The “extraordinary” actor who blew Terry Gilliam away
As a member of Monty Python, Terry Gilliam was inducted into the world of comedy in the 1960s, although his contributions to the group’s sketches largely began as an animator. While he did appear in various sketches, Gilliam proved to be a vital behind-the-scenes member, creating cartoons and artwork that became instantly recognisable to the public.
He subsequently made his directorial debut with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which Terry Jones co-directed with him. Two years later, he helmed Jabberwocky with Monty Python’s Michael Palin in the leading role. Gilliam has gone on to direct some beloved movies over the years, such as Time Bandits, starring Shelley Duvall, Sean Connery, John Cleese, and Brazil with Robert De Niro.
His directing career has fluctuated over the years, with many of his films initially performing poorly but later becoming cult favourites, as seen by Brazil and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Then there were the films, like The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, which bombed but received widespread critical attention. Out of all his films, it seems as though Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Time Bandits, and 12 Monkeys have performed the most successfully, both commercially and critically.
Gilliams’ most recent film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, emerged in 2018 to extremely mixed reviews. The movie was a mammoth task for Gilliam, who had tried to make the film for almost 30 years before finally completing it. When it came to the leading role of Toby Grummet, many actors were previously cast before Gilliam settled on his final choice.
Taking inspiration from Miguel de Cervantes’s classic story Don Quixote, the film follows Toby as he revisits a village where he shot a student film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, many years prior. Here, he reunites with the man he cast to play Quixote. However, the man still believes himself to be Quixote and thus believes that Toby is Sancho Panza from the iconic novel.
Toby was played by Adam Driver, who Gilliam believes is an “extraordinary” actor. Before he was cast, though, Johnny Depp was considered for the part all the way back in the ‘90s. However, it seems as though Gilliam was happy with his choice of Driver.
He told Rolling Stone: “He’s a wonderful actor, but he might be a more wonderful reactor. His reactions are what’s so extraordinary. In Quixote, you get to see the extent of his range, which you haven’t seen in other films. I’m really blown away by his work.”
Driver has had an impressive career since his first film role in J. Edgar. Since then, he has appeared in the hit series Girls as a recurring character, starred in Inside Llewyn Davis, Paterson, BlacKkKlansman, Marriage Story, and, most famously, the Star Wars sequel trilogy. He played Kylo Ren for the course of the three movies, earning significant fame. While Driver had featured in many acclaimed movies before The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, Gilliam really believed that his true acting capabilities were able to shine in his film.
