Question regarding a recent comment attributed to Mr Lee

**Andrés Verdú** · 9th February 2006, 06:28 PM

Hello everyone,

I wanted to ask a few questions about an article I have come across at http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlf...men_06_02_2006 which states the following:

"CHRISTOPHER LEE: 'I SCARE WOMEN'

"Veteran British actor CHRISTOPHER LEE insists his signature role as COUNT DRACULA has put women off him for most of his life.
The 83-year-old actor, who first appeared as the infamous vampire in 1958 and went on to star in a string of horror movies such as HORROR EXPRESS and THE WICKER MAN, claims women could never separate him from his sinister onscreen personas.
"He says, 'Women have always been quite scared of me.
"'Although they realised I was acting, something in me made them uneasy.
"'They've never made passes at me in the past - and they're not likely to now at my age - because I've never got the girl in the picture.'"

There is also another article on http://news.webindia123.com/news/sho...=Entertainment, which says pretty much the same thing.

My questions are: does anyone know if Mr Lee actually said this? If Mr Lee did say this, does anyone know the exact source (interview, etc.) where these words are taken from?

I find it very unusual, and rather difficult to believe that Mr Lee would explicitly say that his portrayal of "Count Dracula" in particular would scare women away. I notice that the article makes no claim as to where or when Mr Lee is supposed to have said all this. Assuming Mr Lee said this, have the words been taken out of context?

In any case, let us assume for the moment that this is true, and Mr Lee DID say this. Now, I'm not a woman (obviously!) but from what I have read here and on other websites, I know that there are many women who find Mr Lee extremely attractive, and even now at 83 years old, although that is not really for me to comment. I was wondering what the opinion is amongst the women members who contribute to CLW. Do you agree with the article? Do you feel that Mr Lee scares you? Could that not be part of an attraction as well? What are your thoughts? I think this could be an interesting subject for discussion:

Warmest regards to all,

Andrés

**Jessica Diggs** · 9th February 2006, 09:17 PM

[size=2][color=darkorchid] I

**Helen Dyer** · 10th February 2006, 07:14 AM

Andres, I saw that article a bit ago and ignored it. Whether it is true or not, at the time I thought it was one of the most inane things I had ever come across, but I also wouldn't be shocked if there were women that were 'afraid' of Mr. Lee.

I don't know about the rest of the world, but I have had experiences with people here in the United States that can't seem to separate 'fantasy' from 'reality'. You may or may not realize it but there are a lot of people that get so involved in some of the soap operas here, that if a character dies, they not only shed tears, but will write letters of hatred for the other character who caused the death. So is it possible?

Yes. But I would also be interested in knowing if it is actually true.

I may be wrong, but I thought I read in one of Mr. Lee's books that there was some difficulty with usherettes in movie theatres claiming that by watching his earlier Dracula movie, they had suffered some difficulty or other.......

For some, their seems to be an attraction in fear or fearful things, but I really don't think this was the point of the article. The point of the article? Was there one? At the time I read it, it seemed to me to be more of a 'statement' that was intended to arouse some kind of response, either from women in general, or even Mr. Lee or his representatives.

Inane. Absolutely.

I too have seen evidence on the internet and from others I have talked to that Mr. Lee is attractive. Mr. Lee has always been good looking, but I honestly think that he has grown more handsome as he has matured. Part of that enigma I think is that as Mr. Lee has matured so has the characters he has played. Such that he is never 'out of place', being portrayed as something he is not. I also think that Mr. Lee doesn't seem 83 because of his activities. From Movies, games, to Metal Bands? He stays young at heart...............

Cheers,

Helen

Marije Kraa · 10th February 2006, 03:46 PM

Mr. Lee? Scaring women away ?

Sorry, I don't think that is true, I mean, Mr. Lee is very handsome!!
(Yes Mrs. Lee I envy you

)
I don't know what to say on the interview but I don't think it's real...
I mean, how many fans does he have?
I'd not be scared away if I'd see him!

I'd be like:

*someone nudges me or I see him*
*jawdrop*
*stare*
*drool*
*pushes jaw back in place*
*walks over to have a chat if he's not to busy*

**Andrés Verdú** · 10th February 2006, 03:49 PM

Hello everyone,

I wonder if women would find this view of Mr Lee scary? (gun aside) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Original-Chris...ayphotohosting

Hope you enjoy this pic, I came across it by chance on ebay. I think it's a fabulous shot of a younger Mr Lee:

Warmest regards

Andrés

And I agree with you Helen, the article is pretty inane (like most of the ones on Mr Lee from contactmusic.com.) I just thought, though, that it raised interesting questions if it's true (and even if it isn't the case that Mr Lee said it, it's still interesting to know people's opinions.) Obviously I can't speak with any authority on this (not being female,) but I think many women find something alluring in a "scary" or "dangerous" man. Maybe it's the whole "bad boy/guy" image. I certainly remember Mr Lee saying somewhere that villains are far more interesting to play. Anyway, thank you all for your comments so far!

Marije Kraa · 10th February 2006, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrés Verdú

I certainly remember Mr Lee saying somewhere that villains are far more interesting to play. Anyway, thank you all for your comments so far!

