Q 6

PLAYBOY: Do you think there's any connection between the attraction of Dracula today and the kind of kinkiness that exists in people's attitudes toward sex?

Frank Langella: None at all. Dracula is the antithesis of kinky to me. By kinky I presume you mean using whips and chains and lots of dope and hanging from shower curtains, and that you would include people who need all kinds of special gear. But Dracula represents just the opposite. He's pure sex, one-on-one sex, the kind of sex that most people in their heart of hearts really want. Which is why people are so attracted to him. With Dracula, there are no accouterments. He wants one thing, and he goes about getting it in one particular way. He doesn't need special lights; he doesn't need vibrators or any other paraphernalia. Dracula suggests the most romantic kind of sex.

Q 7

PLAYBOY: But you said he represented pure sex. Do you consider that the same as romantic sex?

Frank Langella: Oh, it's the best sex, absolutely the best. By pure I mean that the ideal kind of sex--to my way of thinking and, I believe, to Dracula's--is that kind of sex in which a man and a woman are totally connected to each other, aware of each other, have all their senses about them and are sharing each other's bodies without what you might call those "kinky" extra attractions. As for Dracula, perhaps romantic is a better word for him than pure, but in the 80-odd years since he was created, and especially in recent time, I think that he has been kinkisized. We've seen Dracula's cousin and Dracula's dog, Dracula this and Dracula that. I wanted to restore the character as a pure, romantic, dignified and elegant man, one who really does want to find one special woman, just as most men want to find one special woman. And as most women want to find one special man. Perhaps my thinking is contrary to the current mode, but none of that extracurricular stuff--ménages à trois, bisexuality, homosexuality, etc.--is anywhere near as good as sex with one person. Basically, what every human being wants is a partner he can love and share with on every possible level. And if you're lucky enough ever to have that in your life, you realize how much better it is than anything else.

Q 8

PLAYBOY: You married about two years ago, relatively late in life for a first marriage. Was that a conscious decision?

Frank Langella: I'd always felt a man should marry later in life. Actually, I didn't expect to marry until I was into my 40s. So I married earlier than I'd planned to--at 37. But I didn't marry until I wanted to.

Q 9

PLAYBOY: Why do so many people have trouble finding that special relationship?

Frank Langella: Because they're conditioned to believe that somebody, something, some object better than what they've got is waiting around the corner. And that extraordinary numbers of bed partners and bedroom techniques are more exciting than the togetherness of two people. But I firmly believe that you can't be emotionally free until you're emotionally committed. And I have a sense that today people are beginning to rediscover the joys of a relationship with one person.

Q 10

PLAYBOY: Some people have suggested that in this era of random bed-hopping, kinky sex is a way of trying to establish instant intimacy and trust between strangers. How do you feel about that?

Frank Langella: The best kind of kinky sex is to have kinky sex with your wife or husband, the person you love. Yes, you're right in that sense, because it does establish an intimacy between two people who decide to trust each other and love each other in that way. There are no taboos in bed, and there shouldn't be any taboos in bed. But how much better if it's all between you and one other person with whom you're already intimate.

Q 11

PLAYBOY: There are women who would probably sacrifice their homes and husbands for one night with you. Have women ever swooned over you? Do they scream and try to tear your clothes off?

Frank Langella: Yes, if you mean at the stage door. That can be a very heady experience. I don't really mind very much, as long as I don't ever begin to believe any of it. Actually, people are very good with me. Even the mobs outside the theater for Dracula never exuded anything but warmth and love. And I liked it. I always signed autographs when I could and always stayed and chatted with them when I could.

Q 12

PLAYBOY: How do you say no to a proposition if you aren't interested?

Frank Langella: I say, "No." I'm a firm believer in absolute honesty.