In 1958, Christopher Plummer said he wanted to be a concert pianist — but acting seemed easier
In this video from the CBC archives, the actor talks about his early love for music
In an interview for CBC with Robert Anderson almost 60 years ago, legendary Canadian actor Christopher Plummer shared his early desire to become a concert pianist — and the simple reason why he decided to pursue acting instead.
"I loved playing the piano because I liked showing off. And then when I found out one had to work awfully hard to be a pianist, what came easier to me — which was acting — I decided to," he says. "I thought that was the easy way out. I found lately, thank you very much, that it's one of the hardest things and I've learned that each year, it does get harder — because if one advances in any way, in any art, one finds that it becomes more increasingly challenging every year of one's life."
In honour of Plummer, who is receiving this year's Lifetime Achievement Award at the Canadian Screen Awards on March 12th, CBC Arts found this archival footage. To think, we may never have seen him sing and dance across our screens as Captain von Trapp if he hadn't assumed acting would be easier. We don't even want to consider it. Thank you, Mr. Plummer, for all that you've given us over the years.
For more throwbacks like this one, visit the CBC Digital Archives.