
Welcome to Random Roles, wherein we talk to actors about the characters who defined their careers. The catch: They donāt know beforehand what roles weāll ask them to talk about.
The actor: Daniel Stern started his career in the theater, but when he jumped in front of the camera for the first time, it was with a sizable role in the successful film Breaking Away. With that high profile, Stern found himself with regular work right out of the gate, including both leading roles (Diner) and memorable supporting roles (Blue Thunder). By the late ā80s and early ā90s heād become recognizable not just his by face, which was familiar from roles in Home Alone and City Slickers, but for his voice, which could be heard every week narrating ABCās The Wonder Years. Currently, Stern is in the WGN atomic-bomb drama, Manhattan.
Manhattan (2014-present)āāGlen Babbitā
Daniel Stern: My character is one of the showās big thinkers. He understands the bigger concepts. But one of my jobs in the function of Los Alamos as well as in the function of the show is to oversee Frank, John Benjamin Hickeyās character. If youāve seen the show, youāve seen that Frankās a very eccentric genius. He has very little in the way of social skills, and, you know, you can be as much of a genius as you want, but you still need to translate that into practicality. If thereās a conduit between that genius and the guy who puts it all together, then thatās my role: to help make our scientists interface with the military better. Iām the consigliere in that way. My character also has a genius understanding of the science, but I serve an emotional role as well.
The A.V. Club: The bigger question, though, is if you already had the beard before you got the part.
DS: You bet I did. Iāve been preparing for this role for my entire life! [Laughs.] No, I started with this little beard, and I thought, āTheyāre going to make me trim it down,ā but they said, āNo, grow it big and wild!ā So Iāve got the mad-scientist beard.
AVC: How much did you know about this particular historical era going into Manhattan?
DS: I knew there was a bomb⦠[Laughs.] No, I didnāt know hardly anything about Los Alamos. I knew about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I knew the results, I knew the horror of that and the ramifications of that horror up to today, but this kind of secret community and the race against the clock against the Nazis and the Japanese? This was all new to me, especially the social part of it. The science is interesting and incredible, but the culture that was created in this Los Alamos environmentāI had no idea. And thatās really what our storyās aboutāthe building of a community as much as the making of a bomb.
AVC: Did you have a desire to look for more information about the program, or did you prefer to just stick to what was in the script?
DS: Well, we went to Los Alamos, and we have a great technical advisor there to answer questions. I wanted to know the general workings of it, but my mind doesnāt really work that way. I want to know what my characterās doing, what the other characters are doing, what the inner workings are and the interpersonal stuff. Thatās really what my job is: to communicate those things. I can fake the science as much as I need to. [Laughs.] Itās not that Iām not interested in it. Itās just that my job is the emotional side of it. Thatās how I feel about it, anyway.
AVC: On the surface, Manhattan would seem to be more of a miniseries event than a proper series. Did you have any concerns about its possible longevityāor lack thereofāgoing into it?
DS: I did wonder about that, but what was inspiring was that when I said, āI know how this ends, so how does it go on?ā Sam [Shaw, series creator] said, āIt doesnāt end there. In some ways, the story just begins when we drop the bomb.ā Thereās so much story after the bomb is dropped. Why did we do it? Did we need to do it? What are the ramifications? The creation of the superpowers, the military secrets that continued after thatāthereās so much story after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which are obviously enormous turning points. So if you look at it as if itās about the creation of the bomb, then, yes, it would have a shorter shelf life.
But itās not about that. Itās about the lives of the people. Thereās a beginning, a middle, andāthere is no end to that story yet, is there? Because weāre still trying to figure out how we deal with nuclear weapons, war, and who we fight and who our enemies are, what secrets we keep, and how to keep a society safe. Itās all the same questions! So I love that about the show, and I love that about Samās vision for the show: that it doesnāt just end with the bomb dropping. So youāve asked a very good question, and I hope that helps answer it for you, because it answered it for me, and itās made me very excited about the series.
Breaking Away (1979)āāCyrilā
Starting Over (1979)āāStudent #2ā
AVC: Itās been said that your first film was Breaking Away, but youāve also got a credit as āStudent #2ā in Starting Over, which sure sounds like a first-film sort of character name.
