8saturday review Saturday October 62012 | the times ‘I wasatthe height of my theconversation powers butnoone was givingmeachance’ ‘Marilyn wasincrediblyattractive.But ouraffairwas purgatory’

AP; TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER, STEVE SCHOFIELD NY DAILY NEWS ARCHIVE /GETTY IMAGES Hollywood legend Martin Landau tells Tim Teeman abouthis other and showed the movieinstory- pieces. He complains that people todaybe- boards”. Landau wascastasJamesMason’s come actors “tobecome celebrities. We love affair with Marilyn,castingcalls with JamesDean, working henchman, who wanted to get rid of Eva became actors to work in theatre. Holly- MarieSaint’s character“withsuchavenge- wood was3,000 milesaway. We did televi- with Hitchcockand hisroleinTim Burton’s newanimation ance”. Landau decided“he had to be gay; sion because we neededacouple of extra shewas interferingwith his relationship dollars.” here’saquestion nig- question —how did he feel about never with Mason. Imadeitsubtle; Iknew in big Now, back to that nigglingquestion: he glingawayinsistently truly hittingthe bigtime citiesthey’d get it. Hitch lovedit. People never madethe A-list. “I think it would while, in his agent’s as his buddiesdid? —throbsaway. It will toldme: ‘Don’t play gay. It will affect your have held me back in acertain way,” Land- office in LosAngeles, eventually be addressed, but not before career.’ Isaid:‘I’man actor.’” au says. “I played awidevarietyofroles.” the engaging, very we discuss acertain, little-known love Did the youngLandau have lots of sex Others had “great careers and became funnyMartin Landau affairLandauhadwithMarilynMonroe. withwomen? “Itriedto.Ilovedthem.Iwas major stars, but Iplayedmore things, had T regalesmewith tales While geeky fiftysomethings will re- shyatfirst.Thoseyearswhenyou’rematur- more funand,”hesmilesmerrily,“I’m still from his lifeinthe movies:ofbeing James memberhimasthatmasterofdisguiseRoll- ingare tough. You’re like[he looks down to doingit.” Dean’s best friend, or the bloomingofhis in Hand in the original TV seriesofMis- hisgroin]:‘What’s goingonhere?’ ” Frankenweenieopensthe56th BFI friendship with AlfredHitchcock, which sion: Impossible and fortysomethings as Whenbothmenwereintheirearlytwen- LondonFilmFestival(inpartnership began afterthe directorcasthim in North the tunic-wearingCaptain John Koenigin tiesLandaumetJamesDeanatthe“organ- withAmericanExpress)onWednesday by Northwest (1959), or the moment while the SeventiesTVseries Space1999,Land- isedbedlam”ofanopen castingcall: “He (bfi.org.uk;020-79283232)andgoeson filmingCleopatra(1963)whenitbecameob- master’s voice Landau au’s finest rolescame afterheturned60 wasafarmboy, Iwas aNew Yorker.” Dean generalreleaseonOct17. vious that Richard Burtonand Elizabeth playsateacherinTim (he’s84now). He wasthe adulterous, des- asked:“Howdoesthis work?” Landau said topdrawer Landau in theart departmentatthe NewYork Daily MartinLandauisinconversationatBFI Taylorwerehavinganaffair.However,that Burton’s Frankenweenie peratehusband Judah Rosenthal in they were calledupten at atime: “I don’t News in 1951. Above, with Barbara Bain in Mission Impossible, c1970 SouthbankonTuesday WoodyAllen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors thinkwe’llcompeteforparts—Idon’tlook (1989)andwonaBestSupportingActorOs- likeyouandyoudon’tlooklikeme.” carfor his role as Bela Lugosi in Tim Bur- They became close friends, although ton’s Ed Wood (1994). His gravelly voice, when Dean became famous, “I didn’t want with alugubrious EasternEuropean to be known as ‘the friend of’. We talked brogue, featuresinBurton’slatest, exqui- about actors we admired, Marlon Brando sitely renderedmovie, Frankenweenie — and MontyClift. He wasconcernedhe the firstblack and whiteanimation shot in wouldn’tmatureintomanhood.” 3-D. In this remakeofa1984 Burtonshort Of the premature deaths of Monroe and film, Landau voicesascience teacher who, Dean, Landau says: “It’ssohard because by electrocutingadead frog intojerking everyone else I’veknown who diedgot old life,inspiresaten-year-oldVictorFranken- —they’rebothfrozenin time.” steininSixtiesAmericansuburbiatoreani- Landau drank, “but knew not to become matehis beloveddead dog, Corky,leading addicted. Ihungaround with Jason to gruesome,deliriouschaos. Robards, Richard Harris, RobertShaw, “Peoplewho’veseenitthinkit’s amaster- Richard Burton. Iknew not to match them piece,”Landau says proudly.They would fordrinks.”Onthe set of Cleopatra,here- be right. The film is astylistic wonderland, calls seeingBurtonkissingTaylor one abrilliantly renderedmash-up of human morningand “knowinginthat moment grotesques, classic horror, pulp science they had spent the night together.Eddie fiction, Godzilla, adose of Burton’sfinest [Fisher,Taylor’s then husband] walked off mordant Gothic,Winona Rydervoicinga in ahuff. When Sybil [Burton’swife] spooky schoolgirl with asinistercat ... arrivedyoucouldfeelthetension.” there’sevenasteamingfondue. Landau met his wifeBarbara Bain [who “Tim and Iwork well together,” Landau also co-starredinMission: Impossible and says.