Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming, OBE, is a Scottish character actor, author, and activist who has appeared in numerous films, television shows and plays. His London stage appearances include Hamlet, the Maniac in Accidental Death of an Anarchist, the lead in Bent, and the National Theatre of Scotland's The Bacchae. On Broadway he has appeared in The Threepenny Opera, as the master of ceremonies in Cabaret, Design for Living and a one-man adaptation of Macbeth. His best-known film roles include his performances in...
NationalityScottish
ProfessionTV Actor
Date of Birth27 January 1965
CityAberfeldy, Scotland
Macbeth was the first play I ever read.
Once in a while it's good to challenge yourself in a way that's really daunting.
Sometimes people do you a favour when they drop out of your life.
It's actually quite a good ethos for life: go into the unknown with truth, commitment, and openness and mostly you'll be okay.
Performing a one-man Macbeth feels like the greatest challenge.
With Urban Secrets, I just really liked the idea of wandering around chatting to people.
I usually can find a way to do a character to make it real and work. But sometimes it's a struggle sustaining that, because there's such a level of personal involvement and personal, physical, and emotional distraughtness.
I think American actors are much more intimidated by Shakespeare.
Most people will never know anything beyond what they see with their own two eyes.
When there's an adult person who's scaring you, you grow up pretty quickly.
Pantomime is a big thing in the cultural calendar of my country, you know. So subtlety's not my forte.
It's exciting to be with really, really good people. Some people make you feel like you've got to up your game. Working with good people is always good.
When you're on TV, you come into people's homes. In theater and film, they go to you - to the temple of the cinema or theater. And it's very different.
I'm not a fan of Twitter.