What Someone Who Strongly Resembles Hannibal Heyes Had to Say About Hannibal Heyes

Observations by Pete Duel

On Hannibal Heyes
This whole thing happened so fast I don’t know him very well yet. We have to kind of find him as we go along. 1971

He is hunted by every posse, yet he is still able to laugh. It’s something I love him for. I try to be like that, but with so many problems besetting the world, from war to pollution and injustice, I find it difficult to keep smiling. 1971

On Playing Hannibal Heyes
I enjoy playing adventure with a touch of humor and that’s what I can do with Smith, a top outlaw-turned-law-abiding citizen. And after the roles I’ve had in recent years — ranging from drug addicts to draft dodgers — I welcome a role with humor. For openers, it gives me the opportunity to keep my comedy timing honed. I’m not complaining about the other roles I’ve played. They were all very contemporary, relevant characters which were extremely stimulating from an actor’s point of view. But as the outlaw with a generous dash of good in him, Heyes, alias Smith, is a period western chracter and there’s a great deal of variety I can give him. That’s where the fun comes in. 1971