Alex Winter reflects on early work with controversial director Michael Winner
Actor and director Alex Winter, best known for playing Bill S Preston in the Bill & Ted films, took part in a Guardian reader Q&A covering his career, from The Lost Boys to directing documentaries on Napster, blockchain and Frank Zappa. The piece offers a personal, wide-ranging look at his life and work, touching on his London roots, his creative partnership with Keanu Reeves, and his early experiences on set with the controversial director Michael Winner.
Winter discussed enjoying playing vampires and mutants, his enduring musical and theatrical bond with Reeves (with whom he once discussed tackling Shakespeare), and directing the live-action Ben 10 films, on which he met his wife. He also recalled working with Michael Winner on his first film, Death Wish 3, aged 19, describing the director as "the most erudite sociopath" he had met, and reminisced about drinking in Brixton during the shoot. On his documentary work, he named the rushed, profit-driven expansion of AI, and the associated rise of "tech oligarchs", as the aspect of the modern internet that concerns him most.
In short
- Alex Winter answers reader questions about his acting and directing career.
- Called Death Wish 3 director Michael Winner "the most erudite sociopath".
- Says AI's rapid, profit-driven growth is his biggest current internet worry.
Explained simply
Alex Winter is an actor and director who grew up in London and became widely known for playing Bill S Preston alongside Keanu Reeves in the Bill & Ted films. His work has also ranged from films such as The Lost Boys to documentaries about technology and music.
Michael Winner was a British film director known for the Death Wish series, including Death Wish 3, which Winter worked on early in his career. Winner’s reputation and conduct have been subjects of controversy, while Winter’s recollections offer a personal account of working with him as a young actor.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Alex Winter: ‘Michael Winner was the most erudite sociopath I’ve ever met’”.