– Is this the last reunion, or can we expect something more in 2019, when you celebrate 50 years of Monty Python?
“Maybe we will have a medical event, entitled “Monty Python stored frozen.” I guess people will want to do something; ten performances this time will give us a chance to see how it feels. Whether it still works properly between us; whether we enjoy it enough, maybe we’ll even do some more in the future, but I cannot promise you.”
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Although the name “Monty Python” still follows him around everywhere he goes, Palin is also a cultural brand of his own by now, rewarded in the past years as a national treasure in Britian. He has had a rich career as an actor in movies such as ‘Brazil, ’ ‘A Fish Called Wanda, and ‘American Friends’ and in television drama series such as ‘G.B.H.’. Palin has also made many travel documentaries for the BBC. With eight seasons behind him now, he has visited almost every place on earth. All except one that is;
“I do not know why I have not covered Israel yet, ” he apologizes. “We have made very long journeys around the world, from pole to pole. We would like to visit the Middle East and make the rounds of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Syria and Iran, but so far it hasn’t been possible ‘for technical reasons’, because of border problems. I do not exclude the possibility that it will happen.”
– You have also played serious characters, and won awards doing it. Do you think your identification with Comedy prevented you from developing a bigger career as a dramatic actor?
“I do not feel I missed something. And frankly, I do not see a big difference between playing a dramatic role or a comic role. I feel very lucky that I was allowed to play so many comic roles. It is also nice when you are asked to play a dramatic character, although I think comedy is always there, even in serious roles. But if the audience would say, ‘We do not think that was good enough, because it wasn’t funny’, I would be disappointed. Probably because I have done so many things in my life, people give me credit for serious things too, and see it in the right context.”
In recent years, Palin has also been making documentary films about art and artists. The most recent one is an acclaimed documentary about the artist Andrew Wyeth.
Michael Palin: “I find that good art can be really enchanting and powerful. Many works of art are presented in the media as if they are intended only for the elite. I wanted to make a journey of self improvement. I hoped that when I’m studying, the viewers will learn too. I did not do this at an academic level, but with the personal excitement that comes from within.”
In addition to everything else, as if his schedule was not so busy, he has been writing a personal diary for over 45 years. The diary has been published in 2 thick volumes that have become bestsellers in England, with a third volume on the way, accompanied by a first live performance of Palin, in which he will tell the story of his life.
Michael Palin: “The new book comes out in September and is called ‘Traveling to work’. It describes the period when I was 50 and suddenly had the fear I might die without having kept an account of my life. Why I did a lot of things in those years: writing plays, a novel, go out for a series of tours.”
– How would you like to be remembered?
“Remembered. That will do. Just remembered.”
Assisted in preparing this article: David Sheinberg
