Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest, dancer, singer and actor, George Chakiris.George is best known for his appearance in the 1961 film versionof West Side Story as Bernardo, the leader of the Sharksgang, for which he won both the Academy Award for BestSupporting Actor and the Golden Globe Award for BestSupporting Actor – Motion Picture.Hehas recently published My West Side Story: A Memoir.
Norm:Good day George and thanks for taking part in our interview.
Howdid you get involved in acting and where did you learnacting?
George: Ifirst got involved in acting when I was cast as Riff in the LondonCompany of West Side Story in 1958.
I found out thatexperience is a great way of learning, and I discovered that studyingwas equally important.
Norm: Howmany times in your careers have you experienced rejection? How didthey shape you?
George: Idon’t recall being rejected, but it must have happened as I cancertainly identify with that feeling.
Norm:Did you have difficulty in turning yourself into the character ofBernardo in West Side Story and how did you do it?George: Ivery strongly identified with Bernardo. Who he was and what he wasexperiencing. The prejudice. The exclusion.
Norm: What was the toughest role you had as an actor or dancer andwhy?
George: Thetoughest role I had was as Dracula in the theatre production of ThePassion of Dracula at the Queens Theatre in London in 1978.I had a hard time just getting past “Good evening” Dracula’sfirst words. It took me a while to get out of my own way. I wasintimidated by having to be Dracula, and it took a while to “getcomfortable”. Something I learned about “acting” in that playwas that I couldn’t “be” Dracula by myself. Something differententered the room with Dracula, and the other characters could notrespond to him casually. They had to help me “be”Dracula.
Norm: If you had a magicwand, what other Broadway production or movie would you have liked tobe in and why?George: Justone of those great MGM musicals. I loved them a lot. I was in facthired to play either the Puppeteer or the Magician in “Carnival” at MGM but it was never made. I was sorry to not have thatexperience.
Norm: Ifyou could relive a moment in your life, which moment would you chooseand why?
George: Igave my personal manager at the time Power of Attorney, which gaveher the legal right to make decisions without consulting me, and shemade a few very bad decisions. I would go back and retrievethat decision. No one should ever give Power of Attorney toanyone.
Norm:What motivated your to write My West Side Story and how did youdecide you were ready to write your memoir?
George: Ireally don’t remember how it evolved. It took a while to “beready”, and there were serious moments of hesitation.
ButI liked the idea of “talking to people” which is the way I feltabout it. I liked sharing some of the wonderful times
I’ve had with so many wonderful people over theyears. I’ve been really lucky. Just talking about ElaineStritch, for
example, was such a pleasure.
Norm: What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how welldo you feel you achieved them?
George: My goal was just to be honest about circumstance, and andmy experiences, and I HOPE I achieved that.
Norm: What purpose do you believe your memoir serves and what mattersto you about your memoir?
George: What matters to me is honesty and hoping that someone canlearn something from my experiences. My big thing for younger peopleis the Power of Attorney issue. And I hope no one makes the mistakethat I did.
Norm: What was themost difficult part of writing this book and what did you enjoy mostabout writing this book?
George: The most difficult part was reliving and regretting my mistakes. WhatI enjoyed most was reminding myself of the amazing people Ihave had the great good fortune to know and work with. I spent timewith some pretty legendary people! Including my family!
Norm: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what wasit?
George: I learned that I was blessed,starting with my beautiful mother and father, and thatowe so much to the many people I was so very lucky to meet andknow.
Norm: Could you tellour readers a little about the book?
George: Verysimply it’s a book about my life experiences, many of which therewas no time to put in the book.
Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and My West SideStory?
George: Well I guessmore can be “learned” just by reading the book. With WestSide Story there there is endless information just reading about theartists who created it, namely: Jerome Robbins, Stephen Sondheim,Arthur Laurents, and of course Leonard Bernstein. An amazingcollaboration!
Norm: What isnext for George Chakiris?
George: Backto the drawing board making new pieces for my collection of SterlingSilver Jewelry. Love doing that.
And spending timewith friends.
Norm: If you couldinvite three celebrities, dead or alive, to your dinner table, whowould they be and why?George: Leonard Bernstein, because I got to meet him only once, and I wouldlove to have a conversation with a man that had so much passion forhis art, and for helping young people. JeromeRobbins because working with him was so extraordinary but it would beso great to spend more time with that creative mind!
NoelCoward just to be in the presence of his talent and extraordinarywit.Norm: Thanks onceagain and good luck with all of your future endeavors.
Norm Goldman of Bookpleasures.com