Christopher Plummer juggles brilliance and broken hearts in 'The Last Station'

Christopher Plummer at the New York City press junket for "The Last Station"

Christopher Plummer is in his 80s, but he’s working more than many A-list actors who are young enough to be his grandchildren. And the last few years have been especially prolific, with Plummer appearing in several films (six movies released in 2009 alone), including the period drama "The Last Station," which has garnered Plummer the most industry acclaim that he’s ever gotten for a big-screen movie role. In "The Last Station," he plays the iconic Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, and Plummer is expected to get his first Oscar nomination for his performance in the film. (For "The Last Station," Plummer has already gotten supporting-actor nominations for this year’s Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and Spirit Awards.)

But the veteran actor is taking all the award-show buzz in stride. When talking to him, you get the sense that he’s been in the business long enough not to be too affected by hype and high expectations — and that he’s just happy to still be working. It’s easy to see why he’s still an in-demand actor, since he still brings a passion and talent to his craft that hasn’t waned over the years. I sat down with Plummer at "The Last Station" press junket in New York City, where he told jokes, revealed who were his early influences in acting, and talked about why he thinks his "Last Station" co-star Helen Mirren (who plays Leo Tolstoy’s fiery wife, Sofya) is one of his sexiest leading ladies.

You’ve had six movies released in 2009: "The Last Station," "Up," "9," "My Dog Tulip," "Caesar and Cleopatra" and "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus." Is that overwhelming for you? And do you think you’ll get your first Oscar nomination for "The Last Station"?

No, it’s not overwhelming. It’s work. It’s fun work. I’ve enjoyed all of those things you named. I have different kinds of fun with each, but it’s all fun. As for the Oscar, we don’t talk about that, because if we do, there’s no point in going on.

Christopher Plummer in 'The Last Station"

What was the main reason why you signed on to do "The Last Station"?

It was the script, because I thought of all the vast life that Tolstoy had, you can’t make a biography. It wouldn’t be a movie; it would be a series. It would take four years [to film it]. So it was wise to pick the last moments of [Leo and Sofya Tolstoy’s] lives together as the most humanizing moments, with their agony and joy and passion.

I thought, "Yeah, that’s great." People will go walk out thinking, "Tolstoy isn’t a dry old sock." A lot of people think he is, because he’s so remote to us, and he never particularly liked [George Bernard] Shaw, who admired him very much. He didn’t particularly share that admiration. [Tolstoy] ever didn’t speak about others, so we don’t really know much about him, his feelings.

How did you prepare to play Tolstoy? Did you feel any burden or pressure because of his larger-than-life persona and historical impact?

No, not at all, because I’ve played much larger-than-life creatures than Tolstoy. But what I did feel was that I had to do it simply and instinctively, because there really is so little research. And when I say, "little research," I don’t mean there haven’t been reams of stuff written about him. His letters are the most enlightening thing, I think. And I’ve read them — not all of them, some — and that helped. It helped in understanding the humanity of the man on the private side.

But otherwise, all home movies and all the documentaries and all the people running after him in the streets aren’t very much value, because there’s no sound. You can’t hear what he sounds like. He made one or two recordings of his voice, but the medium was so new that [the audio] was so crackling, you couldn’t understand.

Christopher Plummer, 'The Last Station" writer/director Michael Hoffman and Helen Mirren on the set  of "The Last Station"

How was it working with Helen Mirren?

We didn’t rehearse at all; we didn’t have time. That was all quite easy and fun. Again, I use the word "fun," because Helen and I have been in the business long enough to know that if you don’t have fun, you better get the hell out!

Do you think Tolstoy was a hypocrite since he didn’t live by a lot of values that he preached?

I think he is and he isn’t … I don’t think there was anything wrong with him.

Can you talk about the love story between Leo and Sofya Tolstoy that’s portrayed in "The Last Station"?

Well, it turned out to be a love story on a wonderful, dysfunctional marriage.

Christopher Plummer in "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"

What was it like working on "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"?

The only unfortunate thing is that it was a year of [wearing] beards.

What do you consider the biggest turning point in your career as an actor?

There wasn’t really a change. You just go on and on working. I’ve been very lucky. I’ve never been out of work since I was a kid. It was amazing luck. But on the screen, I suppose things did change for me after I played Mike Wallace [in the 1999 movie "The Insider"], not because it was such a huge, substantial role but it was a fascinating role … That was an important movie in a funny way, and the scripts got better that were sent to me. And Eric Roth is a good writer for the screen. But the theater has always been my home, and that’s never changed. I’ve just fallen into it happily.

Speaking of beards, did you find it restricting to wear such a long beard as Leo Tolstoy?

No, it was so beautifully made. I had a great beard maker … He just makes it so light. No restriction at all. In fact, I rather like beards because you can hide behind them. Any one of us could look like Tolstoy when you put on a beard.

James McAvoy and Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station"

Did you compensate for the extra facial hair with more expression in your eyes?

Yeah. We added eyelashes. Mine are disappearing fast. We had to put false eyebrows on … He was an outrageously different-looking creature anyway in life. When I played Rudyard Kipling, that was quite easy, too. All we had to do was stick on this huge moustache, and immediately, anyone could look like Rudyard Kipling. That was the performance. I didn’t have to work at all! It was all my moustache that did it.

