Charles Chaplin

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate September 2001

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Interview: Charles Spencer Chaplin I was fortunate to get the chance to Interview Charles Chaplin In his home in Switzerland several weeks before he had passed away. Our interview discusses Chaplin's life and his career. At first I had planned on interviewing Chaplin in his hometown of Walworth in London, but he refused to meet there because he did not want to be reminded of his childhood.

Question: When and where were you born and how was your childhood growing up? Answer: I was born in Walworth, London on April 16, 1889. I had a very bad childhood due to the fact that my family and I were so poor. My father was always drunk and my mother wasn't much better, living in the slums of London I often felt alone and hungry.

Question: Why did you decide to start working in theatre? Answer: Ever since I was I child I have been interested in show business because both of my parents were vaudeville performers.

I enjoyed working in theatre because it was an escape from the poverty I was living with at home.

Question: How old were you when you got your first role as an actor and which parts did you play? Answer: I was a young teenager when I first began acting, by the time I was sixteen I was playing the featured role of "Billy" in William Gillette's West End production of Sherlock Holmes.

Question: How and when did you make the change from acting in theatres to acting on film? Answer: I had been touring the United States playing several roles for Fred Karno's music hall revue when I was spotted by the film producer Mack Sennett. Mack asked me if I was interested in working with him and signed me to his Keystone Company.