McDowell calls 'Caligula' edits outrageous

NEW YORK, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- British actor Malcolm McDowell is speaking out about the script changes and editing that turned his epic "Caligula" into a notorious dirty joke.

In an interview with The Girls of Penthouse Magazine, McDowell recalled his outrage regarding how the 1979 movie was handled, as well as his distaste for the film's producer, former Penthouse publisher, Bob Guccione.

"I'm proud of the work I did in 'Caligula,'" McDowell told the magazine for its November/December issue. "There's no question about that. But there's all the raunchy stuff -- the blatant, modern-day porn that Bob introduced into the film after we'd finished shooting.

"That, to me, was an absolutely outrageous betrayal and quite unprecedented. Frankly, it showed that Bob had no class whatsoever."

McDowell said he signed on to the project without knowing who was backing the film because he liked Gore Vidal's original script.

"When Gore told me it was Bob Guccione, I asked, 'Isn't he a pornographer?' Gore said: 'Malcolm, just think of him as one of the Warner brothers. He just signs the checks!' Well, of course, that wasn't true ..."