Christopher Plummer On Why He Actually Hated ‘The Sound Of Music’

Although he appeared to enjoy filming the famous classic The Sound of Music, Christopher Plummer was highly critical of the movie, and considered it “so awful and sentimental and gooey.” Plummer would also nickname the film Sound of Mucus, and refer to how he added a “minuscule bit of humor” to his role.

The late actor was expressive about his thoughts on several occasions, including a 2011 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where he admitted that playing Baron Von Trapp “was the toughest” of his many roles. “It’s a very good picture for what it is. But somebody had to be Peck’s bad boy and I chose myself,” he added.

Christopher Plummer struggled with playing his ‘Sound of Music’ character

With a background in stage acting, Plummer struggled with his character and “got so ‘fat’ from all the pastries” that his costumes had to be resized. He had to come out of his rigid serious mode of acting, to embody the light-hearted cheerful demeanor The Sound of Music required.

RELATED: Meet Late Christopher Plummer’s Daughter, Amanda Plummer

He likened playing Captain von Trapp as “boring” and “flogging a dead horse. I was a bit bored with the character. Although we worked hard enough to make him interesting, it was a bit like flogging a dead horse. And the subject matter is not mine. I mean it can’t appeal to every person in the world. It’s not my cup of tea.”

Over the years, Plummer came around and confessed to Sound of Music’s impact and changed their perspective on his role. “The more I watched, the more I realized what a terrific movie it is… The very best of its genre— warm, touching, absolutely timeless… totally seduced by the damn thing— and what’s more, I felt a sudden surge of pride that I’d been a part of it,” he admitted.

He also commended the recent violent nature of modern cinema, revealing that it gives him relief. “I do respect that it is a bit of relief from all the gunfire and car chases you see these days. It’s sort of wonderfully, old-fashionedly universal,” he said. “It’s got the bad guys and the Alps; it’s got Julie and sentiment in bucketloads.”