Alan Cumming on ‘The Traitors,’ Iconic Roles & Embracing Inclusivity  (Exclusive) - video Dailymotion

Parade

From Mr. Floop in 'Spy Kids' to the "dandy" of a host of 'The Traitors,' Alan Cumming's career has spanned decades. Now at 60 years old he's arguably a bigger part of the cultural zeitgeist than ever before. He discusses his love of fashion, passion for inclusivity and all the roles that have brought him to where he is today (including 'Sex and the City' and 'Spice World!')

Transcript

00:00Hello, I'm Alan Cumming, and I am the cover boy of Parade.

00:09Did the Emmy wins change the way that you think about the show

00:13or think about your career at all?

00:15I don't think it changed how I think about the show.

00:17I loved the show from the start.

00:19It's very reassuring when something you really like

00:21and nobody else can understand why you're doing it

00:24and what's going on, and then all of a sudden

00:26it becomes this huge juggernaut of a success.

00:29So it's very affirming about just going with your gut, you know?

00:33I mean, it's nice to win prizes.

00:35I sort of feel it's funny, like,

00:37I've been nominated for an Emmy so many times and never won.

00:40And to win two, it's sort of like, you know,

00:43that old joke about buses not coming

00:44and then loads of them all come at once.

00:46Your fashion is such a big part of the show.

00:49At what point in the process,

00:51when you guys were putting season one together,

00:53did you think, okay, like,

00:54I want this to be a big section of this character?

00:57It was sort of before we started, really.

00:59You know, they said, oh,

01:01do you have a stylist that you work with?

01:03I'd spoken to the producers about him being a dandy.

01:07That's the word I used,

01:08a sort of Scottish dandy laird of the manor.

01:12And so they said, oh, your stylist.

01:15I mean, it's got more sort of expansive and more daring,

01:19I think, as the show has gone on, as series have gone on.

01:22But even in the first series, I had some really,

01:24you know, it was definitely very natty

01:26and lots of all the extra accoutrements

01:28of all the kind of berets and scarves

01:31and things like that.

01:32And now it's just off the charts.

01:34Who would you say has been the most fashionable contestant

01:37who's been on The Traitors so far?

01:39I mean, they all are upping their game.

01:41I would say Bob Harper was all Tom Brown up the wazoo.

01:45He really wears that well.

01:47I thought Bob the drag queen was incredible.

01:49I mean, I just love his looks were stunning.

01:52Actually, I love Phaedra's, you know,

01:55sort of sensibility.

01:56So it's like, she's like a cartoon.

01:58When I tapped her on the shoulder to be a traitor,

02:00I suddenly thought, well, she'd feel my hand.

02:02She's got such big shoulder pads.

02:04I wonder if she even feels that when I tap her.

02:07But yeah, I like her aesthetic.

02:10She's like a sort of comedian to narrative character.

02:14So I read that after Peppermint got banished on season two,

02:18that you sort of made a big push for season three

02:20to have more queer contestants on the show.

02:23Why was that so important to you?

02:25Well, it wasn't because Peppermint was banished.

02:27I just felt like just in general,

02:29I mean, I said there's two things really.

02:31I said it wasn't a good look at all for a trans woman of color

02:34to be the first person put off.

02:35You know, that happened and it wasn't through

02:37any sort of blatant malice.

02:39But nonetheless, it was just a part.

02:42I was hurt by that.

02:43It hurt my sense of, you know, the way the world should be.

02:47I don't think that should be the case.

02:49And it was just unfortunate.

02:50And it just, I felt, gave a really bad optics.

02:53But prior to that, I had said

02:55there are not enough queer people on this show.

02:57Because I mean, I am a producer on the show as well.

02:59So when I say things, they really listen.

03:02And so that's why we've got so many queer people on this season.

03:04And they're very conscious of

03:06not just statistical representation,

03:08but just getting more visibility to queer people.

