Acclaimed Canadian actor Paul Gross' life comes full circle in 'King Lear'

Acclaimed actor Paul Gross starring in 'King Lear' Acclaimed Canadian actor Paul Gross speaks about his role in the Stratford Festival's production of 'King Lear.'

Paul Gross’ life has come full circle in more ways than one.

The acclaimed Canadian actor and director says the first play he ever watched when he was a child was “King Lear” as played by William Hutt — a performance that left him mesmerized, inspired him to get into acting and landed him a cherished keepsake.

“It's kind of the thing that made me want to be part of this world,” Gross told CTV’s Your Morning in an interview Wednesday.

“And there's a battle and the head of a lance fell off in one of the aisles and I ran down and scooped it up. And I still have it somewhere in a box in a barn in the badlands.”

Now, years later, he’s starring in Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy himself.

The production at the Stratford Festival has also stirred up other memories from the past for Gross — it’s where he played the lead role in the festival’s production of Hamlet 23 years ago.

“It really does feel like going home. It's just wonderful,” he said.

“It's like the greatest theatre in North America, so I'm pretty happy to be back there and (in) the greatest play probably ever written.”

With his silky white hair and beard, Gross plays the aging king of Shakespeare’s play, who, in demanding a show of devotion from his three daughters, leaves his kingdom divided and his family destroyed.

Gross likes to keep the audience guessing in the role, playing scenes differently for every show.

“Lear is quite exhilarating to do. It's difficult and it's exhausting, but it feels great at the end of it to feel sort of burnt clean. And I think you feel that sort of along with the audience,” he said.

“The scenes are, some of them are so big that you can't really contain it and just repeat it. Or you can't really just kind of control it, so it sort of takes you over.”

The production is directed by Kimberley Rampersad, the first woman to direct “King Lear” in the 70-year history of the Stratford Festival. The play runs at the festival until Oct. 29.

To watch the full interview, click the video at the top of this article.