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Udo Kier’s long career brought him global attention, but the actor once said he never planned to be in films. After news broke of his death at 81, fans revisited a 2022 interview where Kier spoke about his early life, his unusual start in acting, and the intense work he did to prepare for roles like Dracula. His words now hold a different weight, especially as he reflected on chance, time, and the choices he made across more than five decades.
Kier said he grew up in Germany with very little and never imagined acting would be his future. In the interview, he explained that he moved to London to learn English and happened to meet director Michael Sarne. That brief meeting changed his life.
Kier said, “I don’t know how to act,” but Sarne encouraged him and cast him anyway.
That moment put him on the path that shaped his entire career.
Many years later, Kier looked back at his career with a mix of humor and honesty. He talked about his approach to characters and how some roles demanded extreme preparation. His comments about the making of Blood for Dracula especially gained new attention after his death.
Udo Kier’s unexpected start in acting
Udo Kier said he never trained as an actor.
In his words, “I never wanted to be an actor. It came just by luck.”
He believed talent could not be learned and felt his career happened because of timing and opportunity rather than planning. He often told the story of how he became known as a new face in cinema after his first short film. That attention encouraged him to continue acting even though he had no formal training.
He also shared that the only “demon” that followed him through life was time.
Udo Kier said, “Time is the biggest demon in the world,” and explained that if he could, he would redo many things.
His honest comments showed how he viewed his long career not as a perfect achievement but as a journey that kept changing.
Udo Kier moved across countries, worked in different film industries, and appeared in more than 275 films. He said he drifted into roles and met directors simply by chance.
He explained that he never asked anyone for work, saying, “I have never said to a director: ‘I would like to work with you.’”
His memory of preparing for Dracula
One of the most talked-about parts of the interview was Kier’s description of preparing to play Dracula. He said he was cast suddenly and had only one week to lose 10 pounds for the role.
Udo Kier shared, “I ate only salad leaves and water for a week,” because he wanted to look weak and pale when cameras started rolling.
The extreme routine left him so tired that he had to use a wheelchair on set.
He also talked about how strong the environment was while filming. He said he met many major artists while working on the back-to-back productions of Flesh for Frankenstein and Blood for Dracula. Kier explained that he ended up in both films because of a chance meeting on a plane with director Paul Morrissey.
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His story of Dracula preparation showed how committed he was to roles, even though he never planned to be an actor. His comments now remind fans of how much physical and emotional work he gave to every character.
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