'After Louie' star Alan Cumming on his abusive childhood: 'I thought I might die'
From starring in the new film, “After Louie,” to the new TV drama series, “Instinct,” to performing on stage in New York City, Alan Cumming’s great acting and performance skills can be seen just about everywhere these days.
Still, somehow the 53-year-old has found a way to make the most of his hectic schedule.
“I have to schedule time for myself,” Cumming said recently to Peter Travers during an appearance on “Popcorn with Peter Travers."
“I think it’s interesting. You have to focus on everything really hard, even having fun.”
It’s been a long road for Cumming, who discussed with Travers overcoming an abusive childhood with a father that denied him as a son.
“I came through something. You know, I thought I might die. I really thought I might die from my father’s abuse,” Cumming said. “And I came through it. And I’ve made a life for myself. And I’m happy. I’ve made amends and forgiven my father.”
He went on to share how people should feel safe to talk about abuse, adding that he didn't realize by opening up about his own experiences he would help so many other people.
“The thing that I didn’t factor in is how much someone like me, who is in the public eye, talking about abuse... I didn’t know how that would affect so many other people and give them the confidence to talk about it in their lives," he said. "It seems a bit dopey that I didn’t realize that would happen. And that’s an amazing thing. I feel that’s kind of what you need to be able to do, is to be able to talk about things, to feel safe to do that.”
Cumming said he feels a special connection to others who have had similar life experiences.
“I really connect with people who are survivors of abuse," he explained. "It actually doesn’t really matter what the abuse is. There’s a certain kind of code of behavior that happens and you can really relate to it no matter what the thing is."
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Now, Cumming has found his happy place, and life is good. In “After Louie,” Cumming plays an older gay man, Sam, who has lived through the AIDS epidemic and resents people who do not share similar experiences. Eventually, Sam meets a younger gay man and they start a relationship.
“It’s about the schism between two generations of gay men,” Cumming said about the film. “Have you been through the AIDS epidemic or not?”
Cumming told Travers he knows people from both sides of the story.
“I’ve never seen anything," he said, "any film or book or anything that had displayed them in this eloquent way."
“After Louie” is in theaters everywhere.
Be sure to watch the full interview with Peter Travers and Alan Cumming in the video above.
