If you’ve checked out our 25 Most Stylish Criminals slideshow then you know by now that this guy topped all the rest: Malcolm McDowell’s Alex DeLarge from Clockwork Orange. It’s been 40 damn years since that grinning mug was burned in our minds so we thought it time we caught up with him. Here’s what he had to say.
**How would you describe Alex DeLarge in the film? **
He has sense of euphoria and joie de vivre, and he’s bigger than life—a big fucking I Am.
The rape scene in this film is one of the most disturbing scenes in movie history. Some actors have nightmares and other problems after filming those kind of scenes. Did it mess with you at all?
Are you kidding me? We’re actors. Get over it. All I’m thinking of: What’s for lunch? Oh, yes. I’ll have the fish.
The gang’s outfits are damn near perfect. Is there anything you wish you had changed in retrospect though?
One thing I wish I’d done is cut my hair short. We tried wetting it back. But I really hate the long hair. Every time I see it, I think, "We gave the Beatles a lot to be thankful for." They made that hair so popular. Thanks [sarcastically]. So I would have changed that.
It’s hard to tell. What the hell are the droogs actually wearing and who thought it up?
I told Stanley [Kubrick]: ’I’ve got cricket gear in the car.’ ’Let’s see it,’ he said. ’Put it on.’ And then he goes. ’What’s that?’ ’Why that’s my cricket protector.’ ’Well, wear it on the outside,’ he tells me. So the whites were literally my cricket gear. He had been thinking about a codpiece anyway, because he liked the sort of Medieval feel.
What about the hats? A bowler was the perfect choice for your dome. Did you bring that to the table too?
No, no. The costumier brought a large selection of hats and had the bowler in mind for me. It represented the city, the establishment, respectability and all of that.
Eyelashes her idea too? They added an extra level of creep to the whole thing.
I actually found a yard of eyelash. I showed it to Stanley as a joke. And he said, ’Great, wear it. But just on one eye, you hear?’" He would take still pictures of everything I would put on. Eyelashes, whatever.
**One last question: Do you have any style icons of your own? **
Excuse me? You mean like clothes?
**Yup. Someone who wears them in a way you admire. **
[looks stunned, confused, slightly angry] Uh, no. Absolutely no one. No one at all.