"I will play her as a man, not a cross-dress or anything," said Tony Award winner Alan Cumming, whose new memoir is "luggage." "Once you have played all the content in "Macbeth" (like me), there will be some great, complicated, chaotic Scots to play!"

What books do you have on your bedside table?

"Family Politics", by RD Laing. I am fascinated by Ryan. He believes that madness or mental illness is not something that needs to be locked and hidden, but a potential shamanic experience that can teach us many things, which is very attractive to me. Part of the reason I want to write "luggage" is to show that I am still traveling, still learning, and still deeply affected by the trauma I have suffered in the past. I used to have a therapist who was a student of Laing, so I have this fascinating insight into this man himself. He is definitely not easy. A talented, troubled, and drunk Scot. We focus on them.

"A Brief History of Islam" by William Montgomery Watt. Religion really puzzles me. Believe in the concept of higher power, some kind of symbol, to give you rescue and moral guidance, everything is fine. I am just confused about all the different types and their origins. I think my religious beliefs when I grew up in rural Scotland are so singular. There are only Protestants around. I remember when some Catholic children entered our high school, it was a big deal. I didn't meet the Jews until I was 18 years old. I also accepted atheism very early, so I have never developed the habit of retaining information about different types of religions, and now I am trying to catch up with crazy people.

The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Since I got it at the 2008 naturalization ceremony, I have this on my bedside table. I have to say that I think the term "naturalization" is not good. It shows that it is natural to be an American, and therefore it is unnatural not to be an American. This obviously explains many of the foreign policies of the United States, but it does not really help the public relations department. I am always happy to point out this arrogance to my American friends. For example, why is the World Series in which only the United States and Canada participate is called the World Series? To say that the president is the "leader of the free world" also carries a sense of chauvinistic superiority, because it believes that the rest of the world thinks it is free, and it must also think that it is led and directed by the United States and its leaders, and— Spoiler alert-this situation has been around for some time (especially during the last presidential term).

"Country Life", by Verlyn Klinkenborg. I have an illusion that I will plant a beautiful organic garden and take care of it, barefoot and tranquil-kind of like Nicole Kidman's role in "Nine Perfect Strangers". But then I remembered that I traveled too much, and other people had to take care of it for me, and then I remembered that all summer gardener friends suddenly became manic and tried to spend all their extra bounty on anyone into their orbit, I was worried that I would be the version of Nicole Kidman's role. She took off her nipples on the psychedelic drug and lay under a tree with blood in her nose. I decided to postpone my garden plan for a year.

"Card Techniques" by James Weir. I don't know why I have this on my bedside table. I mean, I’m a magic lunatic, I want to learn some card skills, but I always forget to bring a deck of cards to the bed so that I can practice, and then I think it’s going to be weird, it’s not for my relationship A good sign started playing cards on the bed, so I didn't bring them, so I never learned a card technique from this book.

"The Gospel Preached by Jesus" by Stephen Mitchell. This can be attributed to my trying to catch up with the weird religions in the world. But I have to say, as an atheist, I really like Jesus. He is obviously a good person, caring about people who are less fortunate than himself, making friends with and advocating sex workers, and he even avoids organized religion. So many terrible, despicable, yes, right-wingers hijacked him and used him as an excuse to act so terribly to their compatriots, it is a shame.

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"My Autobiography" by Charlie Chaplin. I planned to play Charlie Chaplin in the miniseries, but it gradually disappeared and never happened like these things often happen. Of course, I will play him in his old, drunk, and prostitute days, just before he reverses the situation and overcomes all obstacles to launch a "great dictator." In any case, I like to learn more about him. Do you know he used to vacation in Nairn, Scotland? I do not have either.

"Starbook" by Ben Okri. I once met Ben Okri at a literary festival in New Zealand, so now when I read him, I hear his wonderful voice. I also like the fabulous and allegorical quality of his stories. They have something very comforting and ancient. I can't wait to be attracted by this.

What is the last good book you read?

"Sugie Bain" by Douglas Stewart. I can't think of anything more immersive and all-encompassing than this. It used to be beautiful. The heartbreaking, terrifying, and worst humanity is right next to the most touching and tender moments, and then the greatest laughter. This makes me really miss home. Not because of the difference between Shuggie’s life and my growing up experience, but because my country has cultivated people like Douglas, who can capture its spirit and essence, laugh at themselves, and expose its soul. I am very proud to be a Scot.

Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).

In my house in Catskills, I built a tree house. There are books that I want to read but haven't finished. There is a hanging chair and a loft bed, so I can relax or lie down and read in complete silence. I am surrounded by trees, and a wonderful smell emanates from the wood. Like anything so cute and comforting, even thinking about it makes me happy, sometimes even like being able to actually sit in it and chew a book.

This is also a very beautiful writing place.

No one has heard of your favorite book?

"After leaving Mr. Mackenzie", author Jean Rhys. People know that she is because of "The Broad Sargasso Sea" (written as a prequel to "Jane Eyre"), but I think this movie is amazing. It feels very autobiographical. It tells a British woman who lived in Paris in the 1920s. She received financial support from a man (Mr. Mackenzie). Suddenly, at the beginning of the story, the check stopped issuing. She has grown old, drank too much, and is desperate now. Just like "Shuggie Bain", it feels like you are experiencing this person's life, not just observing them.