How different is it for you to prepare for your roles in two very different movies like "The Last Station" and "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"?

Yes, but it’s not a Method thing. If you don’t know instinctively how to treat each creature, then you’re up a gum tree. You’ve just got to know it as part of our training and part of our imagination and our instinct. It’s a different orchestration involved. That’s all. Rhythm of speech. Sound is very important.

James McAvoy, Christopher Plummer and Paul Giamatti at the New York City premiere of "The Last Station"

Did you have any moment of clarity when you thought you had gotten your portrayal right of Leo Tolstoy?

Oh, no. You never know when you’ve nailed it. You try every day to get more unassuming … It’s almost impossible to play a genius, because everybody else has to tell the audience that you are a genius. You can’t possibly say that yourself. You’d be booed off the screen. So you try to make him as unassuming and as humble as possible, because the authority is already there.

What do you think Tolstoy was confused about and what do you think he was sure about?

I honestly don’t know. I didn’t know him. I don’t think there’s very much that I found in any of his letters. Was he confused? About his marriage, yes, but I think his beliefs were totally heartfelt. I think he steadfastly believed in what he wanted.

Charles Muntz (voiced by Christopher  Plummer) in "Up"

Can you compare and contrast how it was to work on the animated films "Up," "9" and "My Dog Tulip"?

[He says jokingly] You just use a different voice for each one. [He says seriously] As an actor, radio is what I began in, actually. What a great medium. I miss it terribly. But it’s like doing radio again, because there’s nobody beside you. You don’t know the story is. They [the animators] don’t know what the story is! They know what the character looks like. You gesticulate naturally as you’re [speaking] into the microphone, and they’re taking photographs of you all the time. It’s very unnerving, actually. And then they use some of that for movements on the screen. You’re both creating, in a certain way, at the same time.

Peter [Docter], the co-director [and co-writer] of "Up," was improvising all the time. And I’d get calls to come back, and they’d say, "We’re not going to use that in the beginning anymore. We’re going to do an entire new theme." But it was always good. Pixar is very good to work with. But I didn’t know anything about it [the plot of "Up"] until I saw it. I thought it was great. I can say that because I was just a voice.

You have such a recognizable voice. What types of roles have you had to work on your voice the most?

When you do a Shakespearean play, my God, you’re exercising your voice at its zenith.

Christopher Plummer at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival premiere of "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"

Did the theater background of "The Last Station" writer/director Michael Hoffman help in working with him?

I didn’t know he had a theater background. Really? Michael Hoffman? So he was an actor? He was like one of us. He wasn’t remote like a director who doesn’t work with actors very well. He’s a great director, and I was also a fan, because I loved [Hoffman’s 1995 film] "Restoration." I adored that movie! The settings were just incredible for nothing! It didn’t cost a cent. I don’t know how they did that. They pulled it off beautifully. So I already knew that he was a bright guy. [He says jokingly] He’s a Rhodes scholar, and I told him I was a road scholar. "I’ve been on the road for so long. Watch it, kiddo!" He’s very talented, and I think he wrote a very nice, terrific script.

In "The Last Station," Leo Tolstoy is caught in between Sofya and his underling Vladimir Chertkov, who are competing with each other for Leo’s attention. How did you play Tolstoy so he wouldn’t be overwhelmed by these two very strong characters?

You just carry on, straightforward as he would have and pretend not to show that he knows. He’s perfectly aware that he’s being manipulated, but he’s bigger than that, too. But by that stage [in his life], he doesn’t care.

Paul Giamatti and Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station"

Leo Tolstoy had many people who wanted him to be their mentor. Have you ever had any real-life experiences of being a mentor or being mentored that had a profound impact on your life?

I’ve been influenced highly by all sorts of creatures, not necessarily people in our profession. I’ve got a lot. There’s a long list. This will confuse you, because the first people I admired were the French actors in the ‘40s. They were having enormous success. The French films in the ‘40s were marvelous. And I grew up in Quebec, so our home-grown films were porno, actually. They started with porno films in order to raise the money to do good work. I thought that was a wonderful way to go!

Montreal got all the French movies — because of the relationship with France, they just sent them right over — and I watched them. And all those people great actors in the films were from the theater, like Gérard Philipe … Those were terrific influences in my life, rather than English-speaking [actors]. German films were also wonderfully acted.

What do you think about the love affair that Leo Tolstoy had with his work? How do you think that was portrayed in "The Last Station"?

There wasn’t an immense of chance to show that part of him. It was just suggested. One had to concentrate on the marriage. I couldn’t do anything, because there was no writing on that score to help. It would be nice to be able to show both equally, but it’s not a biography of Tolstoy.

What did you learn from making "The Last Station"?

Try not to, for the next couple of years, wear a beard.

Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren in "The Last Station"

Did you draw from anything in your own life to craft the Leo Tolstoy character?

I’m not a genius. I’m not quite as great of a man as Tolstoy. You have to use your imagination.

How does Helen Mirren compare to any other leading ladies you’ve worked with on screen?

First of all, she’s one of the sexiest leading ladies I’ve ever had. Helen is extraordinary. She blasted through thick and thin. She’s just young in spirit and incredibly vital and funny and naughty and rich in talent. I could go on forever. I think she’s a marvelous actress and such a fun human being. We just rolled around the floor laughing most of the time. She’s great fun to work with and so easy.