Daniel Craig on the “shattering magic” of Michael Gambon: “You can’t not fall in love with him”
Michael Gambon is well worthy of his consideration as one of the greatest actors of his generation and, in turn, perhaps of all time. For over six decades, the Irish actor delivered a wide range of characters with the dedication and nuance that left him fully deserving of all the acclaim that duly came his way.
Having performed extensively on the stage, Gabon eventually turned his wildly impressive talents to the screen, beginning with 1965’s Othello. He went on to perform in the likes of The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, Gosford Park, The King’s Speech, Fantastic Mr. Fox and the Harry Potter film series as Albus Dumbledore, where he burned himself into the hearts of so many cinema fans across the world.
Gambon had drawn admiration throughout his career from several of his fellow actors, and his Layer Cake co-star Daniel Craig once explained in an interview with Groucho how there was a magic about his performances that most of his contemporaries could only dream of.
“There’s a thing about Michael,” Crag said before going on to note how Gambon had made a big impression in the theatre as well as on-screen: “Michael is from a generation of actors. He worked with Olivier. He’s done this tremendous amount of stage work. But he’s as modern an actor as you would ever like to meet.”
The two actors had worked together in Matthew Vaughn’s directorial debut Layer Cake, in which Craig plays a London-based criminal and Gambon, a rich underworld boss. The opportunity to work with Gambon was something that Craig cherished, and he noted, “He has a depth of raw emotion, which is shattering to watch sometimes.”
Gambon had indeed contributed significantly to the theatre world, playing alongside Laurence Olivier in the original Royal National Theatre cast. He starred in many Shakespeare productions, including Othello, Hamlet and Macbeth and was nominated for 13 Olivier Awards, winning three.
Of course, Gambon’s efforts in film and television ought not to be forgotten, with his portrayal of Dumbledore in Harry Potter likely to go down in cinema history, but it’s the stage where Craig really felt that the actor shined. He noted, “I ask anybody to go and watch him on stage when he’s on form and not fall emotionally in love with him. He’s just sort of – he’s just one of those human beings.”
