Danny Glover

Hi Danny, how are you?

[Muffled] I’m good.

It sounds very windy where you are.

[Confused] What did you say?

I said it sounds very windy where you are.

Oh, yeah, I’m just getting my car washed. Hang on two seconds, I’m jumping in my car right now. [The sound of rushing water stops.]

What attracted you to Be Kind Rewind?

I thought it was imaginative, spirited and a smart comedy. A smart film about collective imagination. Also, Michael Gondry is one of the most special filmmakers we have.

What was it like to work with Mos Def and Jack Black? Not the most obvious pairing.

The wealth of talent between those two guys is amazing.  They were brilliant together.

Have you ever had a fan make a weird film about you?

No, but there’s always people imitating and mimicking me with a line from a film. There’s always a guy coming up to me and shouting, ‘Riiiiiggs!’ [Belly laughs so hard he starts coughing uncontrollably.] It’s basically the same thing, you know what I’m saying?

What can you tell us about 2012 [Roland Emmerich’s next big event movie]?

2012 is the date on the Mayan calendar that forecasts an enormous catastrophic event. It’s a pretty scary moment where everything in the world is at stake.  There’s an incredible tsunami, the glaciers melt – I think it’s going to be one of the big movies that, if nothing else, is going to entertain people.

What else are you excited about?

I have a film coming out around September called Blindness.  To play a blind man was a fascinating challenge.

Did you study blind people for the role?

I saw a couple of movies, including this documentary that was quite amazing. We did exercises to get a sense of what it was like. Once you put a blindfold on you realise just how dependent you are on sight. It highlights our senses and how we use them.

There’s a restaurant in London called Dans le Noir that seats diners in the dark to give them the experience of being blind.

[Mightily impressed by this.] Wow! Isn’t that something? The way you move if you’re blind, the way you use your hands, your feet – even the way you appreciate food is based on sight… Oh, hold on one second… [puts Maxim on hold] Hey! I’m back.

What do you prefer to act in: blockbusters, comedies or more highbrow dramas?

It’s hard to say. No matter whether it’s a big blockbuster, like 2012, or a small film like Be Kind Rewind, they all have value.  The blockbusters take more time because of the special effects, but otherwise I don’t make a great deal of distinction between them.

Why do you think there’s so much media scrutiny of your friendship with [Venezuelan president] Hugo Chavez?

Twenty-five years ago, if I was meeting with Nelson Mandela, people would think that was controversial. I get involved as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF with issues around development, sustainability and education. Venezuela has many issues around people of African descent, and that’s very important to me.  The president is of African descent himself.  And he was overwhelmingly elected, it’s not like he’s a dictator. I talk to who I want to, support who I want to. I’m willing to talk to anybody who’s talking about real change within their nation or community. [Maxim gets cut off and rings back]. Hey! I lost you there. Oh – I’ve got another call coming through – hold on just a minute. [Maxim gets put on hold]. I’m going to have to take this…

Finally, your most popular line is, ‘I’m too old for this shit!’ What’s your favourite line?

I think, ‘I’m too old for this shit’  is probably my favourite.  There’s also a line in Silverado that I love, which is  ‘I don’t want to kill you, and you don’t want to be dead!’  [Does great big belly laugh again]. Bye!