Why, in a world like that, someone could become president after having a hit TV show.

Well, that was before the actor Ronald Reagan became president and reality TV became the norm.

The new one puts a boardroom spin on the tract.

The Chairman of the United Corporations is played by iconic actor Malcolm McDowell.

McDowell is the reason a lot of people got into films and TV in the first place.

Den of Geek: Hi, how are you?

I heard you had a virus.

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Im just feeling okay today.

Its not a recurring symptom of the Ludovico treatment, right?

Not quite like the Ludovico treatment, no, just a boring old flu.

Have you ever run your car up the side of a building?

Any soft spots under that armor?

None at all, like a rock.

Do you consider yourself a role model?

Well, I dont consider myself one, but by default Ive become one.

Do you have any thoughts on your legacy?

No, all I try and do is give 100 percent and enjoy myself.

When I spoke with Roger Corman he said he gave you a specific grooming tip.

Did you watch any Trump footage to get prepared for the job?

No, I dont work that way.

They wanted me to wear this extraordinary hair piece that I thought was unbelievable.

I thought well, whats this?

I thought we were doing a futuristic deal or something.

Well, its possible.

Isnt there a certain ruthless streak in all these guys who run these companies?

There has to be.

I asked Bill Gates, didnt he tromp on a few people to get where he got?

Im sure he did.

So, yes, most people who are really successful have to fight their way for it.

I think thats probably true.

You are a science fiction icon, what do you think people take out of these dystopian movie warnings?

Listen, Ive been very lucky.

you could say thats science fiction, though thats science fact now.

Ive always enjoyed the stuff that Ive done.

Even things likeStar Trek Generationsand stuff like that, which was fun to do.

Death Racewas fun because its predecessor was a kind of camp movie.

Its a piece that people love.

I figured why not do it?

Itd be fun and of course, Roger Corman, how could you say no to Roger Corman?

Youd have to be pretty crazy to say no to him.

We sat down, had fun talking about the old days and all that.

Then I got to work with him.

Anyway, it was just a pleasure to do it for him.

I always saw Alex inA Clockwork Orangeas a kind ofMother Couragefigure.

Brecht wanted people to hate her, but the part was so magnetic, who could?

Kubrick and Burgess wanted people to revile ultraviolence, but Alex was so damned likeable.

What was it about the character, because its the same with the book?

I think you hit it.

Here you have an immoral man whos irresistible.

In that film, he is the only character that loves life.

Even though his life has taken a bad turn, its kind of explained away in the social circumstance.

I mean, look at his parents for gods sake.

You cant kill this wonderful light in this character.

Its sort of a wonderful kind of Frankenstein character in that way.

I think a lot of it has to do with your portrayal.

Popular as he might have been, I dont think people would have loved Mick Jagger as much?

Probably not, but listen I cant sing as well as him.

We all have to be grateful for what we have.

Well, you did play Reggie Wanker.

Yes, I did play Reggie Wanker youre absolutely right and thank you for mentioning that.

One of the most fun things Ive done [Get Crazy(1983)].

I had a great time doing that.

I do think the key, honestly, for me, is to enjoy it.

I do all the work and all the agonizing after set.

When Im at home going through it, Im meticulously working on the script.

Do you still get shit for killing Captain Kirk?

People are more grateful now, I think, that I did it.

Not William Shatner, of course.

But people that I see are pretty grateful that I did the deed.

Somebody had to do it, lets face it.

In all good fun, I get on very well with him we just razz each other about it.

It was great fun working with him, and Patrick, and all those guys.

They were very, very nice to me.

It was like a moon scape.

We had quite a time up there.

I think we were up there for like three weeks.

What science fiction did you read growing up?

The usual, H.G.

Wells a little bit.

I think Jules Verne was the main one.

He was Americas answer to H.G.

Ray passed, hes not been gone long, but his legacy will always live on.

He was an amazing character.

I liked him very much.

Those three were the giants of science fiction right there.

And of course comic books.

Who doesnt read comic books?

What are your favorite comic books?

Kids of my generation all read comics.

That was the only one that was allowed in my school.

Dan Dare, Ill never forget.

So one was really influenced more, I think, by comic books and by Hollywood.

Going to Saturday morning pictures to see theBatmanseries, which was pretty bad, orFlash Gordon.

They were pretty good.

Do you think H.G.

Wells, who you played inTime After Time(1979), could have foreseen this future?

Well, I dont think anybody could see quite how far weve come.

Im not sure whether thats a good thing or a bad thing.

was a great exponent of womens rights before it was fashionable and he was a socialist as well.

I think he would probably be a little uncomfortable in Trumps America.

But, I dont know.

You narrated the documentaryThe Compleat Beatlesand you grew up in Liverpool.

Did you get to see the Beatles play before they got famous?

I went to see them at the Cavern when they were called the Silver Beatles.

I think they had just come back from Hamburg.

I was so taken with them and also this cellar.

The Cavern was a tiny place, a bolted room with a little raised stage at one end.

They werent raised that much, maybe six or nine inches off the floor.

The place was packed, jam packed.

The Beatles, who had done, by then, the 10,000 hour thing.

Theyd played so much together.

They were so tight as a band, but they werent yet singing their own stuff.

As I remember, it was mostly covers of Chuck Berry and all that, Little Richard and stuff.

But they were extraordinary.

They had played on Friday night and I went back for a few months to see them every Friday.

Now they were the Mop Tops.

Obviously Brian Epstein had got hold of them and they were moving.

Within the year they were the biggest band in England and I was listening to them on the radio.

BBC did these live shows from Manchester that had Beatles on it.

I actually have a collection of all those tapes.

It was terrific and I was thinking oh my God, these arethe guys, you know?

Singularly or in a group.

Of course the great influence fo George Martin and all that.

My 13 year old was always an Elvis man.

I kept saying the Beatles and he wouldnt want to know.

Now I see everything on his playlist is the Beatles.

They have to find it themselves.

A father cannot tell them what to do.

He can only suggest, point in a direction and they eventually get there.

In fact, he sang at the school, at a thing the other night, Strawberry Fields.

I thought oh my god, how ironic and bizarre is this?

My 13 year old singing Strawberry Fields.

And he doesnt even know what hes singing about.

Strawberry Fields is an area in Liverpool, its amazing.

Just like Penny Lane.

You consistently bring humor into the most dire of circumstances, what do you find so amusing about acting?

I think its a lot of fun.

I found that if Im having fun, the audience is having fun.

Thats what I venture to do, if I can, obviously if the role warrants it.

But I always look for ways to do that.

I have great fun when I work.

Thats not put on.

Thats just the way it is.

I think that shows, very often.

If youre having fun the audience picks it up.

Roger Cormans Death Race 2050is available on Blu Ray, DVD, and Netflix.