DS: No, it was Breaking Away. I was on film as a kid in high schoolāwhen I was doing Fiddler On The Roof, they filmed it for a local stationābut that doesnāt really count. [Laughs.] No, my first movie ever was Breaking Away. I stumbled into an incredible part in a movie that was incredible to be a part of. Peter Yates, the director, became a lifelong friend. He sort of plucked me from obscurity and gave me a life.
AVC: How was the experience of being on camera after having only had a background in theater?
DS: I think Peter Yates set a tone where it was very natural. It was a very unpretentious set. It was very low-key. I mean, it was a small-budget movie. I think it was a $2 million budget, all unknown actors, a six-week shoot, and all on location. So it didnāt have a Hollywood glitz to it. It felt like we were hanging out at the quarry or at the guysā house. It was a very un-intimidating set. I remember my first days of shootingāI was doing a scene in a bowling alley or fighting in a fight or something like that, but I think back on my first days, and⦠I was very comfortable! And, again, I think that was Peter setting a tone. I think the other guys had done a movie or two, but he knew I didnāt know what I was doing. [Laughs.] And he guided me accordingly.
AVC: When we talked to Jackie Earle Haley, he said he was āalmost never actually the guy on the bike,ā but that heād never been much of a bicyclist, anyway. Did you walk away from Breaking Away sick of biking?
DS: I hate them. [Laughs.] I hate bicycles, and I never want to be on one again as long as I live! But people come up to me who love bicycles and say, āOh, it changed my life! I was into it!ā It was so sweet when I was directing [an episode of Manhattan] the other day. The crew here is absolutely fantastic, but on my last day of directing, the grip department had all bought Cutters T-shirts. There were six of them, and they all had Cutters T-shirts. They all love it. Theyāre all bicycle heads or whatever. It still lives, amazingly, 35 years later.
Hometown (1985)āāNathanā
AVC: Was Hometown was your first series-regular gig?
DS: Yeah, it was. Boy, yeah, but I donāt remember a lot about that one. [Laughs.] That was, like, the precursor to thirtysomething. That was sort of the feel of it. I think I played a chef or something? You know, mostly I was having my second kid right then, and she was born right in the middle of shooting, so thatās really what I remember from that time. And the actors were great: John Bedford Lloyd and Franc Luz. I had friends in it. But that was one of theāI hate to say itāless memorable roles. That was a random one, and itās come and gone.
AVC: Did it leave you with a taste for doing more TV, or were you quite happy to go back to the movies?
DS: Yeah, the film thing was better for me. It wasnāt quite the commitment, and it was a little⦠[Hesitates.] I mean, itās strange. Even in Manhattan, although I love it, youāre signing up for a show and you donāt really know what youāre going to be doing, you know? With movies, I know what the part is from start to finish, but this keeps evolving every week. Hometown did, too. But that one didnāt evolve quite as cleanly or as interestingly as this one is evolving. So thereās a lot of fun to this TV series thing, of being ready for whatever theyāre going to throw at you the next time, but thereās also something solid about going into a project where you know the beginning, middle, and end of it when you start. And I like that, too.
Very Bad Things (1998)āāAdam Berkowā
DS: [Grins.] Now thatās a good movie. I donāt know if youāve seen it, but that was a crazy, dark, horribly funny movie. I had the best time. Peter Bergās first venture as a director, and⦠I watch his movies now, and he has a gift for winding people out, to get them really hot. He wants the movie to start at ā9ā on the dial. āAnd weāll move our way up to 10, 15, and 20!ā [Laughs.] So the intensity of those scenes were really fun. And it was a great character! I mean, I donāt remember a ton about it, but I just kind of got to go insane. And Jeremy [Piven] runs me over, I think. Yeah, my brother kills me! It just got more and more violent, and crazier and funnier. I loved doing that part, and I loved being part of that ensemble. It was really fun. Cameron Diaz was crazy. Everybody was crazy. So thatās a very good character. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
AVC: Where does it fall with your comedic sensibilities? Do you skew toward dark comedy?
