These questions came from various members of the former Duncan Regehr Fan Club.
Susan posed them to Duncan on their behalf and he was gracious enough to provide answers.
I believe the questions were answered sometime in the second half of the year 2000.
1.) What is your favorite personal performance?
I have a few favorites: Errol Flynn in My Wicked, Wicked Ways is high on the list, Pat Garret in Billy the Kid, along with stage roles – Prince Sirki and Death in Death Takes a Holiday, also Lincoln in John Brown’s Body. I loved playing Tom in Alan Aykbourne’s trilogy, The Norman Conquests.
2.) What is your greatest source of inspiration?
Me. Inspiration – spirit in action.
3.) Are you going to appear at a convention, play or art exhibition on the east coast?
Two out of three are certainly possible, but I don’t know when.
4.) In what other ways or methods do you apply your understanding and perception of magic – or creating and reflecting the un-manifested vision within the manifested – in your life, other than through your art?
Magic. The answer is in the question. Ask it of yourself and all will be revealed.
5.) What does Regehr mean?
Regehr is an old Flemish name. It means to govern.
6.) How did you get your book published?
I didn’t. I was hired to write it. Peter Ackroyd, who was CEO of Charles Tuttle Publishing back in 1992, is a collector of my art. He approached me at a one-man show in LA and said that Tuttle wanted to do a book with me to launch a new series called “Journey Editions.” I conveyed that we’d need to find someone very clever to write it. He said, “Oh no, we want you to write it. We’d like the book to be about your art, poetry and acting, wrapped up in an autobiographical format.”
7.) How is Linda Purl doing?
Terrific.
8.) If you could only choose one, which would you choose: acting, painting, writing, or something else?
I get asked this question a lot. I’m very grateful to be able to express through these mediums and a few others now and then. If I were to choose only one, I would’ve done it already. Adding something else is more likely to happen.
9.) What were your personal bests at weightlifting?
I don’t lift weights for competition, but I train with them in my exercise
program. Lifting a lot of weights can make one muscle-bound, in other words,
bound by one’s own muscles. For me, I prefer to train for agility, speed,
strength, stamina and litheness. A balance of body weight juxtaposed with the
right amount of strength to handle that weight.
10.) Will you write a second book like “The Dragon’s Eye” in the near future?
I’m working on a new book right now, but it isn’t like “The Dragon’s Eye.”
11.) Most actors write down their own biography. Will we ever read a biography by Duncan Regehr?
It’s very unlikely that I would ever write an autobiography. I suggested in “The Dragon’s Eye” that the book could be described as an automonograph. Auto, in that it was written by the self, of the self. Monograph, since it focused on a single category – the creation of art – as it related to specific episodes of my life. I have no desire to repeat the format of “The Dragon’s Eye” or to set down my full life-story in print. But who knows…?
12.) If you are painting have you the picture completely in your mind, or are you painting after you have had an idea and then you are following your fantasy and feelings?
I often just start painting or drawing to see what happens. Accepting whatever burgeons from the subconscious. In other words, I have no idea of what I am looking for until I find it. Images simply arrive and are gradually rendered into full works, (i.e., Poetic Imagery paintings, Lifeline drawings). If I’m working on a series of paintings or drawings that bear a common theme, (i.e. “Smoking Gun” series) or if I’m investigating a specific subject, (i.e. “Henge” or “Corvus Rex” paintings), then I would have to say that I hold the essence of the series with me at all times. I immerse myself in the journey of discovery, so that when I start each piece, I very often have either a notion, a feeling, or at least the inkling of an idea that fits with the over-all concept. But not always…sometimes it’s a matter of digging a random hole to see what turns up.
13.) Are you looking shows/series/movies at the television? If so, which ones do you like?
When I have time I watch a film on television (usually taped). I do like
National Public Radio. I like certain documentaries and a few of the shows on
Discovery. I occasionally enjoy Masterpiece Theatre and some PBS
programs. Nightline, Greenfield at Large can be good.
14.) What artist influenced your artwork? (German impressionists maybe?)
I paint like me. I’ve painted like me since I was a child surrounded by the work of my father. Our work is very different. I painted like me long before I knew of other painters.
“In every artist’s development the germ of later work is always found in the earlier. The nucleus around which the artist’s intellect builds his work is himself…and this changes little from birth to death. The only real influence I’ve ever had was myself.”
Edward Hopper
15.) Would you play Dirk Blackpool of Wizards and Warriors again?
Yes. I enjoyed the role immensely. It would be great fun to play a more seasoned Dirk.
16.) Do you find it difficult to work with shorter actors?
No. Only small actors.
17.) Is there a particular role that you want to fill?
Yes, the one I’m in. It’s only half full. Actually, I wouldn’t mind taking a crack at “MacBeth” one of these days.
18.) What was your favorite “Zorro” episode?
I really don’t have one. They all sort of blend together as one big episode.
19.) Would you have liked the series to last longer than it did?
No. I think the series ended when it was supposed to. Better to end on a high than to wait until things get old and stale. It was fun while it lasted.
20.) What did you like best about portraying the character?
The characters of Zorro/Don Diego were not very challenging to portray, only because they lacked dimension. The Family Channel wanted them that way – they weren’t real characters; they were imaginary heroes without complexity, hence they were easy to play. The action sequences with swords, horses, flights etc were great fun and challenging to choreograph. The sheer volume of work required on a daily basis and the whole business of being in almost every scene, almost every day of the week, was an enjoyable marathon experience. There were other aspects of the series that were exciting. Just living and working in Europe, meeting new people, tasting the different cultures etc.
21.) How do you become an actor?
I don’t know. I do know that tenacity, patience, a thick skin and a strong will are important. Who you know is more important. Talent is secondary when it comes to getting a job. If you feel very passionate about acting, enough to pursue it as a career at all cost, then you know you’re an actor.