03:13And especially now with what's happening

03:15with Trump to America now,

03:16I think what we can do is, you know,

03:19people are scared of something

03:21because they don't feel comfortable with it.

03:23They don't know people who are trans

03:24or they haven't seen people.

03:26I think that on television,

03:28seeing them and you love the show

03:30and they're part of the show,

03:31then, you know, hopefully that will make you think

03:32that they're not so scary

03:33and why are you being asked to hate them so much?

03:36Since this is such a mainstream show

03:38and there's so many people watching it,

03:39there are a lot of conservative people who watch it.

03:41Like, what would you say to them?

03:44I understand how you have got to the place you are

03:48because I think a lot of people are angry

03:50and a lot of people didn't know where to put their anger.

03:52And along came this person who offered you

03:55places and people to place your anger.

03:57I would ask that if you love people,

04:00if you love the traitors and you love the contestants

04:02and you love the theatricality

04:04and, frankly, the queerness of the show,

04:07then maybe you should connect that to how you voted

04:10and how your government is persecuting

04:14some of the people that you love on this program.

04:17How hard is it knowing who the traitors are?

04:20Are you ever worried that you're going to slip up?

04:22Yes, all the time, all the time.

04:24I'm terrible.

04:25I'm the worst person at keeping a secret.

04:27In first season, I came back from Scotland

04:30and I was doing this, I think, for Showtime.

04:32It was like a club coming to my bar, you know,

04:34comedy special, and there was a comedian.

04:37We were all having drinks before the thing.

04:38He said, oh, I hear you've just done this show,

04:41this reality show.

04:42And I went, yes, it's such fun.

04:44And he went, oh, I absolutely love Siri.

04:46And I went, oh, she wins.

04:48And he was like, what?

04:50And I just told him.

04:51He still talks about it, apparently,

04:53that I just ruined it for him.

04:54And so now that's when I always think back to that,

04:57just the look on his face when I said that.

04:59So I recently interviewed Antonio Banderas

05:02and he said, oh, 30-year-olds are always coming up to me

05:06and asking me about spy kids.

05:08Do you have the same experience?

05:11Incredible.

05:12Not just 30, well, I mean, I guess 30 and downwards

05:15because I remember the moment, you know,

05:18sort of the early noughties, young adults

05:21suddenly changed towards me.

05:23Instead of being like, oh, hey, you know, famous guy,

05:25they were like, hey, Mr. Phoenix,

05:28you were part of my childhood.

05:30And so they have this really childlike,

05:32beautiful reaction and that.

05:34It is really magical.

05:36I feel I've been a part of their childhood,

05:38sort of like in a fairy tale almost.

05:40And so that's what Antonio was talking about.

05:43And it continues because kids still watch it.

05:46It's one of these films that hasn't aged.

05:48I love it, actually.

05:49I really, really love that that's what the majority

05:53of younger people know me from

05:55or come up to me and talk about.

05:57Because it's a magical childhood thing.

06:00And I love that.

06:01Ploop also sort of has a Traders-esque outfit,

06:05I feel like.

06:06His wardrobe is great.

06:07Yes.

06:08Yes, he had great clothes.

06:09He had sort of a bustle as well,

06:10a big sort of bustle bit at the back.

06:12And he was a bit of a dandy.

06:13And also I love Blinky,

06:14because he's sort of,

06:16you think he's a baddie,

06:17but he's not really.

06:18He was just sort of misunderstood

06:20and waylaid by the baddies.

06:21So that's always nice as well.

06:23How about Art?

06:24He's just sort of a sad person.

06:26His creativity was abused.

06:28So you were also in an episode of Sex in the City.

06:31They're shooting and just like that,

06:33and they're having cameos of people from old seasons.

06:35Would you come back?

06:36I love that character.

06:39I mean, I run into Sarah Jessica from time to time,

06:42and it's always nice to see her.

06:43And also Cynthia, I know.

06:45I see her quite a lot.

06:46So yes, I would love to.

06:48You were also in Spice World.