DS: I enjoyed doing it. I donāt know if I could create it. [Laughs.] I donāt know if I could write that dark. But I can certainly play that dark! When itās by somebody else, Iām happy to go on that ride. I mean, weāre digging the graves, there are body parts, and weāre fumbling around with blood and dead hookers. That was funny and crazy and dark, and I loved playing it. Again, I donāt know if I could create it, but I certainly loved being a part of it!
Whip It (2009)āāEarl Cavendarā
DS: Oh, yeah. That was sweet. You know, that movie reminded me a bit of Breaking Away, in a way, in that it was sports themed and coming-of-age. And it was interesting that I was the dad. Iāve been in the movie business long enough that Iāve moved to being the Paul Dooley character in Breaking Away! [Laughs.] But Drew [Barrymore] was tremendousāa very emotional director. You know, very in touch with the feelings of the characters. I love working for other actors who can convey that to you. And Ellen [Page] was a star. I loved it. You know, I was a solid dad, helping his kid realize her dream. I thought it was a classic coming-of-age movie, and I was very, very proud to be part of it. I donāt think I did anything totally crazy in that, but I feel like it was a solid character. I liked the character, but I loved the movie.
AVC: You gave it a hint of respectability.
DS: [Incredulous.] I gave it a hint of respectability? [Laughs.] I think it had a lot of respectability without me. I was just glad to be a part of it.
C.H.U.D. (1984)āāA.J. āReverendā Shepherdā
DS: Now that was a genius movie. Thatās a movie that we put together, just friends. Everybody in it was a friend. Our friend [Shep Abbott] wrote it. He had the idea for C.H.U.D. John Heard, Christopher Curry, and I starred in it. The director [Douglas Cheek] was a friend. And that part of the reverend wasnāt even in the original script, but I wrote it. We wanted to do this movie together, and there wasnāt really a part for me, so I helped write that part into the movie. So it was sort of a custom-made part for me. [Laughs.]
It was just a blast. I mean, a summer in the sewers of New York? What better way is there to spend your summer? [Laughs.] But we got to make our movie, you know? And if you look at it now, itās got Jay Thomas showing up. John Goodman shows up. Itās just our old buddies, and it was really guerrilla theater at its finest for us. And the part was great. I mean, I got to go climb through the sewers and find the bad guys and shoot a gun. I blew something up. I donāt knowāitās just a good, action-y part. And in the end, once weād done it, the producer⦠[Starts to laugh.] Now, it has these weird monsters in it, right? These bad, slimy creatures. But when we shot it originally, there were no green monsters in it. The people who turned to C.H.U.D.s were just actors who turned into cannibals. But then in order to sell it as a horror movie, they added in these terrible slimy things. It wasnāt quite what weād wanted to make it, but the experience of making it really showed me how to make a movie. That was the first time Iād been on the ground floor of writing it, and the director was a good friend, and Claire Simpson, whoās turned into a world-class editorāI got to sit in the editing room and help her go through it. So that was a great learning experience, too.
AVC: Plus, it gave the world one of the great acronyms of pop culture.
DS: When Shepāthe original writerāsaid āC.H.U.D.,ā we just said, āWhatās āC.H.U.D.ā?ā We had a stencil, and we went around New York and just sprayed the word āC.H.U.D.ā Because it was just such a hook kind of a word, you know? Everybody wanted to know what āC.H.U.D.ā was. And when we were writing itāit was āCannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers,ā but the plot point we added was that it was actually the disposal site: āContamination Hazard Urban Disposal.ā That was the secret of C.H.U.D. They did a C.H.U.D. II a few years later. What was it, Bud The C.H.U.D. or C.H.U.D. The Bud? Something horrible. [Laughs.] But Iāve actually had an idea of doing C.H.U.D. as a musical. A Broadway musical.
AVC: Is this a scoop? Can we say, āYou heard it here firstā?
DS: You heard it here first! Yep. Iāve got two songs written for it, actually. It could be interesting. I mean, itās like I said: Itās C.H.U.D. I think that grabs people! So Iām working on it. When Iām looking for investors, Iāll let you know. [Laughs.]
