Julian Sands discussed “dangerous” hiking during his final UK interview
British actor Julian Sands, who was confirmed to have died last week after going missing while hiking in California in January, spoke about “dangerous” mountain climbing in one of his final interviews.
In his last UK interview with the Radio Times, conducted six months before his remains were found near the search site, Sands described climbing as “solace and a sort of existentialist self-negation, but equally a self-affirmation”.
He added: “If you can deal with dangerous mountains, you can certainly deal with life as an actor — the two are quite complementary.”
“Pals I used to climb with have stopped going to the mountains, partly because they find, with climate change, the rock faces have become much more unstable, partly, it’s age,” the actor continued. “If you don’t really have the desire, the focus for climbing a route, if you’re not absolutely committed, it becomes much more dangerous and it’s a much more deflating experience.”
Sands also said: “I’ve found spooky things on mountains, when you know you’re in a place where many people have lost their lives, whether it be on the Eiger or in the Andes. You may be confronted with human remains and that can be chilling. It’s not necessarily supernatural, it’s possibly all too natural — what I would call hypernatural. You’re in the presence of big nature and big nature is revealing itself in all its power. It can take us over a threshold of hypersensitivity into a realm of natural forces.”
Sands was known for his roles in movies such as A Room with a View, The Killing Fields, Warlock, Naked Lunch, Leaving Las Vegas and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. He was first reported missing on January 13th in the Baldy Bowl hiking area of the San Gabriel Mountains, California. While addressing the situation when the news broke, the San Bernadino Country Sheriff’s Department explained that search crews were sweeping the area. However, the operation was paused after just 24 hours due to the threat of avalanches.
Last week, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that remains had been found, and they belonged to the missing actor. They said the case is still under investigation, clarifying: “The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results.”
“We are deeply grateful to the search teams and coordinators who have worked tirelessly to find Julian,” Sands’ family said in a statement. “We continue to hold Julian in our hearts with bright memories of him as a wonderful father, husband, explorer, lover of the natural world and the arts, and as an original and collaborative performer.”
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