10-12 | charliechaplinbio

"I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician."

– Charlie Chaplin

1939

I’ve always liked taking risks. In my career and my personal life, I have always taken risks. Although this might be the biggest one ever. I am going to write a comedy about Adolf Hitler. I know it is risky, my colleagues say it, my friends say it, everybody says it, but I was prepared for Hitler must be laughed at. Some people say that I can’t really do a comedy out of Hitler, but I believe that they are wrong. I think he is the best person to make a comedy out of. A new film makes me fired up as always, so I am always at the set these days. My wife Paulette seems kind of annoyed by it even though we work mostly in the set together and she has been working hard as well. I don’t think I can understand her any longer. We seem to be falling further and further apart every single day. I don’t want another failed marriage but luck doesn’t seem to agree with me. If only I could find my true love…

I don’t know why, but it seems that my luck with women is terrible. No, I am definitely not exaggerating. I have solid proof at last, thanks to Lita. She “was” my second wife. I don’t have to spell it out for you to understand that it wasn’t a happy marriage. We were forced to get married in the first place; because, she was pregnant with Charles. I didn’t have any feelings for her and it was hard even to stand near her so I tried to avoid her as much I could. I did spend a lot of my time in the set in those 2 years. Then one day out of nowhere, she took the kids and left home. She even applied for a divorce by accusing me of infidelity, abuse, and of harboring "perverted sexual desires". Then the news started talking about it and she almost ruined my reputation. Now, after paying her $600,000, I am continuing with my new film The Circus, but the film has been poisoned for me because of the divorce. Actually the divorce ruined EVERYTHING.

1977

This will probably be the last journal I’ll ever write again. It has been a long journey, old friend, but it was worth it in the end. At last in the age of, 54 I’ve finally found my true love, Oona. Although there has been some criticism about our age difference (36), I can’t imagine anyone else I’d want to spend the rest of my life with. Now, I live in Switzerland with Oona and my children. It is real quiet here, if you compare with US. I can’t really complain though. Even though I made the Great Dictator, most people liked it, and there were only criticism about my last speech which makes me think that I am very lucky. Though when Joan claimed that she had my baby, it wasn’t very lucky for me. Or the time when they tried to ban me from entering US for- what was it? Oh yeah, “supporting” communist ideas; that wasn’t lucky for me either. Apparently the government doesn’t like movies that show the bad sides of capitalism like Monsieur Verdoux. Well, they couldn’t ban me from the country in the end but I left the US anyway. Whether I re-entered that unhappy country or not was of little consequence to me. I would like to have told them that the sooner I was rid of that hate-beleaguered atmosphere the better, that I was fed up of America's insults and moral pomposity. I am glad that I left. Now I can live happily with my family, and go to the eternal sleep with them around me. I really am grateful for everything I received from life. I have no regrets...