Frankenweenie (1984)āāBen Frankensteinā
DS: Hey, Iāve had a pretty good career! [Laughs.] That was Tim Burtonās first movie. Again, the role was the dad, and I donāt remember a lot about the role, but I certainly remember the experience itself, seeing a genius birth himself. Tim had done an animated stop-motion thingāI canāt remember what it was called, but it was a short film [Vincent]ābut this was his first live-action film. It was only a half-hour. Disney was going to use it as, like, the opener for an animated film, although I donāt think they ever released it that way. But to see Tim and his design conceptsāand when you walked on the set and it was this gothic stuffāTim shot a lot from forced perspectives to get these very weird looks to it. I mean, itās his signature look that he sort of developed on that. It was incredible to be a part of it and watching that young man get his first try at it. And, like I said, I got to watch Peter Berg start his thing and see him find his legs. These first-time directorsāIāve had some great experiences, but Tim was one of the geniuses I got to take my little chance on. It was like, āA half-hour film? What is that?ā But I saw his little short, and I said, āI want to be with that guy!ā And Shelley Duvall was in it, too.
AVC: He gave you a āspecial thanksā credit when he did the full-length version of Frankenweenie in 2012.
DS: [Surprised.] Really? Thatās nice to hear! Well, Iāll give him one on my next movie, then. Iām sure itāll mean a lot to him. [Laughs.] But, no, thatās really sweet. I didnāt know heād done that.
A Christmas Story 2 (2012)āāThe Old Manā
AVC: I admit, Iām particularly curious about this one.
DS: Uh, yeah. Iām curious about it, too. [Laughs.] That one⦠I havenāt seen that one. Did you watch it?
AVC: I did not. Iāve seen the previews, and itās, uhā¦
DS: Yeahāprobably not that great a thing. I mean, the originalāthat was a sweet Christmas-y story, and itās dear to a lot of people. Itās sort of in competition with the Home Alone movies as a favorite Christmas movie. When people said, āOh, the first one, thatās my favorite Christmas movie, youāve got to do it,ā I was like, āOh, well, all right.ā Iāve got a crowd that sort of relates me to Christmas, so it seemed like I could do that. But they shot it really fast, and Iām not sure how that one turned out. I hope it didnāt disparage the original, because I know A Christmas Story is very near and dear to a lot of people. But I took a swing, and⦠[Shrugs.] It was fun.
AVC: Did you go back and watch Darren McGavinās performance in the original?
DS: I did not. Because it was too iconic. Although I asked them if I was supposed to be that guy, and the answer was, like, āNot really,ā because itās not only Darren McGavin whoās played him. When I found out about that part, I guess that characterās story has been told a number of times, and different people have played him.
AVC: Yeah, Charles Grodin played āThe Old Manā in My Summer Story.
DS: Right. So itās an ongoing thing, and itās all based on Jean Shepherdās work, so it was interesting and flattering to be a part of that history. I just donāt know if this was the best of the best. [Laughs.] But at least Iām still part of it!
My Blue Heaven (1990)āāWill Stubbsā
DS: I thought I was cut out of that movie.
AVC: No, youāre definitely in it long enough for Rick Moranis to kick your ass.
DS: [Laughs.] I honestly had no idea if that made it in. I enjoyed working with Rick and Joan Cusack, but I couldnāt have told you what I did until you mentioned it. For whatever reason, Iād gotten the feeling that Iād been cut out of it. I never saw it. Either way, it apparently wasnāt a memorable part for me. But the people were nice. Steve Martin was certainly a nice guy.
Workaholics (2013)āāTravis Rockneā
DS: That was a blast. I just think those guys are the funniest, guys on television. They called me to do that, and it was a good, crazy character. I loved how horrible I looked. I scared the shit out of myself with that moustache. [Laughs.] And my wife left town while I was shooting that because she didnāt want to look at me that way. I got to go a little crazyāand thatās tough to do when those guys are so crazy to begin withābut I had a blast with that one.
AVC: Had you been aware of the show before they called you up?
