By Thomas Chau in New York City

I've done a lot of press days during the past three years but never have I seen the press so honored to be in the presence of an actor. Peter O'Toole walked into the room and as soon as he did, I almost thought my colleagues were going to start bowing down to him. His presence was immediately felt by everyone and a reverence for a true on-screen legend was in the atmosphere.

I have to admit: I probably didn't cherish the experience as much as I should have. Up until "Troy," "Supergirl" was the only movie I had seen O'Toole in and, well, that isn't anything to remember somebody with. But as he was telling a story about a good friend of his, the late Richard Harris, I suddenly remembered how I was lucky enough to interview Harris for the first "Harry Potter" film before his untimely death. At 72 years of age, couple with the fact that he tends to not do press interviews, Peter O'Toole will most likely not be around much more to talk about his experiences. Therefore, I decided to just sit back and listen to a wise old man share a little bit of his wisdom.

O'Toole co-stars with Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, and Orlando Bloom in "Troy," where he plays Priam, the King of Troy. Below is what O'Toole had to say at the press day.

Q: You don't do press interviews normally do you?

PETER: I've not done this since 1968.

Q: Why has it taken you so long to talk to us?

PETER: Well I’m not very good at it, and I’m not very keen on it. I don’t like premieres and things like that. I’d just rather do my acting and then piss off. (Laughs) But, I have nothing but good wishes for the production and of the director, and I have tremendous affection for Brad Pitt and tremendous affection for Eric Bana and the boys and girls in the picture, and if I can help give it a shove, I’m prepared to.

Q: You’re an actor who can do everything...

PETER: Oh don’t believe it. I’m a working stiff, baby. I’m just like everybody else.

Q: But why this?

PETER: Because the script was so gorgeous.

Q: Did you go back and read "The Iliad"?

PETER: I’ve not read "The Illiad" since1953. I read the Chapman version all those years ago. As you probably know, not only did Alexander The Great carry a copy under his pillow, but T.E. Lawrence, "Lawrence of Arabia," carried a copy both of "The Illiad" and the second part of the whole movie, "The Odyssey," which when he was about to become a writer, he sharpened his pen by doing the translation.

Q: You once said that intimacy in movies is a rarity. What about your last scene with Brad Pitt?

PETER: It was a joy working with young Pitt. I love working with young people. This to me is a big kick. For me it is. I mean I loved working with Eric Bana, and, again working with young Brad Pitt who I find not only a modest man, a non-pretentious man and completely prepared for what was a hell of a part. I was apprehensive about bringing off this Homer.

Q: Does Brad remind you of you when you were younger?

PETER: No. But he reminds me of any Greek. He looks as if he’s just popped off a Greek ship.

Q: Did Brad remind you of anyone you’ve previously worked with?

PETER: No, no. He’s unique.

Q: How would you describe his style of acting?

PETER: I believe it began rather difficultly. But I watched him a lot. And I found him always brave and taking brave chances - things like "Fight Club." I’ve seen him do a couple of bits and pieces. And I was delighted when I heard he was going to give Achilles a crack. I was more than delighted. We became very friendly.

Q: Recall any fun moments?

PETER: We had lots of fun moments. In fact, he’s a scoundrel. He’s a scoundrel, young Brad Pitt. He led me, his elderly colleague, astray more than once.

Q: You were great friends with Richard Harris. Are there any stories about him that stand out in your mind?

PETER: Well, I’ll tell you Richard’s death, which is not long ago. I didn’t expect him to die. Nobody die. I thought he was indestructible. We'd been rugby game chums for 50 years. But Harris hated cricket. I mean he hated it. This tedious baffling English game. I mean he found it insupportable. But his nature Limerick paid cricket to him is unspeakable. But he found that to be beyond belief. Embarrassed. He was barred from watching his favorite rugby team Monster because he was considered to be a jinx because they’ve lost every single time over the last eight or nine year, in the semifinals and they’ve lost them all. So Harris was always there and I was usually with him. He was, a newspaper was printed two years ago Monster for whom he played when he was a young boy. They were playing in Wales and Harris looked at this and the Limerick newspaper and it said the Harris factor. And he was barred from the match, barred from going to any of the Monster matches. So he said to me, "I’ll be hanging from every goalpost if they lose" which of course, they did. They lost immediately. I went into his room, it was the last time we saw each other. The television was on and there was Harris with his specs on watching cricket. After 50 years of cursing it, and he turned off the television and he took his specs off and put his head on the pillow. And I though well after the unnamable horror of a game of cricket, death must have been a walk in the park. And I’m now convinced that the new shadow, the long shadows on cricket fields, are Harris. And Harris is having a beady eye on Monster and Monster got smashed last week in the semifinal of the cup. So even then that is going on.

Q: How would you compare "Troy" with "Lawrence of Arabia"?

PETER: Well, they’re incomparable, aren’t they? I mean you go that scale, that big, heroic, epic, yeah. Let me think. Epic. The word epic. Epic really is the story of man on man. Really. History or myth. And their circumstances. So yes. This is historical, mythical and historical.

Q: What would you say is the highlight of your career?

PETER: Where do I begin? Where do I begin? I loved working with Kate Hepburn. That was one of the highlights of my life. Working with Richard Burton in Beckett was another great joy. I loved doing "My Favorite Year" here in this city which was great fun. "The Ruling Class" which I made with all my friends, all my chums. That’s all my friends, you know. We made that in seven weeks. For Buttons. And it was just all my chums. All my acting friends. And we just got together and did it. I’m fond of that. My own favorite is something called "Rogue Male."

Q: Are you concerned you that you’re outliving your contemporaries such as Richard Harris?

PETER: It’s very inconvenient because every time I finish say a chapter of a book or something happened to me, I’m going to ring Richard. Oh, Christ, I’ve buried him. I buried him last year. It’s inconvenient.

Q: Do you still love acting as much as you —

PETER: I do, yes, yes.

Q: Why do you love it so much?

PETER: Well, it’s my job. It’s what I do. It’s what I’m on earth to do. It’s who I am.

Q: How important to you was the honorary Oscar?

PETER: Very important. It is the highest honor that the motion picture industry can pay to anybody. I joined people like [Charlie] Chaplin. Of course I’m deeply honored.

"Troy" opens in theatres May 14th.