22.) Do you prefer evil characters (Dirk, Charles) or good characters
(Jake Brown, Zorro)?
The most interesting characters are the ones that have elements of both and a lot more abstractions in between.
23.) If you could live in some other historical period, which period would you choose, and why?
Now. Right now if fine for me.
24.) You are so multitalented. What would you still like to accomplish in your career or personal life?
Thank you. To continue on the paths I’ve chosen .To do exactly what I’m doing. To create, explore, to share my work and my art with as many people as I can. As for my personal life, it has always been private. I intend to keep it that way.
25.) Who is your favorite artist and poet?
I don’t have favorites, but I admire many. I like painters and poets who challenge, who break rules, who delve into the unknown. I like artists who skillfully offer something I have not experienced.
26.) What is your favorite piece of classical music and why?
There are so many favorites. Vaughan Williams – “The Ascending of the Lark,” for purely personal, romantic reasons – also Tobias Picker’s “Old and Lost Rivers,” Arvo Part’s “Tabula Rasa” Henryk Gorecki’s “Symphony No. 3,” with Dawn Upshaw, soprano. There are many more and the list keeps getting bigger.
27.) Who is your favorite composer?
I like so many. Philip Glass, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, and many more.
28.) What has been your favorite role?
See answer number one.
29.) How do you stay in such good shape?
Thanks for the compliment. Staying in
shape starts with diet. I’m a vegetarian. Lots of fresh vegetables, fruit,
beans, some nuts, tofu, legumes and only occasionally cheese or eggs. Brown
rice, rice bread, rice noodles and some grains are O.K. but no wheat. I also
take vitamin supplements. Who knows? Maybe some of them work. By the way, I
became a vegetarian long ago and I don’t try to recruit others to join my way of
life. I’m just telling you what works for me and I have no objections whatsoever
towards those who eat meat. No sugar and no alcohol, except on very special
occasions. I don’t take drugs and I don’t smoke unless a part calls for it in
specific scenes.
Exercise: Cardio-vascular training – bicycling, weight training, stretching,
yoga, inclined sit-ups and leg raises. Four days on, one day off, with
intensity. Hiking. Meditation. Sex.
30.) When filming “Zorro,” where were the castles located that were used in “The Devil’s Fortress” and “One For All” episodes?
Our location for the “One For All” episodes was Segovia, capital of
Segovia Province, Old Castile, northwest of Madrid. The Alcazar is the 12th
century palace we filmed in. For some of the other episodes we filmed in a
castle near El Escorial, a village in the Guadarrama Mountains, about 25 miles
northwest of Madrid. Also near Madrid is Colemenar Viejo, which is where we
built the pueblo of Los Angeles.
31.) Are you planning to visit the east coast any time soon?
I travel a lot, so it’s likely that I will turn up on the east coast at some point.
32.) Will we see more stage work in the LA area?
With any luck, you never know what might turn up.
33.) What about more gallery exhibits?
Yes. I’m currently seeking a large gallery/museum that will accommodate the series of paintings called “Corvus Rex.”
34.) Would you like to do some Shakespeare?
Yes. I would do more Shakespeare if the timing and venue were right.
35.) Would you play Zorro again?
Absolutely. Obviously I would have to play him somewhat older, and I would like to play a very different sort of character than the Family Channel style of Zorro
36.) Would you write some more books?
As I mentioned earlier, I am writing a book right now.
37.) Do you still have your horses?
No. I just don’t have the time to keep horses. They require and deserve a lot of attention. I still like them very much, but my priorities are different now.
38.) I’ve always felt, with your extraordinary talents, you should be as famous as Clark Gable, Errol Flynn or Tyrone Power. Was it because you never desired that kind of limelight? Or was it because you had agents who never realized the great star he/she represented?
Thanks you. Clark Gable, Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power were wonderful movie idols
of a bygone era. They were part of a star system that was developed by the old
studios. That system no longer exists.
I don’t aspire to the celebrity of conventional movie stardom, nor do I desire the stylized fame that was created as a façade for movie stars of olde. I am me, and like it or not, that’s what you get. In fact, as an actor, artist and writer, I want the greatest renown for my work. Being famous for being famous has never been on my agenda. So far, no problem, I’m not famous as yet. Perhaps well-known in certain circles. The pigeon-holes of celebrity status are pretty tight and one can easily become a chattel of the public, losing freedom to express oneself outside of what is expected. Then there is the loss of privacy aspect. What I do only works if my personal life remains private. Also the mediums I work in take up all of my time. I have almost no time for interviews, “making the scene,” correspondence (personal or business) or being seen in the “right” places, etc. - all the things that celebrity people have to do in order to stay in the limelight. When I can, I will do some of those things, because promotion is vital-but I’m probably a publicist’s worse nightmare. I have excellent agents and managers in all my fields of endeavor who support me and the mandate I have asked them to follow… The truth is, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
39.) How did you feel when you played Charles in “V?”
I played Charles in “V” as a favor to the then president of Warner Brothers Television. The character was terribly camp and fun, but after the second episode, I was ready to move on to work on other projects. I enjoyed the cast very much.
40.) How did you take the news when you found out Charles was going to die?
I was the one who requested the death of Charles. I had agreed to do four episodes and I was asked to do more, but I really had other things that I wanted to do.
41.) If “V” came back, would you join the cast?
Yes, if the character was something I wanted to play and if the scripts
were good. I would even play Charles again but with modifications and
improvements.
42.) When is the next art exhibition on the west coast?
There are galleries requesting exhibitions. The series of work I am currently developing, and have been working on for the past two years, is labor intensive. I’m looking for the right space to introduce it.
43.) Any stage performances planned for the west coast?
You never know what may turn up.