06:50I wondered if any of the Spice Girls

06:52would ever come on Traders.

06:53I bet they would.

06:54Like in the British version,

06:55they're talking about doing a celebrity version

06:58because they have real people.

07:00And I bet some of the girls would go on it

07:03because they're such good fun.

07:04They do all these shows and they're always around

07:06and they're like these kind of

07:07amazing sort of cool aunties

07:10that we've grown up with.

07:12So yeah, I think that would be great.

07:14I think that would be hilarious, actually.

07:15You've done so many things in your career.

07:18Are there things that you're still looking forward to?

07:21Are there things that are still on your bucket list?

07:23I don't have a bucket list.

07:24I sort of think bucket lists are not very healthy

07:28because I think it means you can just

07:30put things on the back burner and never do them.

07:32You think, oh, I'll do that one time before I die.

07:33I just think, go and do them.

07:35What are you waiting for?

07:36You might die tomorrow.

07:38So I do want to have a bucket list.

07:39But I do, like, you know,

07:40I'm now running a theatre in Scotland.

07:43I'm artistic director of the Parochial Festival Theatre.

07:45I just started doing that.

07:46So I love that.

07:47I love kind of, you know,

07:49being able to kind of give something back

07:52and create my own sort of season of plays

07:55and bring people in and, you know, do readings.

07:58It's really, that is very fulfilling to me.

08:01It's kind of like all the different strands

08:03of things that I've done.

08:04I'd like to do a talk show, actually.

08:06Watch out, Kelly Clarkson.

08:07I'd like to do sort of a show where I talk to all,

08:10you know, politicians and sports and all sorts of people

08:13and real people.

08:14If you could sort of dreamcast a season,

08:16like, who are people that you would love to see on,

08:18like, you know, reality stars or just regular celebrities?

08:22Martha Stewart is a big favourite of mine.

08:24I would love to see her wet.

08:26I think she'd be amazing.

08:27She's very resourceful.

08:28She's very wily.

08:29She's sort of, you know, got all the qualities.

08:32I think she'd be a hoot.

08:33I'm sure she's going to be, you know,

08:34have some more time now.

08:35I'm sure she's not going to be working

08:36with Snoop Dogg quite as much.

08:38What the hell, Snoop Dogg?

08:40I would have liked Snoop Dogg,

08:41but I don't want him now.

08:43I mean, the thing about the people from

08:44the Housewives and those reality shows

08:46and competitions is that they have a personality.

08:49They have their stick that they bring.

08:51You know what I mean?

08:52They're characters, too,

08:53in the way that I've made myself a character.

08:55They are characters, too.

08:56And then there's some celebrities,

08:58like Martha and Snoop Dogg,

08:59who do their character as well.

09:01So I think it's actually really good

09:02when you have people like that come on

09:04because they are already playing a game

09:06and they understand sort of what to bring

09:09and stuff like that.

09:10So I think that would be those two,

09:13or that one.

09:14How does it feel to have just had your birthday,

09:17to have turned 60, and to sort of,

09:18I guess, be in this, like,

09:19renaissance of your career?

09:21It feels pretty good.

09:22In terms of myself and my body,

09:25you know, everything's still working.

09:26I sort of joke that I keep thinking,

09:28you know, I keep waiting for something

09:30to fall off, like an old car,

09:32or stop feeling horny, or to stop,

09:35you know what I mean, being curious.

09:37I think that's a thing.

09:38I just, I think I'm curious about life,

09:40and so it doesn't feel that it's changed much.

09:43But no, I really like it.

09:45I like being this age.

09:47It's very exciting to be sort of maybe,

09:51in the same way that I subvert the form

09:54of a competition reality show host,

09:56I'm the traitor,

09:57I hope I'm also subverting the expectations

10:00of what you're supposed to be like

10:01when you turn 60.

Alan Cumming on ‘The Traitors,’ Iconic Roles & Embracing Inclusivity (Exclusive)

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