The popular quiz-show relies on quick-fire answers, though in person the polymath writer, actor and comedian relishes the art of conversation.
There are few, if any, inhabitants of the world of showbusiness whose net has been cast wider in the quest for creative fulfilment than Stephen Fry. Over the decades this iconic Cambridge colossus has brought his effortless charm, intellect and classical, aristocratic Englishness to just about every arena possible: writer, actor, comedian and presenter, TV, film, stage and books, fiction and non-fiction, comedy, drama, documentaries, panel shows, memoirs and novels.
The story demonstrates a few things about Stephen Fry. Firstly, that he is a natural storyteller, aided by that famous voice and a manner that simultaneously exudes oratorial confidence and friendly warmth, seemingly taking immense joy in the art of conversation. Secondly, that for all his achievements, his approach to his career has never been one of precise planning or long-term thinking.
There are a lot of really smart people out there who ... are not members of anything that anyone can sneeringly call ‘an elite’.“The pompous or life coach answer might be that I’ve always been fortunate enough to think of myself as, if I can put it this way, as a verb, not a noun. I haven’t thought of myself as an actor or a writer, a documentarian or whatever, but just this fellow who does things. I just love doing things.” There are some things, of course, he doesn’t do.
The idea of Stephen Fry as verb, not noun, leads this interviewer to musing that his surname is already a verb, and that perhaps future dictionaries will include a second definition alongside the standard one: “Fry, verb: to enjoy a career of wide and fulfilling diversity”.Fry being Fry, this leads in turn to another story, of a long and boozy dinner in the ’80s with John Hurt. The day after, a hungover Hurt declared, “I got fried last night”, to which Fry returned, “I got Hurt”.
“It has a special sauce. It’s been going since 1968, thousands of shows, and it proves something that’s really important at the moment, and that is that there are a lot of really smart people out there who are not celebrities and not members of anything that that anyone can sneeringly call ‘an elite’. And the people who come onand make fortunes come from all kinds of backgrounds.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix | Australian Financial ReviewThe latest Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix news, articles and analysis from the Australian Financial Review
Read more »
Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix | Australian Financial ReviewThe latest Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix news, articles and analysis from the Australian Financial Review
Read more »
Matt Denny Sets New Australian Discus Record at Australian Athletics ChampionshipsMatt Denny sets a new national discus record at the Australian Athletics Championships, solidifying his chances of winning an Olympic medal.
Read more »
Peter Dutton embraces division for no reasonThe opposition leader thinks that by making repugnant statements he can turn Australian against Australian
Read more »
South Australian winemakers toasting new opportunities after China lifts tariffs: 'The phone really started exSouth Australian winemakers are toasting new opportunities after China lifted its tariff on Australian wine.
Read more »
Stephen Jones is (still) out of his depthStephen Jones aimed for “quick wins” on his legislative agenda. Instead, the government introduced a bill accidentally banning insurance commissions.
Read more »