I met just last night with some very interesting people.
Quizzed in the masterclass on his next projects, Gilliam reconfirmed the film was in the works.
This was sort of the mecca of all the cartoonists in America, especially college magazine cartoonists…
Terry GilliamPascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
So Bob Crumb, Robert Crumb, became my best friend.
They wanted to do something with it and they didnt know what to do.
I said, Well, let me make an animated film.
They assumed I knew what I was talking about.
Life goes on like that.
Assume nothing, my friends, is all I can say… And literally overnight, I became a famous animator, said the director.
That same year, Gilliam had also cut his directors teeth onMonty Python and the Holy Grailwith Terry Jones.
In those days, I just worked frenetically.
I would probably have at least one, if not two, all-nighters every week.
A lot of people, especially with the Python stuff, thought I was on drugs.
But no, I was on lack of sleep.
Its better than drugs and cheaper, he said.
Gilliam said he had enjoyed the constant pressure and pushing things through without thinking too much about the process.
Double thinking is the worst thing because you start doubting your idea.
Its a bit arrogant, but it simplified life.
So many doors just shut in my face after that.
These cartoons were relatively cheap to make.
Films are obviously more expensive, which means more people being frightened about getting it right.
It was completely out of control, even though I had storyboarded the whole film.
The bond company was threatening to sue me for fraud and misrepresentation, he reminisced.
My wife was pregnant with our third child, and they were threatening to take over my house.
My memory was very skewed.
They just released a new 4K version of it, and I had to supervise.
Watching it again, Im just, F**k me, this is good.
