Is being the incarnation of evil your fate ?

Christopher Lee : I'm not so sure about that. I've done such a large variety of parts. Incarnation ? I don't know. The parts we play give the answer to that. We have to make the audience believe. The audience needs to know the why. I've done many comedies in the USA and even some romantic characters. Not many, but I did them. Even when we're playing a darker side, we can do it with some amount of humor, like in James Bond. But let us talk about The Lord Of The Rings, which is of more importance now. On the other day someone asked me what was my biggest ambition in life. I said it was to see the third movie. I turn 80 in five months. I hope that comes to happen.

Was there any doubt for you that the movie could be made ?

CL : We all believed deeply in the project. First of all, it is a unique piece of literature. One of the biggest literature's pieces of all times, in my opinion. Never has anyone invented countries, lands, races and languages that you can learn, that you can read, write and speak. There are people who manage to do it, whom we had working with us, as advisors. I had no doubts; since the moment I read the script I thought that it would be amazing. On the first day of work, a day that is very hard for the actors, I was very lucky, because I worked with Ian McKellen, one of our best actors, and he helped me a great deal. He is very clever, I am very grateful to him. The first day is always hard, because we must 'find' the character. Instantly. Of course I knew the character because I read the books and I've read the script. And then I talked with Peter Jackson.

Which were you impressions, when you met him ?

CL : Peter Jackson is an extraordinary man. Never had anyone done three movies at the same time. Not even small movies. And these are gigantic, they are epics. Tolkien was influenced by the Iceland' sagas and the Celtic and Nordic mythologies, no doubt there. The language spoken by the Elves resembles Finnish language. Not exactly Finnish, but a great deal based in it. And then there is the Hobbits language and the Dwarves language. There is also Mordor's language, spoken by Orcs and Uruk-hai. I speak a little of that language, as well as some of the Orcs do. And during the council, Gandalf says the words written on the Ring, in the language of Mordor. What it is written is : "Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul ash nazg thrakatulûk, a ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul". Nazg means ring. "The nine humans doomed to die", it's the first line of the poem. I love languages. I love mythology, the culture and legends of every country. I love fantasy.

It has been said that you have fought hard for this part.

CL : Not true. I did what every actor does. I have heard that too, but there was no effort from my side to get the part. In my entire career, I never chased after a part. Never have, never will. Marlon Brando did it for Godfather. He did the screen tests with cotton inside his mouth, because he wanted that part. That is fine, but I've never done it. When I read that they would do the movie I told my agent, like any other actor would do, that, if Lord Of The Rings was ever made, I wanted to be a part of it. Then I met Peter Jackson, and he wanted me to play Saruman. He was always saying to me to remember that he (Saruman) is not human, remember he is not human. He is immortal. He might look like a human being, but he is not one. He would ask me not to do things normally, like a normal human would do.

Saruman is like some sort of puppet.

CL : He is a puppet. But today there are many puppets that are far more dangerous than he is. A lot more. You can kill people in many different ways. But this magic. This entire story is about magic. People love magic.

Which was your favorite character ?

CL : I basically wanted to be a part of Lord Of The Rings. I knew I was too old to play Gandalf, which was my dream part when I read the book for the first time. But I was much younger then.

Do you already know how much of you we'll be seeing in the other two movies ?

CL : I will be in the second one, more than what I was on the first one. I'm not sure if I will be in the third, because they mixed parts from one movie and the other in the cutting room. But that is not important.

Do you find any similarity between the character of Saruman's and the one you play in Star Wars - Episode II ?

CL : None. To be perfectly honest, that is a perfect counter sense. Why would some people want to establish a parallel is beyond my understanding. There is no possible comparison between the two. Star Wars is science fiction, located in outer space. Lord Of The Rings is, where I'm concerned, real. We are looking in to history, in England, 7000 years ago. That was what Tolkien used to say.

But it's mythology.

CL : Mythology and history. I don't think it is merely mythology. I believe it is history. Something like that could have happened, who knows ? The craving for power, for ruling over other, conquer, of possessing, they are all things we still see today, all over the world. It has been like that since the beginning of times. Saruman wants the Ring. He knows it has been found, because Gandalf tells him that. He knows that a Hobbit has it, but he doesn't know which one. Sauron wants the Ring back. Somewhere along the line, Saruman decides that Sauron will be his servant, that he will be The Lord Of The Rings. In the beginning, when Saruman arrives to (Middle-) Earth, Saruman, the White, is the number one, the most noble, the brightest, the most brilliant, the more generous one. All of the best. Tolkien states that very clearly. But at a certain point, the greed and power hunger change him. He creates those horrible creatures. It's scary. It's not a children's movie, like Harry Potter. No comparison there either. I can't really imagine anyone making comparisons between Star Wars and Lord Of The Rings. But I have to be polite... A British journalist already asked me, on television, if Dracula would meet Saruman and they fight each other, who would win. I just stared at him. What a foolish.

How has your relationship with the press been ?

CL : I was never afraid. On certain occasions, when you meet the journalists they already have written their articles, before we meet. And on certain cases, the editor is the one writing the headline, that may have nothing to do with the article and that often is twisted or even made up. On the other day, I was sent an article that had been completely made up, just so that the newspaper would have something to write. Newspaper owners hope to sell more and more. Journalists try to write what we say, I give you the benefit of doubt. But only a few do it. Very few.

But the fact is that you're featured in the posters of both Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars. It almost look as if you're starting your career now.

CL : It's true, but I don't believe I'll have another 35 years ahead ! I'm very fortunate, because in the past eighteen months I have worked with some of today's greatest directors, Tim Burton, Peter Jackson and George Lucas. This sort of things does not happen frequently to someone of my age. Or anyone else, for that matter. I have been very fortunate. When I was much younger, doing small parts, I worked with some of the biggest directors of all times. And then with people who grew up watching my movies, like Spielberg, Dante, Landis. I have met them all. Scorcese, Coppola, all told me that they grew up watching my movies.

When you played Dracula for the first time, did you ever thought that you might become such a popular culture icon ?

CL : Why do you always go back to that ? I'm not here to talk about that. It was a part of my career that had its time and place. 43 years ago it was very important, but that was a very long time ago. I have not done any horror movie since 1975. Don't take this personally, but I see no reason to talk about that. It's not that I'm upset by it, but I find it a waste of time. The audience never talks to me in that way. People come to me and ask, "Are you Christopher Lee ?" I say yes. They ask if they can shake my hand, and then I ask for my hand back. They ask for an autograph and I give them one. And they tell me, "I love your movies, thank you for the pleasure you've brought me." Nobody comes to me saying, "Oh, Dracula !" Only reporters do that, particularly in England. I can't escape it. When I was presented by the Queen with the Commander of the British Empire Order, in November 20, the footnote on a picture said, "Dracula, CBE". It is pathetic. And they think they are being awfully original and bright. But what can you expect from a newspaper called The Sun ?

Source : À conversa com os Senhores dos Anéis, by João Antunes.