NEW YORK — "Above and beyond."
That's how Brad Pitt describes his co-star, Peter O'Toole, who plays King Priam to Pitt's Achilles in the epic "Troy," opening today nationwide. He calls the scene they shared (when Priam goes behind Greek lines to ask a favor) "a milestone for me. I'd say highlight, but that doesn't do it justice. I got to do one of the great scenes of literature with Peter O'Toole. It's as good as it gets."
The 71-year-old Irish actor is gray-haired now, but as lean as ever, and his eyes are still that startling blue. And, of course, there's the voice — poetic, soaring, grandiloquent . . . and not quite like any other in the world.
O'Toole has been nominated for an Oscar six times in his five-decade career, beginning with "Lawrence of Arabia" in 1962, which made him world famous. He was given an Honorary Academy Award in 2003. Which, in a characteristically O'Toole gesture, he initially turned down. He told the Academy he was "enchanted" by the offer, but would rather they wait a bit since he intends to keep acting for a long time.
Question:You've played so many different kings. Henry II twice, once with Richard Burton in "Becket" and then with Katharine Hepburn in "The Lion in Winter." And now King Priam. Can you talk about that?
Answer: When I began in the business all those years ago, there was a saying that's been around as long as theater has been around. And that is: The way you discover who is a leading man or a leading woman is if they can wear a crown.
They're the best parts, kings. One can play a petulant young savage like the young Henry in "Becket" or the cunning old (rascal) he turned into in "The Lion in Winter." And now this old battler who, in his youth, was as much of a warrior as his son Hector (Eric Bana). Having fortified Troy, he had renounced war and, in anticipation of Christianity, had looked for peace. And look what he got.
Question:Pitt said his scene with you near the end of the film was one of the greatest experiences of his career. You became friends, didn't you?
Answer: It was a joy working with young Pitt. He's a modest man. An unpretentious man. A proper man. So is Bana. We got on like a house on fire. We talked sports. We mourned the death of Johnny Cash together. And they both look as if they just popped off a Greek vase.
Question:Which was harder work, "Troy" or "Lawrence?"
Answer: "Troy" was a piece of (cake) after "Arabia," darling. A stroll in the park. Really nothing.
Question:What are you proudest of?
Answer: I put "Lawrence of Arabia" in a niche. That's where it belongs. It's unique, a piece of cinema history. So can I just put that one aside?
My own favorite is something that was made for the BBC. "Rogue Male," which is about a man who sets out to assassinate Hitler.
But there are so many. I loved working with Kate Hepburn. Working with Burton was joy. And "The Stunt Man" is a picture I'm terribly fond of. I love "My Favorite Year." Great fun. "The Ruling Class," which I made with all my actor chums, is a favorite.
Question:How do you work these days? Do you wait for projects or do you pursue things?
Answer: I have to earn my living, and the longer I live, the more I have to work to earn it. What is the saying? "If I'd known I was going to live this long, I would've taken better care of myself."
Question:How important is the honorary Oscar to you?
Answer:y important. It's the highest honor the motion picture industry can pay to anybody. I join people like Chaplin. Of course I'm honored.
Question: But don't you think you should have won for Lawrence?"
Answer:I should have won for them all.
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. E-mail: eringel@ajc.com