Story By Eirik Knutzen    
Photography By Jeff Dunas

Where have you been for the past year or so?
I shot "The Human Stain" last year, then decided to take a year off, by design. Recently remarried, I wanted lots of time off to spend with my wife and to enjoy our home in Malibu.

What appealed to you about "The Human Stain," where you play Coleman Silk, a professor of Classics at a prestigious East Coast college whose life and career is shattered when he is accused of making a racial slur?
It's a good script-it's always a matter of a good script first-and a great character. A combination of both.

What was it like to work with Nicole Kidman as Faunia, Silk's lover and partner in some partially clad scenes?
She shows a bit of flesh, but that's all. No big deal...

Why was it particularly rewarding to work with Kidman?
Because she's a good actress. She is prepared, she shows up on time and does her job.

Do you still teach acting at UCLA now and then?
Yes, but it's an easy come easy go situation rather than a long-term commitment. I find it interesting to work with some young students, partly because it's just once a week and I do a lot of talking.

What was it like when you started out in the mid-'60s, and met Olivier at the National Theatre?
Olivier was casting for "Othello"-whom he was portraying-when I was asked to audition. The only part I knew was for Othello himself, so I decided to do it for Olivier-against the advice of other company members. I decided to hell with it and went on. Afterward, Olivier said, "I don't think I'm going to lose any sleep over it, but would you like to join us?"

Who was Lord Olivier, the person?
A giant. Not just because he was the greatest actor I've ever seen, but because he was a great man. He was also ruthless, ambitious, an egomaniac, and a vulgarian. Those (actors) who found it fashionable to criticize him were spineless, cowardly, callow, mean-minded, and they couldn't hold a candle to him.

Did you enjoy your early years on stage in London?
No, I didn't believe in slave labor and the grind of theatre work. I wanted to make it in films and television, then enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Of all the historical figures you have portrayed, did Adolf Hitler in "The Bunker" telefilm cause the most controversy?
Well, somebody once asked me if I didn't take the wrong approach to Hitler, perhaps making him too human. My reply was that the most frightening aspect of Hitler was that he was human. To ignore that would be like removing ourselves from history instead of facing it.

What are you doing in the immediate future?
I may play Hemingway in a film dealing with the last few years of his life, and I'm doing the movie Alexander the Great" with Oliver Stone. I play Ptolemy. My part will be shot entirely in London, the rest of the filming will be done in Morocco and Thailand, but I won't be there.

How often do you visit Las Vegas, reportedly one of you favorite cities?
Well, I have some friends up there and go several times a year.

What is your attraction to Sin City?
I find it a lot of fun; I love the garishness of the whole, huge city located in the middle of the stark desert. Staying at great hotels there, I find it interesting to watch people.