Christopher Plummer

My great-grandfather was prime minister of Canada, and I had a very Edwardian upbringing. It was a beautiful, romantic way of growing up, until the family lost its money. And I decided to be bad and rough and find the streets rather than the gates. ”

I think anger does fuel a successful acting career. To play the great roles, you have to learn how to blaze. ”

I've done a lot of pictures that are ensemble, and I've not always liked the people I was working with, but that doesn't make any difference because you do the job, and often it turns out to be a great ensemble even if you didn't particularly really like anybody. ”

Here is Mike Wallace, who is visible to the public, and I have been watching him since the early '50s. Smoking up a storm and insulting his guests and being absolutely wonderfully evil and charming too. ”

I'm insatiably ambitious. ”

I actually was brought up by an Airedale. I don't really remember my parents, especially my mother. It was only the dog that I saw. ”

I think of being ornate as a Victorian quality, little to do with Shakespeare. But even Dickens wasn't ornate; he wrote with flow and naturalism. ”

The part of Mike Wallace drew me to the movie because I thought, what an outrageous part to play. ”

They realized I was alive again, even though I was playing an old, dying sop. ”

I love trying to give some flesh to rather naked bones sometimes. I've always felt it my duty and to try and bring on the character's off-stage life, what happened that is not revealed. ”