Saturday 21 June 2014

As Luck Would have It by Derek Jacobi

"It was all a ghastly mistake."

I remember becoming a fan of Derek Jacobi in year 12, when we watched snippets of I, Claudius as part of our studies. I ran off to hire the entire series (probably in video at the time). That seems like, well it actually was, a long time ago, but my admiration for his acting has only increased. I am a massive fan of Vicious  which i find an acerbic delight.

Here, in his memoir, Jacobi begins with his early life, his entree into acting and some tasty little morsels from his life on the stage and screen. His manner is engaging, it is somewhat akin to sitting down to tea with an intriguing speaker who has lived and eventful life but remains somewhat self deprecatory.

Jacobi has worked with some absolute luminaries of the acting profession including Maggie Smith, Sir  Laurence Olivier, Peter O'Toole, and Ian McKellen to name just a few. This along with working around the world, acquiring knighthoods from his native England and from Denmark, makes for a deep well of interesting stories from which this book is drawn.

5 out of 5, I'd love to hang out with Derek and hear the stories that couldn't be printed.

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