Surreal stand-up, versatile actor and Labour Party activist Eddie Izzard is set to hit the road with ‘greatest-hits’ tour The Remix, is popping up in cinemas with Doctor Jekyll, and will appear soon on TV in heist drama Culprits. In our Q&A, the Yemen-born entertainer discusses a bonkers song that always gets her on the dance floor, that time she won a blue football, and why Anthony Hopkins is so good.

Who would you like to see playing you in the movie about your life? Who do you think the casting people would choose? Jessica Chastain. That’s my choice. The casting people choose, I think, Jessica Chastain, because they’d be very sensible casting producers. 

What’s the punchline to your favourite joke? Do you have any carrots?

If you were to return in a future life as an animal, what would it be? Tiger. Because I was born a water tiger in the Chinese Zodiac in February 1962.

If you were playing in an escape room, name two other people you’d recruit to help you get out? Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela. They are my spirit guides in the political world. So I would recruit them.

When was the last time you were mistaken for someone else and what were the circumstances? People used to occasionally mistake me for Julian Clary. And I thought that very surprising because he was much prettier than I am. 

What’s the best cover version ever? 

Sinéad O’Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’.

Whose speaking voice soothes your ears? I think Anthony Hopkins is fantastic. He has a great voice for acting and anything else he wants to put his voice to.

Tell us something you wish you had discovered sooner in life? Enjoy every positive moment.

If you were to start a tribute act to a band or singer, who would it be in tribute to and what would it be called? The Beatles. Why don’t we call it The Pale Imitation? Because it’s The Beatles, you could only be a pale imitation.

Describe your perfect Saturday evening? Watching a classic black-and-white movie. With dinner before. So dinner and a movie, and they could be in or could be out. 

If you were a ghost, who would you haunt?  Is this positive or negative haunting? Because for good haunting it would be Marilyn Monroe. I think she needed a spirit guide. It’d be nice to be a good spirit to try and help someone like her. Bad haunting: Hitler.

If you could relive any day of your life, which one would it be? My sixth birthday. I didn’t know it was the last one with my mother. She died just under a month later.

What’s your earliest recollection of winning something? I won a blue football in the St John’s school sack race. I was six. I won it by a country mile.

Did you have a nickname at school that you were OK with? And can you tell us a nickname you hated? I didn’t really have a hated one. I used to argue so much that people didn’t really pick on me. But I was called ‘Wizz’ occasionally by one kid, which I thought was quite nice.

When were you most recently astonished by something? The positivity to marriage equality. Some people are quite transphobic but a lot of people are really positive. The general positivity around the world from lots of countries has been a wonderful thing. It’s for love; you can’t get enough love in the world.

As an adult, what has a child said to you that made a powerful impact? A young girl said she liked my dress. I just thought it was very simple, accepting and powerful. When I came out 38 years ago, I never thought I’d get to that place.

What tune do you find it impossible not to get up and dance to, whether in public or private? ‘Groove Is In The Heart’ by Deee-Lite. It’s bonkers so I like it.

Which famous person would be your ideal holiday companion? Anthony Hopkins again. He’s just got a great sense of humour. I love the fact that he’d already gone to bed when he won his second Oscar.

Tell us one thing about yourself that would surprise people? I can fly a plane. I had a fear of flying so I learned to fly and got my pilot’s licence 20 years ago.

When did you last cry? The last good movie I watched on an aeroplane. I don’t remember what it was. I get emotional at 30,000 feet. It’s all to do with air pressure. 

What’s the most hi-tech item in your home? A present from last Christmas: a small dog that sings ‘Jingle Bells’ when you press its paw. 

What’s a skill you’d love to learn but never got round to? I would love to be able to blow glass. In your senior years you should be learning new skills, learning new languages and doing crosswords. 

By decree of your local council, you’ve been ordered to destroy one room in your house and all of its contents. Which room do you choose? Can I choose the toilet?

If you were selected as the next 007, where would you pick as your first luxury destination for espionage? Kathmandu. It’s just an amazing place to be.

Eddie Izzard: The Remix tour runs from Wednesday 8 November–Tuesday 5 December; Doctor Jekyll is in cinemas now; Culprits starts on Disney+, Wednesday 8 November.