Transcription
Hello there, welcome back to the program, ladies and gentlemen. My next guest is an international film star who has made over 180 films. But can he balance anything on his face? Well, he is best known for such unusual parts as the vampire Nosferatu. And we're delighted that he is here with us tonight. Please welcome Klaus Kinski.
Pleasure to meet you, sir. Thank you very much for being here. Uh, that we was a little bit afraid you'd ask me the sort of things to do with the other guy before. No. Have you ever balanced anything in your face? No, not this. Only this. But I watched you a lot of time. I mean, when I couldn't sleep at night and you're cracking in television, there's nothing left anymore. And I push a button, it's always you. Yeah. I know. No, I don't mean it the bad. I mean, I liked it. It was funny. That's very nice of you to say. And and and and and then I had a little bit of pity because there I thought it was this guy doing it every night. He never gets any sleep. And I still believe that when I, when I came here, when they picked me up at the airport, and they say, "No, it's not life." And so that's what actually could have been a reason to. Yeah, it would be, uh, it would be fun doing it at, uh, 12:30 at night. But, uh, I'm, I think the audience might be a little peculiar, you know? But no, no, I am, I just be, um, I'm just knife. If it's night, I think it's night. But, but it is a pleasure for me to be. It's a real honor for us.
I wanted to ask you about, we showed some photos of this, uh, the vampire Nosferatu. Is that the most peculiar part you've played? What do you mean exactly by peculiar? Um, ask, I really mean, I don't understand it. Well, can we show the picture again? See that? That's, that's what I mean by peculiar. [Laughter] Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, maybe shaving my head. And so this is, yeah, yeah. And I didn't like the makeup. I didn't want to have make. I hate makeup. And, and so he asked me, so every day, I mean, weeks before, every day, every day, every day to have this makeup. And finally, I mean, I just, it was just so tiring that I said, "Okay, we have it." But I, I really didn't like it. Yeah, because it was just, it took so long. Took five hours every to put it on. It looks like it would be uncomfortable. But besides this, I don't see a big difference between this one and any other part. Pretty much all the same. That's right.
We have to do a commercial and take a station identification, I think. And, uh, balance our checkbooks. Then we'll be back with Klaus. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Kinski. Thank you very much. Paul Schaefer. Very nice. This gentleman is, of course, Klaus Kinski. And, uh, Monday on this program, Viva actress and cult figure will be here. Comedian George Miller and the king of cheap horror movies, Mr. Roger Corman. Uh, we had, um, we had, uh, Werner Herzog on the program a couple of months ago talking. People, no, I mean, it was obvious because he was in New York for other reasons. And I couldn't, but people told me, "There must be a really good story what he's telling for 12 years around the world." Because they told me he repeated this thing, the same stories over and over again. Yeah, the same story that he put it again on me. And there, well, he was here talking about the film that you two did together, Fitzcarraldo. And, yeah, and you were terrific, by the way. [Applause] And, but, but he also, uh, let me ask you this. How do you and Mr. Herzog get along as actor-director? Not at all. Think about it. I mean, I half of fun and half. We, we were invited some years ago in Telluride, Colorado, festival. And there I told them already from before New York, from the opening of the movie, in, so because always telling the same story. Said, "Don't give me a break this time. Don't repeat this." And, okay, no, no, I promise you. We had a press conference, like a picnic, very, very relaxed. And so, and then, and then on the end, he was telling the same time the story. And they asked me, and what I think about it, because they was just amused about. And I said, "First of all, I don't know this guy." Which was true. I didn't want to know. And then I said, "I have to tell the, to tell you that the, the story may, maybe good, but there's something wrong because I never put the gun on." He could never have put the gun because he didn't have a gun. All right. Now, let's talk about the story. I just want to tell you up. And then he took the microphone out of my hand. And I said, "It's not true. I had one, but I hided it." So he didn't want to give up. Okay. Now, let's go back. Now, let's, let's ask, uh, let's talk about that story. The story was that he, uh, says that you pulled a gun on him. Yeah. No, he said there was a just a mess. And I mean, it was very exhausting. There about 40 or 45 hours to get there in the jungle. Was on Fitz? No, no. Aguirre. Okay. And he put, he said he put the gun on me in Aguirre. And we did Aguirre was 10 years more than 10 years ago. And we arrived at night without having eaten anything for 24 hours. Everybody falling in the mud. And really thing. And I just screamed out. I say, "Okay, is this going to continue? I'm the first one who's going up, going away." And he said, "If you go away, I kill you." I said, "Just what I'm ready to go. Just came to my place." Okay. And I had my own raft. And, and then he was coming in the morning, but just, uh, just, uh, apologizing. That I mean, that was so, it actually happened. I had, I had, was the only one who had a Winchester rifle in the jungle. He didn't have a gun. Oh. So, so he, he threatened you. He said, "I, I'll kill you." But he didn't have the gun. He didn't have the. You had the gun, but you, but, uh, but you didn't threaten him. No, I didn't threaten him because there was no, I mean, there, uh, I would have done something maybe without, without warning him. No, I don't have to threaten him, not to kill him, but I mean, just, I don't know, whatever. So this happened many times. So that's a story. That's you're tired of that story. And let's go on to now. Would you do another film with Werner Herzog? Maybe. It, maybe. I mean, when I did the first, yeah, I really mean it that when I did the first movie, I, I haven't spoken to him about six years or so. And I always said, "I don't want to see this guy anymore." And then he came, he just called me one night and 1:00 in the morning. He said, "Said, I if I want to do these two movies with him." Then I did two movies. And I say, "Okay, now never again." And some years later, I did another movie. So it may, yeah, it may happen. And then maybe not.
