O'Toole Charms Letterman
Here's a bit of a transcript of the Letterman interview: (from the CBS website)
"PETER O'TOOLE: He's in the new film, "Venus," now playing in selected cities. The legendary actor congratulates Dave on becoming a dad, or as Mr. O'Toole put it, "having a child in your more mature years." Peter did the same and says, "it knocked me out."
Dave says to Peter, "You've led your life the way you want to. I tried but at 34 I realized it wasn't a good idea." Peter drank back when drinking was an accepted and expected practice, and he is well known for his drinking stories. He tells the story of carousing with actor Peter Finch, or Finchie. After working together and having a few, they decided to head in for the night and sleep it off at Finchie's. On the walk home, they passed a little hole-in-the-wall bar that called out their name. They went inside and remained till 4:00 AM. The bartender eventually told them they had enough and would have to go. Peter and Finchie muttered, "No no no . . . much more." The bartender was adamant. They had to go. But they didn't want to go. So Finchie and Peter . . . bought the bar. The next day they returned to the bar and met the bartender again. The bartender held the checks Peter and Finchie gave him the night before. The barkeep gave back the checks, which were quickly torn up. A year later, the bartender died. Finchie and Peter got to know him pretty well in that time and attended the funeral. At the cemetery, they joined the family who was sobbing by the gravesite. They got down on their knees and prayed beside them. A woman then tapped them on the shoulder. Peter says, "We were at the wrong grave."
Death becomes us . . . has Peter ever thought how he would like to remembered? He says he knows what his final epithet will be. Years ago he had an old leather jacket which he adored. It was a ragged thing covered with Guinness and blood, what every jacket should be covered with. He sent it to the cleaners. It came back with a note pinned to the lapel: "Sycamore Cleaners: It distresses us to return work which is not done." It made Peter laugh and he decided to have that placed on his tombstone. His new film, "Venus," is about, as Peter puts it, "a dirty old man and a sluttish woman." It's an examination of all the cliches one would expect in such a relationship. Has Peter ever been involved in a relationship like that? Without much thinking, Peter exclaims, "Oh, yes!"
It's in selected cities now. Look for it. "Venus."