Crispin Glover [actor, director, writer]

By: Julian Chavez | November 02, 2009 | Ten by Ten

Crispin Glover is an actor, director and self-published writer. Known for portraying eccentric characters on the screen, Glover’s breakout role was as George McFly in the first Back to the Future movie. He has appeared in numerous movies including River’s Edge, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and played the “Creepy Thin Man” in the Charlie’s Angels films. He also played Willard Stiles in the horror movie Willard. Glover’s next big screen appearance will be in Tim Burton’s film Alice in Wonderland alongside Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway, set for release in early 2010.

What do you consider your greatest professional achievement?
My second film as a producer-director of It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE. This film very much deals with the emotional catharsis of the main character and is played by the author of the screenplay, Steven C. Stewart, who was born with a severe case of cerebral palsy. I put Steven C. Stewart into What is it? when I turned What is it? into a feature from what it was originally going to be — a short film. Steve had written his screenplay in the late 1970s. I read it in 1986, and as soon as I had read it, I knew I had to produce the film.

Steve had been locked in a nursing home for about 10 years after his mother died. He had been born with a severe case of cerebral palsy and was very difficult to understand to the casual listener. People who were caring for him in the nursing home would derisively call him an “M.R.” — short for mental retard. This is not a nice thing to say to anyone, but Steve was of normal intelligence. When he did get out of the nursing, home he wrote his screenplay.

Although it is written in the genre of a murder-detective-thriller, truths of his own existence come through much more clearly than if he had written it as a standard autobiography. We shot It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE. while I was still completing part one of what will become a trilogy for What is it? This is partly why What is it? took a long time to complete. I am very proud of both films. I feel It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE will probably be the best film that I will have had anything to do with in my entire career. People who are interested in where I will personally tour with my films and the live show should join up on the e-mail list at CrispinGlover.com [because they will get] e-mail [alerts that will tell] them when I will be where with whatever film I tour with. It is, by far, the best way to know how to see the show and films.

What artist (musician, poet, painter, etc.) has had the single greatest impact on your life and why?
There are too many to list one.

Do you think there is life on other planets? 
With all the existing planets in the various galaxies throughout the universe, life outside this solar system seems more likely than not.

What do you fear?
I aspire to live with not fearing so much.

Describe your perfect day.
I lead different lives in different places at different times, so I have different perfect days in each of my lives.

In Los Angeles, it’s to wake up, go into my garden, trim my bonsai or feed my koi, either write or edit a film I am making, and then go to the Hollywood Bowl with a girl I am seeing and come home for a romantic evening.

In the Czech Republic, it’s to oversee details on the restoration of my 17th-century property venture, then into Prague for a fine meal and return to shoot on one of my film projects on my sound stage next to my property.

If I am touring with my live shows and films, then it’s to wake up in an interesting city, venture to an interesting museum or garden or architectural site, then perform my one-hour show, present the feature film, eat dinner while the film is playing, then answer questions for about 45 minutes after the film, then I try to be in good energy for the book signings, and then go back to the hotel for a good sleep.

If I am acting in someone else’s film, then it’s to wake up with my lines memorized and an interesting character clear in my head, have an excellent day at work, come back to the hotel and work out, study for the next day of work and have a good night’s sleep.

All possible combinations of the above are perfect!

What advice would you give someone who wanted to follow your career path?
Do not prove people wrong, and have a good attitude!

What is your favorite quote/lyric?
“Follow your bliss.” — Joseph Campbell

To what extent does money influence your career choices?
I have been financing my own films since around 2000, because films are expensive to personally finance. Monetary considerations have influenced my career choices greatly. I have been working out ways to make my personal film productions less expensive, so I do not have to be as concerned with bringing in the same amounts of money from my acting career as I have previously. I have been acting in films with the concept of being able to find interesting projects and fund my own films. This makes the monetary element of the films I am acting in extremely important, as funding feature films is expensive. Every actor has different reasons for acting in a film, weather it is a studio film or a so-called “independent” film. My reasons have certainly changed, and I am sure will continue to change. I specifically started funding my own films with the money I make from acting when Steven C. Stewart’s lung collapsed in the year 2000. This was around the same time that the first Charlie’s Angels film was coming to me. I realized that with the money I made from that film, I could put it straight into the Steven C. Stewart film. That is exactly what happened. And both films Charlie’s Angels and EVERYTHING IS FINE. influenced my life in positive ways. Steve died within a month after we finished shooting his film, so I am very grateful that we were able to shoot and complete the film with him. After Charlie’s Angels came out, and it did very well financially, it was good for my acting career. I started getting better roles that also paid better, and I could continue using that money to finance my films that I am so truly passionate about. It has worked out well!

What do you consider to be your greatest extravagance?
I own some fine antique automobiles.

How do you want to be remembered?
I hope as a positive contributor to the arts.

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