Monty Python star John Cleese says he ‘killed a man’ during ‘A Fish Called Wanda’ movie screening
Monty #Monty
John Cleese has made a startling admission on his new video series, claiming he once “killed a man”.
The “Fawlty Towers” and “Monty Python” actor, 84, aired the revelation on his GB News segment, “The Dinosaur Hour,” which sees the veteran British screen star host intimate chats from a twelfth-century castle.
In the latest episode, set to air Sunday, Cleese confesses he inadvertently killed someone at a screening of his 1988 comedy film “A Fish Called Wanda,” which co-starred actors Kevin Kline and Jamie Lee Curtis.
John Cleese says he “killed a man” while showing one of his movies.GBNews/YouTube
“We killed a man … Kevin Kline and I killed a man in Denmark,” Cleese said, according to the Daily Mail.
Cleese continued: “He was a dentist, he had a huge laugh. A famous laugh. Very popular. It was in Aarhus, not a big town, but everybody knew him.
“And he went to see Wanda and he started laughing about two minutes in and never stopped.
“They carried him out dead, he’d had a heart attack.”
Michael Palin, Jamie Lee Curtis and John Cleese attend the New York City Premiere of “A Fish Called Wanda” on July 7, 1988.Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Cleese, regarded as one of the greatest comedy actors Britain has ever produced, is known for his shock factor during TV appearances and interviews.
More recently in Australia, he took aim at “The Project” co-host Waleed Aly during a live panel discussion in July, where he poked fun at the broadcaster’s name.
The conversation took a turn midway through the interview when Aly brought up Cleese’s iconic 1970s sitcom Fawlty Towers.
“We can’t let you go without talking about “Fawlty Towers” – at least I can’t, because I think it’s one of the greatest shows …” Aly began, before Cleese interjected.
“I don’t want to talk about Fawlty Towers,” he said.
“Yeah but, you know what – it’s not all about you, is it? I mean, I can ask you about Fawlty Towers?” Aly asked.
Michael Palin (left), John Cleese (center), and Kevin Kline pose behind American actor Jamie Lee Curtis during a promotional photoshoot for “A Fish Called Wanda” in 1988. Getty Images
“You can talk about ‘Fawlty Towers,’” Cleese told him, before turning his back and facing away from his hosts to take a sip of water – which earned him a round of applause from the panel.
“What kind of a name is Waleed, anyway? Is it an anagram?” Cleese quipped.
“No. It’s just Arabic. I take it your Arabic’s not great?,” Aly answered.
Cleese concluded the awkward segment by remarking the change-of-topic was “more interesting” to discuss than “Fawlty Towers.”
John Cleese and Kevin Kline starred in the 1988 movie “A Fish Called Wanda.”Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
Two months earlier, Cleese made headlines when he claimed the upcoming “Fawlty Towers” reboot – which he’s making with his 39-year-old daughter Camilla Cleese – “won’t be as good as the original”.
“I resisted (making a ‘Fawlty Towers’ reboot) for 40 years and suddenly I saw how you could do it, which is to get away completely from the old series,” he said.
“I was setting it perhaps the Caribbean, a sort of holiday hotel, a rather exclusive one.
“I mean it won’t be as funny as the original because that’s the best I could do.
“But (it will) still be funnier than a lot of stuff out there.”