Interview : Robert Vaughn on HUSTLE

Robert: I have thought, ‘What if Napoleon retired from the world of government agency, or whatever he was, we don’t know, of course, and realized he couldn’t live the lifestyle that he was accustomed to? What would he turn to?’ One thing he could turn to with all of his knowledge is being a con man. Albert is an older version of Napoleon Solo after he retires. I certainly hope he has the same response as the original Napoleon did.

Robert: I was doing a play in LA called "End is a Man." Burt Lancaster came to see the show and on the basis of my performance signed me to a long-term movie contract. I was going to do a movie, Sweet Smell of Success, but I was drafted into the United States Army and that picture was done without me. By the time I came out of the Army, Lancaster was no longer doing movies…I had gotten enough movies in before I left for the Army, so I had a pretty good momentum going. It worked out pretty well for me because of Burt Lancaster’s immaculate taste.

Robert: Be sure that if you’re going to study acting, they should do it in New York, LA or Chicago. This way they can also try to get work and get acquainted with the professional aspect of the business. Better they should go to school where the work is actually getting done.

Robert: The only difference I see is that the film is much faster here. You can shoot later until it’s almost dark. Other than that, there really isn’t a difference.

Robert: I think they’ll like it. There’s a long history of success for con people. It Takes a Thief, the TV series with Robert Wagner and Fred Astaire; and the movie, To Catch a Thief with Cary Grant. This is a very popular genre.

Robert: The main difference is speed. We do six-ten pages a day here versus a movie, where you do one or two pages. You work very long hours, sometimes six days a week. Where as big movies take much longer, sometimes three months.

Robert: (Laughing) No, I’ve never tried to con anybody and no one’s ever tried to con me. Although maybe they have and I just don’t know.

Robert: The quality of the writing impressed me. These characters go in all directions. There’s a back story for everyone. It was a really good story, beautifully done.

Robert: We all have significant radio experience, so we have lots of different voices. We find ourselves sometimes doing 20 different voices when talking to each other just because it’s a funny thing to do!

Robert: The most important element is to make sure the people you hire are as good of an actor as you are. In terms of the mark, the cons that we do, always involve at lot of people. You have to hire a dozen people to work whereever the con is to take place -- a bar, horse racing, gambling casino--these people need to be hired and tested.

Robert: The original Ocean’s 11.

Robert: My only hobby is reading. I read a lot everyday. People on the set will ask, "may I interrupt your reading?" I read strictly history and biographies, and a lot of newspapers.