In a possibly ironic twist of fate, one of late actor David Carradine’s final films centered around suicide.
In My Suicide, the late actor plays a wise old man described as “the poet of death,” who counsels a high schooler (Gabriel Sunday) who’s contemplating killing himself.
One scene features Carradine delivering a lengthy monologue, trying to explain to the teen boy that he should “kill” off the parts of himself he doesn’t like rather than committing suicide.
A producer of the film is nonprofit Regenerate Films, which is dedicated to preventing teen suicide.
The film won Best Picture at the Berlin Film Festival as well as Best Picture and Best Actor (for Sunday) at the Gen art festival in NYC. A release date for the film has not yet been set.
Details around Carradine’s death remain sketchy. The actor was found naked in a closet in a Bangkok hotel with a rope tied around his neck, wrists, and genitals. His family have asked the FBI to investigate whether or not the actor’s death was a suicide, but many continue to speculate that he died while performing an act of auto erotic asphyxiation.
According to papers filed by his ex-wife during 2003 divorce proceedings, Carradine had a history of indulging in “potentially deadly” kinky sex acts. She also claims that he would grope her and encourage her to flash strangers in public, and carried on a long term incestuous relationship with a “very close relative”.
File this right up there with “Walking in on Your Parents Having Sex” under “More Things You Wish You Didn’t Know.”
Ugh, enough press on this asshole. I worked as an extra on Kung Fu: The Legend Continues as one of Neve Campbell’s myriad of sports doubles. David Carradine was by far the most abrasive and self serving alcoholic I have ever had the misfortune of encountering. He called all women bitches, as in, ‘Get this bitch out of my face’ when asked for an autograph.
He was not good person, and he mistakenly offed himself in a very fitting manner. And engaging in a long-term incestuous relationship doesn’t hold a candle to walking in on your parents.
ok… so….. he was weird…
i used to like him.. but that is so much weirdness
I saw My Suicide at SXSW. It’s kind of unfortunate that it’ll get more press because of this, but it’s a really beautiful film that more people should be exposed to.
It kind of grosses me out watching tabloids go out of their way to dig up old dirt on someone just after they’ve died (same thing with Heath Ledger – so morbid and unnecessary).
he seemed a little arrogant and weird.
I used to love watching Kung Fu: The Legend Continues when I was a kid. I won’t be able to enjoy it again now that I know all this shit about him. Everyone has skeletons in their closet. I just wish they’d stay there.
skeletons in their closet? YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!
I get the whole “Augh! My childhood!!” thing, but I bet the weirdness of it eventually wears off. A lot of people like dangerous sex. I think this information — which I assume his wife revealed in his defense — makes him a lot more interesting.
> “A lot of people like dangerous sex.”
Jenn, that sounds like a confession.