Do you feel like when you're, uh, on location or on a set, that you cause a lot of commotion? Oh, you didn't get your coffee? Oh, I'm sorry. Werner, um, Klaus would like coffee, please. You want anything in it? No, no, just coffee. Just, just coffee. I'm sorry. You're exactly right. He had asked for coffee, uh, around noon. And you, I'm sorry, that is silly. Um, okay, now, uh, when you're on a set, on location, do, do you cause trouble? Do you cause a lot of commotion? No, there's no. It would be too exhausting to, to cause because most of the time, whatever the movie is, it's just exhausting enough to shoot a movie. And then, and then there's no point in. I mean, I did, you said before, I heard, I heard you said about 180 movies. And I did about 200, about. Okay, now the, no, I had a lot of trouble in my life. Everybody knows it. The word was printed in there. But the thing is, yeah, there's no secret about it. But I had a lot of cover. I'm sorry, but it's up to the, to the guy who's doing the movie, okay? Or the circumstances. The truth is, if you were really causing trouble, you couldn't do 180 movies. That's, that's right. Yeah. It's very logical. Yeah. So, but if I really deep in trouble right now, sometimes I was really deep in trouble in my life. But I mean, okay.
How do you, have you seen your daughter? Do you see much of Anastasia? We call each other wherever it is. I mean, sometimes, I mean, I know in Tokyo or there or right, I mean, in distance of 20,000 miles or so. No, last the time we talked over the phone was she called from the Bahamas and I was in, in California. Yeah. You must be very proud and pleased with her success. Yes. Right. She's in Hollywood now. She's doing a movie. Okay, now, uh, but the, it is completely the circumstances already. I mean, seeing it. I mean, do a movie in deep in the jungle, three, I mean, three days away from the next civilization. Well, Fitzcarraldo, you guys were buried in South America or or doing Aguirre. And I had a, I have my costume weighed about, I don't know, about 50 pounds. And they, you just have to defend your, your life. Oh, yeah. So because he is so unconscious sometimes that he just, you know, in the rapids, so without any, uh, any safety or so. If you fall in, you just die. Okay. And I remember one shot, he was running in, and he didn't want to listen to anybody, not to the Indians, that we was running in a tree. And the tree cut the raft in the middle. And the raft was always already under water like this. And I took my knife and I cut up my costume. And he was, he was around the shot in a little speed boat. He was not in danger. Okay. Oh, no. And, and then he tried to tell me something. And I didn't let him finish the line. If you just, just don't shut up, that I throw you to the piranhas and they have eaten you in about, I don't know, in 30 seconds. Okay. This is, this is what. On the other hand, it's very easy. They have. I was thinking to too fast. No, no. It's just a very entertaining story. Clear. Being thrown to the. No, I actually, I, he looked. No, I mean, we like each other very much. In one hand, on one hand, I really hate sometimes. I can't stand it because it just, but, but it's true that, uh, directors like having you in their films because you, you really bring, uh, a very unusual presence to the to the project, don't you? No, I mean, I mean, the thing is, a form movies I did with him is most of the time we didn't even talk about what we're going to do. Just let, let me do. And, uh, uh, I mean, yeah, it's what good for him. Let, just, just let me do. Otherwise, this, I want to say the circumstances. If you are in a tough circumstance, it is very, very stupid, uh, from a director to disturb you. Right, right. He should be, he should be satisfied with what you bring, you know? Otherwise, it's just superficially trash what's coming out. So that's why sometimes maybe we succeeded. I don't know. But sometimes people like what we did. Um, on the other hand, he's very friendly, very nice with me. He's just a pain in the. No, I heard about. No, sometimes I can't stop it. But I heard about this. But I remember when I had Good Morning America once here. I must, must say, because it is true, they, they, I should not say certain words, but I can't have it sometimes. It just came out. No, you can say pain in the. That's you can't say that, can you? Yeah, you can say pain in the. Say it again. Pain in the. Thank you. That's very of you're here. That's you. No, it's fine. And all time, I'm going to have to ask you if you can come back because we're, we're running a little late. But I would love for you to come back and we'll spend more time talking. Okay. Whenever you're in this part of the. Pleasure meeting you, Klaus Kinski, ladies and gentlemen. And we'll be back with Paul. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Zimmerman.