“Iunderstand him, we both startedas Space1999]atanactingclass. Their cartoonists.”Atthe same moment,intwo marriage, from 1957to1993, came to a different places,they both had the idea “natural end”.Hehas had girlfriends since that the film should be in black and white. but is single —“Iguess Iwouldn’t be if I “When we talk it’s very spare: we often didn’t likeit” —and about to move in with don’tget to the verbs. He’s somewhat one of his twodaughters and her family. idiosyncratic.Iunderstandhisessence.” Will Landau marry again? “No, I’m 84. Landau will be in London nextweek for of her personality? “Yeah, youdidn’t know Iwas goingtobewith.”Landau waschang- end of the affair Marilyn Monroe That’s an oldguy.” Frankenweenie’s European premiere at the which one would show up in the middle of ingplanesinRome in 1962 when he read andMartin Landau,pictured below Watchingthe 1984 Oscars, Landau London FilmFestival and to talk at the BFI something.”Did he end the relationship? that Monroe had died. “I washeartbroken. today, were lovers forseveral months recalls“havingabeerinmyunderwear,say- abouthiscareerandworkwithHitchcock. “I did, by becomingmore busy.” Wasshe As the mysteryunfoldedIwasmore and ing: ‘I should be there.’”MissionImpossible He recalls takingclasseswith Marilyn upset by that? “I don’tknow,probably.I more shocked.Itdidn’t seem possible that andSpace1999 were inthedistantpastand, Monroe, acouple of years his senior,under didn’t want to upset her.” Because shewas shekilledherself intentionally.Itwas poss- while he coachedactors such as Jack LeeStrasberg at the Actors Studio in New fragile? “Yes.Ibusiedmyself with other ibleshetookmorebarbituratesthanneces- Nicholson and AnjelicaHuston, agents York. “She wasthere because shewas things.” sary, justlosingcount,orpossibly it was had told Landau that he was“finished”.“It dissatisfied. People perceivedher as a Afterthe relationship ended,Landau foulplay.Nobodyknows.” wasfrustrating. Iknew what Iwas able to Hollywood blondebimbo. Shewas very and Monroe saweachother “a couple of GrowingupinBrooklyn,Landau loved do, Iwas at the height of my powers but no needy and would go from being on topof timesinpassing”in NewYork and LosAn- actingand drawing; his father wasama- onewasgivingmethechance.” her game to absolutely bereftofany self- chinist, his mother took him to moviesand His renaissance began with Tucker: The belief or confidence. Shesee-sawed theatre. A“sensitive kid”,hewas good at Manand his Dream (1988) forwhich Land- betweenthosetwopersonalities.” ‘Marilyn wasdifficult. sportand had “an imagination”. He lis- au wonaGolden Globe and wasnominat- When they went to the theatre she’d tenedtoradio dramas such as The Shadow, ed foranOscar.Hereceivedasecond change her outfits manytimes. “We’d She’dgofrombeingtop with Orson Welles, “which allowedyou to Oscar nomination for Crimes and Mis- neverseethefirstactof theplay.” of hergametobereft createasetofimagesandcharacters”. demeanors.When he finally wonfor Ed Did he desire her? “She wasterrific ...I He studiedart and became acartoonist Wood,“it waslikeanout-of-body experi- don’ttalk about those things,”hesays of self-confidence’ fortheDailyNewsinNewYorkbutsoonbe- ence. Ifelt Iknew Lugosi. Likehim Ihad quietly.Did he have arelationship with came attracted to actingafter watchinga worked forgood directors and terrible her? “I had arelationship with her.Itwas geles. Washeinlovewith her? “I don’t colleague on stage and decidinghecould directors. Iwent thinkingIwasgoingto justbefore Arthur [Miller,the playwright; know if Iwas in love with her or fascinated do better.Landauquithisjob—againstthe have anicedinner andprobably be misera- he and Monroe marriedin1956]. It wasan by her or flatteredbyher.She wasincredi- advice of his parents —but he gotwork in ble at the end of the night. When Iwin you interestingrelationship,Ilookatitvery bly attractiveand funtobewith much of television, and then Hitchcock sawhim in cansee Samuel L. Jackson [nominated for differently than thewayIdid then.Shewas the time. When shewasn’t shewasn’t. I aplayand cast him in NorthbyNorthwest, Pulp Fiction]say ‘Shit’, probably the most incrediblyattractivebutverydifficult.” mean, that wasthe problem. Shecould get saying: “Martin, youhaveacircus goingon honestreactiononecanhave.” Howdid he cope with that? “You can’t. very withdrawn.”Did he want to marry insideyou. Obviously if youcan do that Landaurevelsinbeingasurviving linkto That’s whyIdidn’t.”Itlasted?“Several her?“No, no. It wasalmostaformofpurga- partyou canplaythis little trinket.”Athis the Hollywood of oldbut he doesn’tlike months.”Hecouldn’t cope with the poles tory.Inever knew who [ie, which Marilyn] office, “he greeted me as if we knew each ageing; his concession to vanityishair-