Tapescript. Well, I wouldn’t say I was superstitious exactly but there are some things like Well, let’s put it this way: if I see a ladder on the pavement

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Well, I wouldn’t say I was superstitious exactly but … there are some things like … Well, let’s put it this way: if I see a ladder on the pavement, I tend to avoid it, I must say, but why? Well, hard to say really — whether it’s superstition or something else, I don’t know. I suspect it’s got something to do with not wanting to get a pot of paint on my head, I suppose! It’s not really a matter of believing in superstition, so much as a logical reaction to a particular situation. You see, sometimes there just isn’t enough room on the pavement to get under the ladder without knocking it over. So you go round it. It’s only common sense, isn’t it?

As for black cats bringing good or bad luck, no, I think all that’s superstitious nonsense. I’ve got a lot of cats at home. I’m very fond of cats, you see, and they’re always crossing my path; black ones, white ones, all kinds. I think they’re lovely animals. I find them very relaxing and I love striking them. So in that sense I think they do me, personally, a lot of good because I live alone, you see. If I see a stray cat looking thin and miserable, I take it in. I came across one recently wandering around and it was in such a bad shape even I couldn’t do much for it and we had to have it put down. So the superstition that cats have nine lives is a load of nonsense, isn’t it?

Well, I was brought up in the country, where a lot of superstitions still survive. For instance, in our family we were brought up to believe that if you spill salt, it’ll bring you bad luck. My mum always used to get us to pick some of it up and throw it over our shoulder, just a pinch, you know. Our left shoulder it was. Not sure why really but I think it had something to do with the Devil! Yes, that’s right it was because you had to throw the salt into the Devil’s face and the Devil is supposed to be on your left side. Yes, that’s right, the left hand is always unlucky one, isn’t it? At school they would discourage us from writing with our left hand. It’s associated with the Devil but I really have no idea why. Funny, isn’t it?

Well, that’s a good question and I would say normally that no, I’m not, but when you’re in the theater, as I am, there are certain things you do tend to avoid. They’re more traditions than superstitions. For instance, take Macbeth. In the theatreyou’re not supposed to say the name of that particular play. If you do, people get quite upset. You’re supposed to refer to do it, as you probably know, as “the Scottish play”. The whole idea … it must go back to when people still believed in witches, you know, in the sixteenth century. Also people avoid saying “good luck” to each other as they go on stage. We tend to say “break a leg”, which is a bit odd when you think about it, but there you go. So, yes, on second thoughts I’d say theatre people are quite superstitious, me included.

I’ve always been superstitious and I think I always will be. You see, there are some weird things that have happened that I‘ve never been able to explain. I remember years ago — must have been about five years ago now, I reckon — a hotel that burnt down for no apparent reason. The papers wrote the next day that the fire had started on the thirteenth floor and the day was Friday. It wasn’t the thirteenth but it was a Friday. Another thing, maybe a coincidence but, anyway, the house next to ours collapsed in the last earthquake we had and what date was it? The thirteenth, Friday the thirteenth. So you see after things like that, just to be on the safe side, I often just stay in bed all day on that day if I can help it. Call me superstitious, call me what you like, I’m not taking any chances.

Дата добавления: 2015-06-26