John Cleese: 'Writing is much harder than acting'

John Cleese has said that he finds writing much more rewarding than acting.

The Monty Python star explained that he considers writing to be a true test of one's creativity.

He told Fairfax Media: "Obviously I do act sometimes, but I've always thought of myself as a writer. I'm much prouder that I can write than [that] I can act, mainly because there are so many people who can act well, a surprising number.

"Very few people can write well. It's much harder. The irony is, it's much worse pay."

Cleese also revealed that he never worries when his work is criticised.

He explained: "One of the things that you learn, quite seriously, as you get older is that very few people know what they're talking about. When Python started, almost nobody at the BBC - people who make their living in television - thought it was any good. The critics didn't mention it. It took about a year before people began to say it's very original and good.

"Fawlty Towers - the first few reviews we got [were] no good at all… So after you've had two or three decades of that, you begin to realise that very few people - executives, critics or whatever - really have any idea what they're talking about. When I look back, I think it's interesting that the critics didn't think I had anything special."

Cleese recently revealed that he's considering moving out of America because he objects to the country's divisive political system.

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