O'Toole leapt to take on Jeffrey Bernard role. after reading script...
From today's Guardian Unlimited: "Waterhouse crafted the play by distilling Jeff's wonderful Low Life columns in The Spectator, and by adding a large measure of his own comic genius he fashioned one of the funniest plays in the English language. The script was so good that when Waterhouse first sent a copy to Peter O'Toole he received a message on his answering machine cursing him for altering the actor's life. O'Toole had intended to take the following year off work, but the prospect of doing the play so excited him he decided he must commit to it immediately."
(full article)
Under Milk Wood is slated for DVD release on August 9th. (amazon.ca)