Gary lockwood

Frank Poole in 2001: A Space Odyssey

To mark the 50th anniversary of Stanley Kubrick’s epic 2001: A Space

Odyssey (1968) Gary Lockwood, who played astronaut Frank Poole alongside co-star Keir Dullea, has embarked on a global tour to celebrate the milestone with fans. It will finish in Australia, “one of my favourite places in the world,” he tells Red Alert. having retired from acting 26 years ago, Lockwood has spent the past two years penning his autobiography. he confesses he intended to be a novelist: “I was kind of a smart kid, I read a lot and was a good athlete. I kind of had a lot of skills and could have gone in any direction, but I kind of got waylaid by the easy money and beautiful girls of the movie business!” would you like to play the role again?

I guess I would. That means I’d be 28 years old again! I’m 81, so it would be fun to play him again because right after it was over I’d be 29! what would Frank be doing now, if he hadn’t been cast adrift by Hal 9000?

He was a pretty laid-back guy, so he’d probably be living on the California coast and sailing a boat. That’s what I did. Though I sold my boat, I don’t do it any more do you have any souvenirs from the set of 2001: A Space Odyssey?

No, we didn’t get any. Though it turns out that if we did have some, they’d be worth a lot of money! what would it say on Frank Poole’s gravestone? “It was a long trip cut short.” TP