David Suchet joked Good Morning Britain presenter Adil Ray was ‘very naughty’ when he brought up the unexpected way he perfected his walk as Hercule Poirot.
The actor, 74, made an appearance on Wedensday’s edition of the show, and relayed how he created the Belgian detective’s gait by holding a penny in between his bottom cheeks when he first started preparing for the role in the 1980s.
Amused by Adil’s question, David began: ‘You’re very naughty, Adil. OK, well this is sort of a legendary story.
‘You’re very naughty!’ David Suchet joked with Adil Ray on Wednesday’s GMB after he brought up how the actor famously put a penny in his bottom cheeks to perfect his walk as Poirot
‘When I read how Poirot walked, the description is that he crossed the lawn with his usual rapid mincing gait, I remembered Lawrence Olivier trying to find a way to walk as he rehearsed playing a restoration Fop and he did that.
‘He put a penny between the cheeks of his butt and then walked around. I was on the Isle of Briar at the time, making another film, I was practising the walk.
‘And yes, I will admit I put a penny between the cheeks of my butt and minced around the Isle of Briar. That’s the end of that one!’
David has previously spoken about the unexpected method he used to create the walk of Agatha Christie’s iconic character in his memoir Poirot and Me, which was released in 2013.
Inspiration: Amused by Adil’s question, David (pictured as Poirot in Appointment With Death) said he got the idea from Lawrence Olivier who did the same thing while preparing for a role
Amused: David explained, ‘I will admit I put a penny between the cheeks of my butt and minced around the Isle of Briar. That’s the end of that one!’
In his memoir, he explained that he used the trick to figure out how to recreate the gait that Christie had described in her books ahead of his first camera test in costume for his ITV drama.
Once he had made sure he perfected Poirot’s gait, he no longer used the penny to force him to walk a certain way as it was ingrained in his memory.
Elsewhere in the interview, David said he would be interested in starring in another Poirot film, despite filming the entire canon during his tenure at ITV, including Christie’s final Poirot novel Curtain.
He explained that he’d love to reprise his iconic role as Hercule Poirot for a big-screen production of the mystery drama series, but he doubts it would get the green light.
Story: David has previously spoken about the unexpected method he used to create the walk of Agatha Christie’s iconic character in his memoir Poirot and Me, which was released in 2013
Practice: In his memoir, he explained he used the trick to figure out how to do the walk ahead of his first camera test in costume (pictured in character with Hugh Fraser and Phillip Jackson)
Asked if he would be keen to star in a film, he said: ‘I would be, but I don’t think I will be so I’m not going to expect so I won’t get disappointed.’
David starred as the eponymous detective in Dame Agatha Christie’s drama series from 1989 to 2013, and was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actor in 1991.
The show has recently been airing on TV screens across the globe, and he revealed his fan mail has doubled as a result of the repeats.
Got it: Once he had made sure he perfected Poirot’s gait, David no longer used the penny to force him to walk a certain way as it was ingrained in his memory
He added: ‘It’s absolutely extraordinary, I wasn’t expecting it. My fan mail has nearly doubled.
‘Around the world, letters are coming in, messages are coming, tweets are coming in. People are watching from South America, Australia, everywhere.
‘They’re watching the whole box set again and it’s so rewarding. Also, when I look at the television guide and see that I was on the whole weekend recently, I’m delighted.’
Why not? David also said he’d be interested in reprising his role in another Poirot film, despite filming the entire canon during his tenure at ITV (pictured in Murder on The Orient Express)
While the likes of Kenneth Branagh and John Malkovich have taken on the role of Hercule Poirot in the 2017 film adaptation Murder on the Orient Express and BBC’s 2018 adaptation of The ABC Murders respectively, David has not seen any other actors play his iconic character.
He explained: ‘Didn’t watch it, and I’ll tell you why. I’ll be absolutely honest with you.
‘It’s not right for me to have any opinion because usually they want to hear something negative. It’s not for me to do that, so I chose not to see them so that I don’t have an opinion.’
Successors: Kenneth Branagh portrayed Poirot in Murder On The Orient Express (pictured), which he also directed, but David says he ‘didn’t watch it’ to avoid having ‘an opinion’