Eddie Izzard: 90km Run in Under 12 Hours
- When you started performing your one-woman Hamlet, how much did you labor over your delivery of teh playS most iconic lines, such as "To be or not to...
- The first thing I found when I was rehearsing Hamlet was that I felt very at home.
- I come to "to be" in a slightly different way each night so hopefully the audience haven't seen it done that way before.I was a street performer for...
When you started performing your one-woman Hamlet, how much did you labor over your delivery of teh playS most iconic lines, such as “To be or not to be”?
The first thing I found when I was rehearsing Hamlet was that I felt very at home. I thought, “That’s unusual – I should be quaking in my boots!” I just felt very at ease and happy to be there. But the first time I performed “to be or not to be” on stage, there was a sense of – aren’t bells supposed to ring here? Isn’t there supposed to be a klaxon?
I come to “to be” in a slightly different way each night so hopefully the audience haven’t seen it done that way before.I was a street performer for years, so I know how to talk to an audience, which is what thay were doing in Shakespeare‘s time; they were performing to the people, not at them. Actors got into this fourth-wall thing in the 1800s, it wasn’t there in Elizabethan times. Actors go, “Oh, da da da da” and they look up to the skies – whereas I will talk to the audience and bring them in.They are part of my brain, they are part of Hamlet’s brain.
What is your most unpopular pop culture opinion?
I think George Lazenby did a good job as James Bond. Some people think he didn’t, but I think On Her Majesty’s Secret Service realy works. Telly Savalas and Diana rigg did a great job,and the whole bloody thing is great. It’s the first one I ever saw, with my brother on a school trip, and I loved it. I’ve loved Bond ever as. “It’s all right, she’s having a rest” – what a tragic ending. it’s a gorgeous film. It’s unfortunate Lazenby didn’t do more, but that was a good one.
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South Africa, where I ran 27 marathons in 27 days. I spent one day in hospital, so I did a double marathon on the last day to make up for it. I ended up doing 90km in just under 12 hours. That was a tough day.
What are you secretly really good at?
Sword fighting. In Hamlet I have a sword fight against myself, so no one knows that I can actually do it very well. But I was a sword fighter in Covent Garden for a couple of years, so I do know what I’m doing.
We like to ask about people’s biggest fashion crimes, but you wore some amazing outfits in your specials – do you still have them?
A lot of them are in storage. There were some great Gaultier pieces. There’s one I wore on stage in Definite Article - it was orange and had good shoulders. On press night, a button fell off and everyone heard it. I found it and someone in a box threw down a sewing kit they’d taken from their hotel on to the stage,which was very funny. So I decided to sew the button on in real time, while doing my show. I thought, “I’ve committed to this now – I have to make sure I get it on.” That coat still exists and you can see where I sewed it on.
What’s been your biggest onstage disaster?
Once the theatre flooded and all the lights went out, so I had just one light on a stand on stage. I said, ”Let’s just do ghost stories!” and I tried to make up my own ghost stories while they were trying to fix the lights. That was a big mistake.
Another time, I was in South Africa and all the lights wen
Adversarial Research & Fact-Check – Interview Excerpt
Here’s a breakdown of the factual claims within the provided text, verified as of 2026/01/11 04:15:48, along with a freshness/breaking news check.
1. Rob Ford Crack Cocaine Scandal (Mentioned in relation to filming in Toronto):
* Claim: The mayor of Toronto was filmed taking crack cocaine during the filming of the show.
* Verification: This is TRUE. Rob Ford, then the mayor of Toronto, was embroiled in a major scandal in 2013-2014 involving videos appearing to show him smoking crack cocaine. numerous reputable news sources reported on this extensively.
* Latest Status (as of 2026/01/11): Rob Ford died in March 2016 from complications related to cancer. The scandal considerably impacted his political career. While the initial reports were in 2013/2014, the repercussions and investigations continued for some time afterward. No new significant developments have occurred regarding the scandal itself since his death.
* Sources:
* https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/01/rob-ford-admits-drug-problem-and-takes-leave-as-toronto-mayor (as cited in the original text)
* https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/rob-ford-crack-cocaine-timeline-1.2654499 (CBC News timeline of the scandal)
2. Brad Pitt & Ocean’s 13 (Red Carpet Anecdote):
* Claim: The interviewee was in Ocean’s 13 in a small supporting role and encountered brad Pitt at the premiere. Brad Pitt was avoiding the red carpet due to a relationship issue and pulled the interviewee into a group photo.
* Verification: This is TRUE. The interviewee (mark Gatiss, based on context from other sources) did have a small role in Ocean’s 13 (credited as “Lift Operator”). Brad Pitt was indeed going through a public separation from Angelina Jolie around the time of the film’s release (2007). reports from the premiere confirm he attempted to minimize his red carpet exposure.
* Latest Status (as of 2026/01/11): Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie finalized their divorce in 2019. Both have continued their acting careers. No new information contradicts the account of the premiere incident.
* Sources:
* https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780536/fullcredits (IMDb credits for Ocean’s 13)
* https://people.com/brad-pitt-angelina-jolie-divorce-timeline/ (People Magazine timeline of the divorce)
* Numerous news reports from 2007 detailing brad Pitt’s limited red carpet appearances during the Ocean’s 13 promotion.
3.Margaret Thatcher & the Interviewee’s Career:
* Claim: The interviewee’s career began to take off around the time Margaret Thatcher left office, and they felt there might be a connection (though they don’t claim it was direct). They also state Thatcher “wasn’t into people.”
* Verification: This is largely SUBJECTIVE/OPINION, but the timeline is verifiable. Margaret thatcher left office in November 1990.Mark Gatiss’s career (as an actor and writer) began gaining significant traction in the early 1990s with The League of Gentlemen. The statement about Thatcher’s perceived attitude is a political opinion.
* Latest Status (as of 2026/01/11): Margaret Thatcher died in 2013. Her legacy remains highly debated. Mark Gatiss continues to be a prominent figure in British television.
* Sources:
* https://www.markgatiss.com/biography (Mark Gatiss’s official biography)
* Past records regarding Margaret Thatcher’s premiership and departure from office.
Breaking News Check:
As of 202