Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 

Select category

Interview with Christopher Lee

In the last decade, the British actor Christopher Lee has been involved in some of the biggest grossing movies ever, including parts of the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars series. He has appeared in over 200 films in a career spanning six decades, though it was for playing Count Dracula several times in pictures by the British horror makers Hammer that he achieved iconic status (the first, 1958’s Dracula, is in KVIFF’s Midnight Movies section). Not keen to be forever associated with Dracula, the actor has described the haunting The Wicker Man (1973) as his personal favourite among his many films. We spoke to Christopher Lee after a very entertaining Master Class on Thursday.

In recent years you’ve been involved in some of the biggest films of all time…how does it feel to be involved in such projects at your advanced age, if you don’t mind me putting it that way?

I think there’s one very obvious answer – I’m very fortunate, I’m very lucky. People ask me to do something because hopefully they know I can do it. Although this last film that I spoke about [during the Master Class], Triage, was a very tough one for me…For me, at my age, to have to do scenes of four pages, many of them talk, talk, talk, talk…But there’s a big reward, I think. How do I know? – it could be the best thing I’ve ever done.