John Malkovich

Actor

John Malkovich, with 2 Oscar nominations and dozens of films to his credit, was in Chicago directing a play in January of 2000 at the Steppenwolf Theatre, which he helped found several years ago. The play was a fictionalized story about Sigmund Freud entitled "Hysteria." He was interviewed by Martha Lavey for a WTTW Chicago Public television program entitled "Artbeat Chicago" which aired on January 6. Here, Malkovich explains his thoughts on Sigmund Freud:

"I think he was fantastic, a fantastic man. I mean, flawed, sure, but I don't even know what that means. I think his basic premise is people are strong enough to bear and to comprehend, and if they could remember and name the source of various griefs and sorrows, that they would, by that act, be able to live with them, and I think that's quite a fantastic notion.

I also particularly like him because he was an atheist, and I grew tired of religion some time not long after birth. I believe in people, I believe in humans, I believe in a car, but I don't believe something I can't have absolutely no evidence of for millenniums. And it's funny -- people think analysis or psychiatry is mad, and THEY go to CHURCH..."

--PMi