Udo Kier

I remember when I worked with Fassbinder in Germany, actors wrote letters to him. But you see, a director wants to discover you himself. He doesn't want the actor to say, 'oh, I'd love to work with you' - the actor says that to other people, too.

There are a few directors - quite a few - who I would like to work with, but I have never written a letter to a director in my life.

I don't mind playing Nazis, but I'll only play them in comedies. I wouldn't play a serious Nazi.

When I'm depressed and the weather is bad I look up my page on IMDb and I have my coffee and feel better. There are even films on there I don't know about!

I tried all my life to be a normal person.

The villain is the character that the people remember.

I like to work with directors who write their own stories.

I collect chairs and lights, which obviously means I want to sit in the light - not surprising for an actor I suppose.

I have a lot of palm trees, because they say to me holidays and ocean. I grew up very poor and I had an aunt who would go on holiday and send me postcards of palm trees and I would pin them to the wall, so I've gone from that fantasy to reality.

I'm very laid-back, and I meet people just by accident - never through agencies or anything like that. I met Paul Morrissey, who directed me in 'Dracula' and 'Frankenstein,' on a plane from Rome to Munich. He asked for my telephone number and wrote it in his passport.

When you get older time moves faster - much faster.

You know, I don't want to waste my time by being in a movie where nobody remembers my part. That's not interesting at all!

I'm very lucky to say that I worked with a lot of directors who cannot make a bad film. Like when Wim Wenders, they cannot make a bad film. They can make a film people don't like, or it's the wrong moment.

My great joy these days is giving palm trees water. Simple as that.

As an actor it gets boring to play always the villain.

With these kinds of figures you can do whatever you want as an actor because there are no guidelines, there are no real vampires. Except in Los Angeles, where everybody's a vampire, you know?

My agent is a vampire, my lawyer is a vampire, they're all vampires, but they don't suck your blood, they take your money! Vampires are everywhere. It just depends what they're running after.

It is fun to play evil parts... especially vampires.

I like Prague, it's strange. All the houses you see look like Disney sets, with their bright colours.

Audition is the worst thing. It's like cleaning furniture in a department store.