Clive Owen says David Bowie inspired him to become an actor

“Bowie probably has more to do with me being an actor than any actors,” Owen told Variety at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic. 

“He showed me that you can create worlds,” Clive says. “My imagination was fired — that was the beginning of going into acting. It was Bowie that provoked my understanding of the art.”

Variety notes that Owen said he has no intention of ever trying to play Bowie in a project.

While Bowie, who passed away in 2016, is known mostly for music, he did dabble in acting throughout his career. He appeared in such films as 1976’s The Man Who Fell To Earth, and 1986’s Absolute Beginners and Labyrinth, as well as Martin Scorsese’s 1988 film The Last Temptation of Christ, 2006’s The Prestige and more.