Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death
Ace actor Donald Sutherland, known for his roles in Hunger Games and Klute, dies at the age of 88. The actor was battling a long-time illness when he breathed his last on Thursday. In a conversation with Variety in 2019, Sutherland discussed his career and why he chose to be an actor in the first place.
The Pride and Prejudice actor had been a fan of movies and cinema since the very beginning of his career. The Canadian actor also named his firstborn after the filmmaker Warren Keifer, director of Castle of the Living Dead. Even the second born of the actor was named after Nicholas Roeg, known for his works in the movie Don’t Look Now.
What had Donald Sutherland said about joining the film industry?
In a 2019 interview with the actor, Sutherland had a detailed discussion with the media portal about his childhood and how his dream of becoming an actor turned into a reality. The Kelly’s Heroes actor confessed, “I come from a small town of 5000 inhabitants. When I was sixteen years old, my father brought me into his car – as was the tradition in Nova Scotia, where I’m from – and took me for a quick drive.”
Sutherland further added that while on the drive, his father asked him what he would want to do in his life, to which Donald said, “I wanted to become an actor, and he said, ‘Ok.’”
The Hollywood star went on to say, “I have no idea why I thought to become an actor. Neither of us had ever been to the theatre before.”
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How did Donald Sutherland get into acting?
Continuing with the interaction, the actor shared the process of getting into the Hollywood industry. Sutherland states, “In Canada [back then], we didn’t have acting schools, so I studied engineering for three years while doing theatre and taking auditions on the side. At one point, I made a bet with [someone from U of T]. He said, ‘I’ll bet you a dollar you’ll get that next role,’ and I bet a dollar I wouldn’t.” The actor added that he lost the bet.
Sutherland began his acting career by taking on small roles in TV shows and landed his breakthrough role in the 1967 film Kelly’s Heroes.
Since the actor’s death, tributes have been pouring in from all over the industry.
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