I agree on that despite not being an actor or someone experienced with it but I agree :)

I must have a thing for men with a bad-boy reputation and beautiful brown eyes like Mr. Lee's

(Laugh that I'm attracted to Mr. Lee and I'll send my mutant killer squirrels after you (note just kidding)

**Helen Dyer** · 10th February 2006, 04:15 PM

Andres, That is a great pic......do we know what film or circumstance it is from?

I also agree villians are more often than not, more interesting, especially if the character is fleshed out (so to speak) and isn't just being used as a 'prop' for the 'hero'....There are films where I actually thought the villian was better than the hero, and found myself rooting for the villian........Is that terrible?!

And Andre, yes this is an interesting thread, and it is interesting to see the opinions..I didn't mean to come across harsh.

We need some good interactive threads again, there has been too long a hiatus on that......This is a good start........

Cheers,;)
Helen

Marije Kraa · 10th February 2006, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helen Dyer

Andres, That is a great pic......do we know what film or circumstance it is from?

I also agree villians are more often than not, more interesting, especially if the character is fleshed out (so to speak) and isn't just being used as a 'prop' for the 'hero'....There are films where I actually thought the villian was better than the hero, and found myself rooting for the villian........Is that terrible?!

Not terrible at all!

I still cheer for Severus Snape even after Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (and I just love how Mr. Rickman portrays Snape)

*blows a kiss*
Marije

**Andrés Verdú** · 10th February 2006, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helen Dyer

Andres, That is a great pic......do we know what film or circumstance it is from?

I also agree villians are more often than not, more interesting, especially if the character is fleshed out (so to speak) and isn't just being used as a 'prop' for the 'hero'....There are films where I actually thought the villian was better than the hero, and found myself rooting for the villian........Is that terrible?!

And Andre, yes this is an interesting thread, and it is interesting to see the opinions..I didn't mean to come across harsh.

We need some good interactive threads again, there has been too long a hiatus on that......This is a good start........

Cheers,;)
Helen

Hello everyone,

I have no idea really whether or not the photograph is linked to a specific movie or role, although I'm guessing that the time period is around the 1950s from the way Mr Lee looks. For some reason I suspect that it may have been taken around the time of either Port Afrique or Beyond Mombasa, although I don't really know. The listing just says "publicity photo," so I suppose it could be just that, without being attached to a particular film.

No fear, Helen! I know you weren't being harsh, and I agree that the article is not very good. I think it would be an idea to send a link of this thread to the person who wrote it, so they can see that women aren't running off or scared away by Mr Lee (I certainly know my mother didn't run off! Quite the opposite, she literally ran towards him!) I think the sexual animal magnetism was something that was very obvious and central to the character of Count Dracula, as Mr Lee portrayed him. Now if they'd said Frankenstein's creature, I could've understood that, because the creature is horrifying in its appearance! But I think they missed the mark by a long chalk in this case. Anyway, hopefully we will have more threads with more engaging subjects to come:

Warmest regards,

Andrés

**Jessica Diggs** · 10th February 2006, 11:24 PM

Just had to say that is a beautiful photo. Thanks for sharing it with us, Andrés!

I do agree, it is an odd thing to make an article about. I have seen it two or three other places at least.

**Charles Prepolec** · 22nd February 2006, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrés Verdú

For some reason I suspect that it may have been taken around the time of either Port Afrique or Beyond Mombasa, although I don't really know. The listing just says "publicity photo," so I suppose it could be just that, without being attached to a particular film.

Nice still, sorry I missed the auction actually, but no question about it, the image is a publicity still for Beyond Mombasa.

Now, of all the many publicity shots of Mr. Lee that I've seen, my personal favorite is still the one below.

**Maria Silbermann** · 23rd February 2006, 11:23 PM

I don't think "frightened" is quite the right word -- I think many men and women find him personally a bit intimidating. (Women may even feel a bit sheepish about how much the fictional Lee turns them on!) HOWEVER, reasonable ladies know the difference between reality and fantasy, and may very well be struck dumb and shy when meeting the man behind the art. I'm reminded of some tough professors who became beloved friends over time. No, I don't find him frightening!

**Andrés Verdú** · 24th February 2006, 02:10 AM

Hello everyone,

That's a great picture, Charles! Mr Lee looks so happy in that photo. Thanks for sharing it with us:

Warmest regards,

Andrés

**Pam Stockbarger** · 24th February 2006, 10:13 PM

HA! This is the kind of tongue-in-cheek comment I'd expect from Christopher. My Mom met him on one of our visits to his flat, and said she was reminded of one of her big brothers, and patted him on the chest as she walked into the door. I about choked, his grin was so sweet.

I was in awe of him, but he wasn't "scary", he was hysterically funny most of the time, a real charmer, and women just found his Hammer characters brooding and sexy. He commands respect, and yes, I was very overwhelmed in 1977 when I first met with him, but he could have you in stitches in minutes, and made you feel right at home. When he was at conventions he would keep the women enthralled, and sitting there with him while he had autographs done, the women were trying so hard for his attention. Scary, right. I'm scarier than he is (really, I am, ha!).

If he did get quoted properly, I am positive he was kidding. And probably grinning the whole time he said it. He's a sweetheart.

**Maria Silbermann** · 25th February 2006, 04:12 PM

Well put Pam, Thanks!