthau and Anthony Quinn. My big hero was Tommy Cooper.