I have read the biography of Jean Rhys, and the saddest thing is that she re-emerged in the 1960s, when not only published "The Broad Sargasso Sea", but also some of her early works were seen for the first time. She is very popular and even won the WH Smith Prize for Literature. But her comment on all these successes is "it's too late."

Which book (if any) contributed the most to your artistic development as an actor?

I hate deconstructing performances. I hate to talk about it. I hate to mythify it. When people ask me about the process of acting, I always say, "I am not cheese, I have no process." But I thought of two books-"The Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger and "Keep Breathing" by Janice Galloway "The Knack"-written in the first person, I feel that you are in someone's mind so I think the idea of ​​being completely lost, completely overwhelmed and immersed in the character is greatly promoted by reading them. Both are also about someone's mental breakdown, so what would you do.

Of all the roles you play, which one do you think is the richest — the most novel?

Recently I played a few detectives, their backstory is very exciting, and they are actually writers. The first is "The Prodigal Son" starred by Simon Hoxley, a Europol agent and best-selling novelist who seems to be from another era. He played so well, I was sad that "The Prodigal Son" was cancelled, and I look forward to his coming back to chew more scenery. In "Instinct", I did a series on CBS for several years. I played Dylan Reinhart, an adviser to the New York Police Department. His honor and previous iterations seemed endless: CIA Spies, children's music prodigies, gramophone memories, university professors, motorcyclists and happy married gay men. Both seem to have infinite possibilities. Dylan even shot a glass of poisonous iced tea from Wubi Goldberg, saving her life. I mean, come on.

Which literary character do you most want to play?

Brody in "Miss Jean Brody's Peak". I would play her as a man, not a costume or anything. I just think her story has become so sweet, as we said in Scotland, as we have been accustomed to it over the years and used to eliminate its horror. But she is a fascist and praises fascism to young girls! I also think that a man's loss of his lover to his female student will cause the necessary shock that we may have lost. This is also a great part, once you have played everything in "Macbeth" (just like me), there are some great, complicated, chaotic Scots left!

You have recorded audiobook versions of everything from "Macbeth" to "Dracula" to Michael Cunningham's "Specimen Day". Will performing a book out loud change your perception of it?

Oh absolutely! First of all, reading this book aloud in such a concentrated, long-term manner will make a book very vivid and include it in your mind in a way that laymen cannot read: I haven’t read it for a long time. For example, It is a luxury to read a book continuously for two or more days. In addition, if there is a lot of dialogue between characters, you have to give them different voices and qualities so that you can inject and invest more in them.

I really like people saying they listened to my first memoir ("Not my father's son") because it means they spent a long time eavesdropping on my openness and vulnerability, not just reading, It's a more intense and personal way.

Of course, reading a book aloud can also make you more aware of its weaknesses. I wrote a novel ("Tommy's Story") in 2002 and didn't read the audiobook until 2012. When I finished reading it, I realized that those who said that the ending was rushed were right.

What is the most interesting thing you learned from a book recently?

That Marina Abramovich watched the death of her boyfriend's father, and did not call out his wife or her boyfriend to come in and happen there. It sounds cold or strange, but in fact I think she made the best decision. They sound terrible.

What topics do you want more authors to write about?

The lost history of people of color; a country as big as the United States, it is impossible to have a collective mentality or morality; anal sex.

What impresses you the most in literary works?

Character, character, character. The contradiction of character. always.

How do you organize your book?

Usually just piles around the floor. I once had an assistant named Joey. He arranged my bookshelf according to the Dewey Decimal system. I like it very much, because if you are in the mood to watch a scene, then you can see all of your scenes at once, so you have more There are so many options to choose from, not just thinking about and finding a specific author. In addition, the Dewey decimal system will cause more confusion when the book is released again, and I totally agree.

What books will people be surprised to find on your bookshelf?

I searched around on my bookshelf, looking for things that might surprise me, or things that might even surprise me, and then I thought, I hope people think that I am an eclectic and adventurous person who will not read to me. Surprised by anything. I actually really like the idea that I might be in a permanent illegal state so that people won't blink at anything I do or say on the shelf!

What kind of reader were you when you were a kid? Which childhood books and authors impressed you the most?

I am a greedy reader, crazy about Enid Brighton when I was young. The Famous Five series is particularly popular. Their sheer adventure and excitement attracted me. There are always secret tunnels and people using flashlights to send coded messages from the island to the shore. I imagine the countryside around my house is also full of incidents and potential crimes. A few years ago, I reread one of the stories and was fascinated by the realization that one of the five stories-George-was basically transgender. This makes these books sound much better than they actually are. In fact, they are often vaguely racist and always very elitist, but they represent the escape and adventure of my youth.

What are you going to read next?

"Family Stretch" by Graham Norton. He is a good storyteller and provides a good suspense at the end of each chapter!

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