DS: Oh, yeah, Iād watched every episode! Iāve never really done a guest spot on a TV show before. I had no interest in being on anything, not even Friends or those sorts of shows. But Workaholics, I just laughed my head off every week, and when those kids called and asked me to do that, I said, āYeah! Thatāll be fun to play with those boys!ā
Otis (2008)āāWill Lawsonā
DS: I donāt remember much of the character, but I really thought that movie was funny and crazy. Really good actors in it, too. Dark, dark humor, though. Kind of the same bizarre sense of humor as Very Bad Things, where youāre laughing at really horrible things. I guess thereās just a part of me that likes to participate in that. [Laughs.]
Celtic Pride (1996)āāMike OāHaraā
DS: Oh, wow! Yeah, well, that was one of the best movies I ever did. Thatās another one where Iāve never seen the movie, so I donāt know how good it actually is, but I got to spend an entire month on the floor of the old Boston Garden, on the parquet, playing basketball with real NBA players. I mean, that was a fantasy come true. I used to play basketball in high school a little bit and just love the game, so I got to hang out with Larry Bird and Bob Cousy and Kevin McHale, and play Horse with Gus Johnson and beat him at that. So it was a dream part in that way. I donāt remember what the hell I did in the movie. [Laughs.] But it was the greatest part I ever got.
AVC: You were also working with one of Judd Apatowās early scripts.
DS: Thatās right, yeah! And Dan [Aykroyd] was genius. I just saw Dan on The Tonight Show the other night. It made me miss him and love him. He was one of the funniest, most generous people Iāve ever met in my life. And Damon [Wayans] was fun, andāwell, again, the basketball was just crazy. I mean, forget about what was going on in the movie. Just between shots, it was all basketball, all the time, soāI was a pig in shit, as they say. [Laughs.]
One-Trick Pony (1980)āāHare Krishnaā
DS: Oh shit, yeah! Thatās another one whereāI guess Iāve never really mapped my career, as far as why one would take different parts, but that one, my musical idol my whole lifeāeven stillāhas been Paul Simon, and Paul asked me to play that part. But it was a bizarre job, because I think the scene takes place at the airport, so I flew into wherever it was⦠I donāt even know where it was, because I never left the airport. [Laughs.]
I think it was Cleveland. So I flew into Cleveland, shot the scene all night, hung out with Paul and his brother, Eddie, who was visiting and had a huge camper parked at the airport. I played guitar and sang with Paul Simon and Eddie Simon all night. Weād go from the camper to the scene in the airport. We did that for 12 hours, and then I got on the plane again and went home. I never even went to whatever the hell city it was. Iām pretty sure it was Cleveland, but I honestly canāt say, because I never left the airport. But a chance to play music with Paul and Eddie Simon? Maybe thatās the best part I ever had. Maybe Iām judging my career in the wrong light. [Laughs.]
AVC: Hey, if you enjoyed the experience, thatās half the battle.
DS: No, thatās the whole battle, as it turns out! [Laughs.]
The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)āāHerbie Plattā
DS: Yeah, I loved that part, actually. That was a very sweet character to play. He was a naĆÆve social worker who came to this town, and I was sort of entrusted with bringing the audience into this world that Robert Redford created. David Ward wrote the screenplay, and obviously John Nichols wrote the book. It was a magical place and a magical movie to make. It still holds up. I mean, it was genius. And, you know, acting against Christopher Walken, John Heard, and Sonia Bragaājust a cast of great actors. I loved it. I loved the part, but BobāI mean, Robert Redfordāhe was a great film-acting teacher. Heās one of the major movie stars and really knows how to be an actor in front of the camera, and he really taught me so much during that experience about how to act for the camera and be aware of the lenses. It sort of made me want to move toward directing when I saw how detailed he was about not only the design and stuff but knowing what lens youāre on. If youāre in a super-tight shot, if youāre in a wide shot, you might act different. He was a great teacher. So it was another great experience.
Iām Dancing As Fast As I Can (1982)āāJimā
Home Alone (1990) / Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992)āāMarv Merchantsā
DS: Well, what can you say about Marv and Harry that has not been said? The humanity, the subtlety of those characters is beyond compare of anything that I think has ever been performed on the film.
