Montand leaned forward and stared at
me rather menacingly. I was impressed by his ability to give a
political speech in the privacy of his living room. But I was taken
aback when he paused for breath and spoke to me directly. Until that
moment I had the feeling that I was sitting in the front row of an
auditorium, listening to a politician who was trying to get my vote.
“Many people think that they will have
no talent according to which government is in power. It’s not the
government or the political philosophy that gives you talent. You have
to have it first. Or you don’t have it. That’s why life is cruel. Life
is not roses. Life is hard; you can lose it at any moment, at any age.”
Montand leapt from subject to
subject, interspersing English noun and French verbs. I pointed out that
he had been unnecessarily bad tempered during the interview, for I had
understood what he was saying, but I would have preferred to talk about
his acting career and leave politics in abeyance for a while.
“Oh, no. I hope I wasn't unpleasant. Was I?
No, let me explain why… You see…there are people who just give any old
interview. But I can’t. I give myself completely. I can’t help it, and I
can’t do otherwise. It’s a terrible weakness of mine.”
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