Boredom Part of Actor's Life — James Coburn.
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"Fame is the end of the line but it (being an actor) can be an interesting for some. I would say the most important thing to learn is a technique. It's like music. You can't learn to play an instrument without knowing the scales."
So said movie star James Coburn, who visited COC recently for location shots in an up-coming motion picture, "Goldengirl."
Coburn's movie credits include "The Last of Sheila" and "The Magnificent Seven." "Goldengirl" also stars Susan Anton, Leslie Caron, Robert Culp and Curt Jurgens. Coburn portrays an agent for Anton who is cast as an Olympic runner.
Coburn, cool as his Schlitz TV commercial, turned the tables immediately by asking me a question.
"What do you think of all this?" he asked, waving his cigar expansively in his plush motor home.
This reporter said it was all quite boring and asked if he felt the same.
"Yes, but it's all a part of being an actor."
When asked which of his films he liked most, the courteous but reserved actor replied, "sometimes the movies I've hated most have been winners and the movies I've loved most have been real duds. The finished product, I believe, has nothing to do with the actor. It's the creative part that does."
"Is it hard to distinguish the real James Coburn from the characters you play?"
He puffed on his cigar thoughtfully before answering.
"Sometimes a certain character runs on months after the film is finished, but ultimately the real James Coburn returns."
"How do you define the real James Coburn?"
"I am what I am. I live with James Coburn all the time and if you define something you have to live up to that. So, I don't define myself. I know who I am, and I have no idea who other people think I am."
On the question of being so readily recognizable wherever he goes, the white-topped actor said candidly:
"It's a drag, but it comes with the territory."
Surprisingly, Coburn plays the flute for personal pleasure and relaxation. He also writes music now and then, and enjoys swimming and tennis.
He also knows how to rattle the knees of a scared cub reporter by turning on that very sexy smile.
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