In words that may strike a chord with those unpaid thespians who take part in lakeside productions, acclaimed actor John Malkovich declared that theater should be free, ahead of his performance in Guadalajara this week.
“I don’t care if I get paid at all. You don’t really do theater for money, it doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Malkovich told a press conference in Mexico City. Clarifying these comments, he later added, “if I didn’t do it for money, it would mean I couldn’t pay the people I work with. But I don’t have to do it for money. Theater is a gift to me, I mean I should probably pay to be able to do it.”
Malkovich has toured in “The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer” for almost two years. The play is directed by Michael Sturminger, with the seven performances in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Leon produced by Mexican movie star Diego Luna.
“I love this project. I love its ambition, I love the element of it being a hybrid between classical music and theater and, in a way, opera,” said Malkovich, the star of movies such as “Burn After Reading,” “Dangerous Liaisons” and, of course, “Being John Malkovich.”Malkovich’s character is based on Austrian serial killer Jack Unterweger, who was first convicted for murdering a prostitute in 1974. Unterweger became a journalist, with his notoriety earning him minor celebrity status, but upon release from prison he immediately began killing again. He was eventually arrested again and committed suicide in jail after receiving a second conviction for a further nine murders.
“I think there is always a great interest to try to understand why some humans not just enjoy but feel the need to hold power of life and death over other people,” Malkovich added.
The play will be staged in English with Spanish subtitles at the Teatro Diana on Wednesday, April 18, 9 p.m. Tickets cost 550 to 1,750 pesos.