Did you know Ian McShane is 73 years old? I did not. I also did not know that he’s married to an American woman and that he’s been living in Venice Beach for the better part of 36 years. I’m just now realizing that I don’t know the first thing about Ian McShane! But his new Telegraph interview is an excellent primer on all things McShane, and even if you only have a passing interest in him, I would definitely suggest reading the whole piece. Ian is more talkative these days because he’s got a small role in the new season of Game of Thrones, plus he’ll be hitting British TV with a new series, Doctor Thorne. Some highlights (these quotes are AMAZING).

On #OscarsSoWhite: “You’ve got Will Smith’s wife, whoever she is, saying she will boycott the Oscars and we’re thinking, ‘Yeah I’m sure we’ll miss you, darling.’ Why? Because her husband wasn’t nominated, even though he’s put on a Nigerian accent for his latest film? We’re expected to go ‘wow’ about that, are we? It’s like Leonardo DiCaprio. Not the finest performance, just him grunting and being raped by a bear. The Oscars are ridiculous.”

Why he came back to TV with Doctor Thorne: “Harvey Weinstein, who produced it, wanted a name that meant something in America. That was why they asked me, and I thought why not?”

It’s a great time to be a British actor: “Especially if you’re a young British actor, because you can go over to America and get in television shows instantly.”

Whether he thinks Americans are worried about posh British actors taking their jobs: “Americans aren’t like that, they are the most generous people in the world. They only care about talent, not where you come from.”

His recent comments about Game of Thrones: “You say the slightest thing and the internet goes ape. I was accused of giving the plot away, but I just think get a f—ing life. It’s only t-ts and dragons. They asked me if I wanted to do Game of Thrones and I said, ‘Sure, I’ll be able to see my old pals Charlie Dance and Stephen Dillane’ and they said, ‘No, we’ve killed them off.’ I wasn’t sure whether I could commit, but then they said it would only be for one episode, so I said, ‘So that means I must die at the end of it. Great, I’m in.’?”

Being influenced by Richard Burton: “I became a high-functioning alcoholic and drug taker [cocaine mostly]. I would always remember my lines, and always be on time, but some of the films I was in then I have no recollection of having done them.”

His third wife, the American Gwen Humble: “I realised all I had ever felt for women up to that point was lust, but that what I was feeling for Gwen was love. It took me a few years to get sober, but my life took a good turn after that. I went to an AA meeting and that was 28 years ago and I’ve been sober ever since.”

Whether he feels American: “No, not really. My wife is American, though, and she’s been my wife for 36 years, and I do love the place. When I see all this Trump bullsh-t, all his bombast and stupidity, I think that’s not the America I know.”

[From The Telegraph]

I love his blunt style. I actually think I’m sort of in love with him now. Yes, the Telegraph talks a bit about how he was a son of a bitch in the 60s and 70s, when he was drinking heavily and abusing drugs, but he genuinely seems to have grown up, gotten sober and made amends. It’s weird to imagine him in Venice Beach, just hanging out and wandering around in flip-flops though. Also: “It’s only t-ts and dragons” is basically the best summary of Game of Thrones, and I’m saying that as someone who genuinely loves the show. And he’s let another spoiler go, hasn’t he? He’s amazing.

Photos courtesy of WENN.