Actor and comedian Eric Idle has confessed that he continues his activity even at the age of 80 for financial reasons. The Monty Python star also revealed that he sold his house a year ago, The Guardian reports.
Eric Idle founded the comedy troupe Monty Python. PHOTO EPA EFE (Archive)
In a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, Idle also stated: “I don't know why people always assume we are rich. Python is a disaster.
“Spamalot” made money 20 years ago. I have to work for a living. It's not easy at this age“.
Idle made the famous “Spamalot,” which was awarded a Tony Award for Best Musical after it was played on Broadway. He also appeared in Shrek the Third (2007) and Monty Python Live (Mostly) with part of the band in 2014.
Based for much of the past few decades in Los Angeles, Idle took to thank his followers for “kind words and encouragement“.
“It means a lot to meIdle said.
At the same time, he seemed surprised by the economic crisis after the success of Monty Python. “We own everything we've ever done in Python and never dreamed that at this age revenue would drop so much and so unexpectedly“, Idle wrote.
Asked if a Netflix documentary could help him, he said “to hell with documentaries” and with the streaming company.
“I also had some great mentors”
Idle also added: “I'm fine. I am employed and writing. It's the thing I do and love the most. To create a new show. Something that seems completely normal. I've been doing this since 1963. I've learned a lot. But I also had some great mentors.”
In September 2022, the actor and comedian claimed to be in remission from pancreatic cancer after being diagnosed in time, and appeared on the US show The Masked Singer.
In 1969, Idle founded the comedy group with Graham Chapman, John Cleese, the star of “Fawlty Towers/ Hotel hinge”, Terry Gilliam, the director of “Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas/ Fear and loathing in Los Angeles”, Terry Jones and Sir Michael Palin.
Graham Champman died in 1989 aged 48 from tonsil cancer and Jones died in 2020 from a rare form of dementia.
In 2013, a producer of Monty Python and the Holy Grail won a High Court copyright battle with the comedian group to get a share of the profits from Spamalot.
