Christopher Plummer: Barrymore, Sound of Music & Hollywood Traps

In 1997, Christopher Plummer sat down with Dini Petty looking like a man transformed. Sporting a thick mustache grown specifically for his role as the legendary John Barrymore at the Stratford Festival, the classically trained icon offered a masterclass on the thin line between artistic immortality and Hollywood’s destructive lure. This rare, unedited conversation captures Plummer at a pivotal moment—just before his one-man show, Barrymore, would travel from Canada to conquer Broadway and earn him his second Tony Award.

The interview is a fascinating study of comparison. Often ranked alongside titans like Olivier and Gielgud, Plummer dives deep into the tragic figure of John Barrymore, the man he calls “the greatest actor of the 20th century” who was ultimately destroyed by the very fame he sought. Plummer speaks with a palpable sense of relief about his own career, explaining how he successfully avoided the “LA trap” that consumed Barrymore. For Plummer, the theater wasn’t just a job; it was a partnership with 1,200 people every night, a visceral connection that Hollywood’s cameras could never replicate.

Beyond the craft of acting, Christopher Plummer reveals his refreshingly cynical take on the industry’s highest honors. Long before he became the oldest person to win an Academy Award, he argued in this 1997 broadcast that Oscar nominations are the only thing that truly matter. To Plummer, the idea of one “winner” is an absurdity; the true victory lies in the recognition of being among the five best in the world. From the coarse language of his latest role to the “beautifully educated” audiences of Toronto, this interview is a definitive portrait of an actor who chose the stage over the machine—and won.