You certainly can’t accuse Alan Cumming of being stuck in a rut. On the contrary, the Scot’s CV is a thing of wonder; a bewildering variety of films, TV series, voiceovers, musical roles, cameos and compelling comic turns. He has been in a James Bond film – Goldeneye – and illuminated successful movie franchises such as Spy Kids.
He has won a Tony award for starring on Broadway in Cabaret, gained Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his work in the drama series The Good Wife and presents the American version of the Emmy winning hit show The Traitors. Some people approaching 60 – Alan reaches that milestone in January – might consider slowing down, but if anything, the opposite seems to be the case with this multi-faceted performer.
Never looking back
Currently he’s making a film with Brian Cox, creating a stage version of the cult TV series The High Life with Forbes Masson and flitting between the United States and Scotland so often that he must have racked up plenty of frequent flier air miles. Anybody who lives a nighthawk existence and channel-hops around old TV programmes from the 1980s and 1990s will have caught up with Alan at some stage, whether in Scottish staples Taggart and Take the High Road or such eclectic offerings as Rik Mayall Presents, Black Beauty, Blind Date or The Invasion of the Comic Tomatoes.
So, one can understand why he “hated” being asked to name his favourite performances from a career which prides itself on never looking back. Yet, as he said: “I’ve played so many people and creatures and I also don’t ever hang on to them, but am always moving on to the next person I am going to inhabit. It’s actually more important the kind of experience that I have on a set. That’s what I remember. Hopefully, it was a happy one, with kind people and it felt fun to come to work every day. But I suppose the characters from The High Life are in my mind again because we are working on a musical of the show for the National Theatre of Scotland and revisiting them has been such fun. I also really like Mr Floop from the Spy Kids movies. He touched the hearts of so many kids who are now young adults and so many people approach me in such a different way if they have watched those films. I’m very much enjoying the character I play on the US Traitors. I know that I’m officially the host of the show, but I’m acting my socks off and I love being the castle daddy.”
How vital the arts are to our lives
Alan isn’t somebody to throw in the towel in arguing for his beliefs. He might be frustrated at how arts and culture organisations always seem to be an easy target for parties of all political persuasions whenever they need to trim their budgets. But that doesn’t mean he won’t keep championing the need for greater investment and for youngsters from all backgrounds to have access to opportunities.
He said: “It’s sad that the arts is the first area to be hit by cuts when we need to pull in the purse strings, but is also the first area we turn to in times of crisis. Look at Covid, and how much we relied on artists and performers to entertain us, help raise money and try and make sense of what was happening to all of us. We constantly have to remind everyone how vital the arts are to our lives, and I find that really annoying. I guess because it’s worth can’t be quantified in spreadsheets, but rather through imagination and inspiration, people find it difficult to remember.”
And yet, despite these concerns, Alan has hardly been busier and is continuing his transatlantic sojourns to be involved in a diverse range of new ventures. He explained: “Right now, I am making a film near Glasgow with Brian Cox. He’s directing and we are playing brothers who have a family distillery. It’s a lovely film about the way you can’t run from your past, and how Scotland is a sort of siren, pulling you back home. I know that’s how it feels to me too. After that, I am doing some concerts in America and making another film in Scotland about the poet Jorge Luis Borges. The latter’s the fellow who once memorably described the Falklands conflict as being “a fight between two bald men arguing over a comb”.
It’s the sort of witticism which you can imagine Alan delivering on stage. He’s living his own High Life at the moment and there’s no sign of him being grounded any time soon.
By: Neil Drysdale.