Chat Ed : Right, we'll get cracking shall we? Welcome John Hurt!
Notata Dignum : Hello0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o and welcome, John
Cyndi Lauper Tea Bag : Bonjour Mr Hurt :)

John Hurt : Hello to you, I'm delighted to be here and if there's anything I can answer I'll see what I can do.

IhateTango : You've been around a long time now... do you have a favourite role, and how long do you intend to keep working (as long as possible hopefully)?
carole : You are one of the most prolific actors - 1 film every year since 1962. How much longer can that continue?!!

John Hurt : Well, I don't think that really I'm the one that can answer that. It depends on how long people can put up with me I suppose! I enjoy doing it and hope it continues for a very long time. I don't think I've got a favourite role, there probably are certain roles that were particularly successful that I could mention - I would have to include Elephant Man and Love and Death on Long Island. I'd go as far back as Man for All Seasons, in fact, and Max in Midnight Express, of course. They don't have to be hugely financially successful for me to rate them highly.

jamie : How did you get involved with the Beckett on Film project?

John Hurt : I got involved with the Beckett Theatre Festival at the Barbican at the request of Michael Colgan, who is the artistic director of the Gate Theatre in Dublin. The Beckett Festival is his brainchild. It was first done in 1991 in Dublin, then in 1996 at the Lincoln Centre in New York and I joined in 1999 when it was done at the Barbican. I was then invited to do it at the new Ambassador Theatre in London for a 7 week season, doing 10 performances a week. Michael Colgan then joined Alan Maloney in conceiving the idea of doing all 19 Beckett plays on film. This was a gigantic undertaking, but I think 100% worthwhile.

carole : Have you seen all 19 of the Beckett films? Which is your personal favourite?

John Hurt : I've seen, I think, 17 of them. I'd have to say that the one that intrigued me in terms of film plus being absolutely true to Beckett would be Anthony Minghella's film Play. It's my suspicion, and it can only be a suspicion, that Beckett in so far as he could be delighted, would have been so.

tom : how you ever read into becketts life to help you understand a Beckett play?

John Hurt : I have dipped into it and I know many people who knew him well. Jackie McGurran's wife, Gloria, knew him very well. Pat McGee who played Krapp the first time - I knew him well before he died and that is who Krapp was written for. The poet John Montague - I knew him very well and he knew a lot about Beckett. Also Channel 4 very kindly gave me a book, a memoir of Beckett called 'How It Was', which I would very much recommend. I have been reading it this afternoon, as it gives a very powerful insight to Beckett as a person.

Notata Dignum : To what extent do you believe Krapp to be an autobiographical figure for Beckett?

John Hurt : I think it is unquestionable that it is autobiographical, or perhaps one should say, that he has used much of his own experience and memory to create the character. I like to feel, in simplistic terms, that Beckett is saying here but for the grace of God, go I, only perhaps not God.

Notata Dignum : is Beckett really passimistic about this world, our just pessimistic about his perception of the world?
tom : is not becketts pessimism a dangerous influence for society to have?

John Hurt : I don't think his view was pessimistic. I think his view is realistic. I don't think that any perceived truth, whether or not that truth becomes out-dated, or proven otherwise, can be of any form of harm.

carole : You studied at St Martin's School of Art before deciding to go into acting. Was this a hard decision to make andhave you kept up your art?

John Hurt : I went to Art School originally in Grimsby to do what was then called the intermediate, which was a 2 year course. I then went to St Martin's with the intention of doing the National Diploma of Design with the eventual goal, as far as my parents were concerned, to do the Art Teacher's Diploma. All of these things don't exist anymore. But I had always wanted to be an actor from the age of 9, but my parents felt (at a time when one listened to one's parents) that this was too precarious a profession and that to be a teacher offered security and respectability, which were 2 qualities much sought after following the war. Yes I do keep up with artwork. Not as much as I would like but I'm hoping to do so more. The whole business of going to art school was for me by no means a waste of time.

jamie : Can we see examples of your artwork?

John Hurt : I did a couple of drawings for charity, other than that, not really. I destroyed most of it in the trauma from changing from painting to drama. I don't consider my present work to be of a high enough standard as yet.

tom : what would you say to Beckett if you met him?

John Hurt chuckles
John Hurt : I'd ask him what he fancied to win the 3:30pm on Saturday. This comes from my only meeting with Beckett in 1964, when I saw him reading the racing column of the Evening Standard.

Dave Wilson : Do you always look for roles that push the boundaries within yourself as an actor? Is there any type of role that you would be unwilling to play?

John Hurt : I guess I like to push the boundaries in the fact that I don't like to do anything that is repetitious. I would be reluctant to be involved with present day mindsets that there is too little understanding of, i.e. serial murderers - if it were to be dealing psychologically, I don't think enough is known. But one always has to remember, you say yes or no according to how well a script is perceived and executed.

louisdbernierefan : Any role on stage or film that makes you cringe thinking aobut it?

John Hurt laughs
John Hurt : Well, there are bits of many parts that I find cringe-worthy, but I'm certainly not going to tell you which bits or what parts! Right?!

Chat Ed chuckles

Derek and Clive : do you use the internet at home John?

John Hurt : No, I haven't got passed the fountain pen.

Notata Dignum : is there an official John Hurt Fan club?

John Hurt : Not to my knowledge. But, there seems to be, talking of the internet, a great deal of information on the web, and I have no idea who puts it there. But that, I understand, is one of the qualities of the internet.

jamie : What projects are you currently working on?

John Hurt : At this very minute I'm playing Krapp's Last Tape in Dublin for one more week. I have 3 independent films to be released at some stage. One called Tabloid, that I did with Matthew Reece, directed by David Blair, and a film called Miranda, that I did with Christina Ricci and John Simm. I did Richard Kwietniowski's second film, his first being Love and Death on Long Island and this one being entitled Owning Mahowney.

Chat Ed : And lastly...
zen6oy : John if you were on a desert island and had to take one film of yours to watch (not eat), which one would you take?

John Hurt laughs
John Hurt : I'd take the piece that changed life for me in the perception of the public and the industry....The Naked Civil Servant.

Chat Ed : That's it! Thanks for that John!

John Hurt: Goodbye everyone.
John Hurt leaves the room