Alan Cumming: Hollywood saved my life

Alan Cumming thinks Hollywood has saved his life.

The 56-year-old actor was feeling suicidal before he landed the role of Boris Grishenko, a geeky computer programmer, in the James Bond film ‘GoldenEye’, and he looks back on his casting as a life-defining moment.

Reflecting on the day he auditioned for the role, he explained: “It was one of the worst days of my life actually. I felt really, really, really low. I just now think, ‘Oh you poor little thing, you could’ve said I am feeling suicidal today.'”

Alan now admits his life was transformed by his starring role in the 1995 film.

The actor told ‘CBS Mornings’: “Hollywood saved me.

“I have this sort of mantra, which is ‘Cancel, continue.’ When something bad happens I think, okay that happened, we can’t change that, let’s move on.”

Alan previously admitted that he thought his career options were limited as a young performer on the Scottish theatre scene in the 1980s.

He recalled: “I was told that things were not available to me because of my Scottishness.

“America was never a thing. London was maybe a possibility. The idea that I would be doing what I’m doing now or have the opportunities that I have now, there was no one I knew who’d had that trajectory … those things didn’t happen to Scottish people.”

Alan also doubts that his sexuality harms his career prospects.

He explained: “The constant question I used to get was: ‘Do you think that coming out is bad for your career in Hollywood?’ It’s such a ridiculous question.

“I don’t think people in Basingstoke or Idaho are not going to go and see a movie because someone in it is gay. I really don’t think they care.”