Catching the very busy Alan Cumming and going
Think of Alan Cumming as a multi-talented multi-tasker. In between playing the MC in the Broadway redo of the iconic musical Cabaret, the 49-year-old also finds time to portray political fixer Eli Gold on the popular TV drama The Good Wife.
So, agreeing to voice the villain part in George Lucas’s post-Star Wars animated musical, Strange Magic, was just another exercise in logistics for the Scottish actor. In Strange Magic, Cumming as the Bog King tries to thwart the spread of a powerful love potion in a fairytale land of goblins, fairies, imps and elves.
On a break from his Cabaret duties in New York, Cumming shared some of his thoughts:
On using a kind of mild Edinburgh brogue for his Strange Magic character:
“That’s a tad hackneyed, I am afraid,” corrected Cumming of his dialect’s description. “But, yes, it is somewhere up there in the northeast (of Scotland). We discussed it, and (my accent) was something they really liked. It also worked well — although it changes radically throughout the film.”
On relating to the animated movie as a stage musical:
“It has a structure like that,” he said. “Fairy tales, in general, are like stage shows. And Strange Magic is conventional in that way, but then there are other things that are subverted, and I liked it for that.”
On being approached by Lucas:
“George didn’t actually call me personally but I did get asked to do it,” Cumming said of the Bog King. “But it is very nice to be sought out by George.”
On meeting Lucas in person for the first time during the recent Strange Magic promotional tour:
“I feel like I’ve known him for a long time,” Cumming said. “Before, I would meet him through his people when they would give me his notes, and I would hear what he had to say and the changes he wanted.”
On throwing a post-Oscar Birdman nomination party for Emma Stone, his co-star in Cabaret:
“What she’s done is walk into the light and I was so excited to be with her,” Cumming said.
On juggling a busy schedule that includes his Cabaret performances with appearances on The Good Wife:
“We are on episode 15 and we have seven to go,” Cumming said of the popular show. “It gets a little crazy but I always makes sure I am having fun.”
On maintaining his reputation as an approachable lad:
“I like being me and being the same to everybody,” Cumming said. “I am quite egalitarian that way: You get what you give, sort of thing.”