AVC: Sure.
DS: [Laughs.] Yeah, you know, that was just so fun and funny and silly and laughing all the time. Especially that second movie, man. Everybody already knew we were idiots, so we didnāt have to pretend to be scary at the beginning. We just were cartoony. Hell, Iāve never felt so funny or laughed so hard at other people being funny as I did during those movies, and the fact that people still love them and watch them with their familiesāit touched a lot of people. And itās touched me in a lot of ways. Those movies have been an introduction to me for people all over the world. Children recognized me from Home Alone in Baghdad when I was visiting the troops there. When I was in Japan, when I was in Alaska, Australiaāeverywhere Iāve gone in my life since then, people know Home Alone. Itās an amazing way to walk through a life, to have people come up to you all the time and say, āOh, I love you! Youāre so funny!ā Thatās a pretty special gift Iāve been given by those Home Alone movies.
AVC: How was it working with Joe Pesci?
DS: [Laughs.] Pesci is a nut. Joe and I had worked togetherāand I donāt think youāre going to ask me about this character, unless youāre just going to be going through everything in my fucking IMDB listingāon Iām Dancing As Fast As I Can. But I did this movie many years ago, and Joey and I met on that movie. We played two guys in a mental institution and had a lot of laughs doing that, even though it wasnāt a comedy. So I love Joe. Joeās a hero of mine. I mean, heās one of the most amazing actors. Iāve seen him be serious and Iāve seen him be silly, andāheās a cranky guy, but thatās what makes him even funnier. So I love Joey.
What you should really emphasizeāand it should probably either be in the headline of the article or you should write an article just about thisāis that Joe Pesci is one of the greatest jazz singers of all time that Iāve ever heard. He doesnāt even record under his own name, but he started as a singer, and heās got an album you should look up where heās called Joe Doggs, and he plays it with this other cool cat who plays the organ [Joey DeFrancesco]. Seriously, Pesciās one of the great jazz singers Iāve ever heard. So thereās a scoop for you. [Laughs.] He never talks about it, and he almost never does it in public, but holy shit. His phrasing is classic, his voice is clear and high, and he sings these old classic songs. Iāve only found one album, but thereās another rare one that I could never find. Joe Doggs, man, Iām telling you. You should really look it up.
The Wonder Years (1988-1993)āāKevin Arnold, The Narratorā
AVC: You said people recognize your face for your work in Home Alone, but your voice is just as recognizable for some because of your narration for The Wonder Years.
DS: Yeah, thatās another one that just sort of touched people in a deep way for a long time, and continues to. Iād never played a character just with my voice, but it turned out that was a very full character. It wasnāt just a narrator, it was really sort of getting inside his head or inside his life, and they wrote me beautiful things to say. Funny or sarcastic or emotional or sort of the meta-picture of the world and how time warps with nostalgia. Every week I told another story, and it really changed me as an actor and a writer and a director. Truly being a storyteller made me understand, oh, thatās what I do! [Laughs.] Yeah, I do some acting, I do direct and I write a little bit, and I sculpt, and I do all these things. But what I really am is a storyteller. I mean, I obviously really was a storyteller on that show. But what I mean is that it changed me as an artist by revealing that Iām a storyteller no matter what position Iām playing at any given time. So, yeah, The Wonder Years really pointed that out to meāhelped me to understand my own mission or career or whatever, and it provided some real coherence.
AVC: How did you get the gig in the first place? Was it an audition, or did they come looking for you specifically?
DS: No, they wanted to do an audition where you didnāt say your name. You just went into a studio and you read the thing, or read some of it, anyway. But they didnāt want to know anyoneās name, because they just wanted to do it blind and just go off of the voices. But when I got the job, Neal [Marlens] and Carol [Black], the writers of it, said, āOh yeah, we always had you in mind!ā I was like, āWell, then what was with the whole secret audition?ā [Laughs.] But it was a good way to do it. I never took any billing on that show, because I never wanted the voice to be separate from the character. My agent thought I was stupid to not take a credit, but I always felt that there should just be one Kevin Arnold, and I just wanted you to be inside his head and not have it be āKevin Arnold, narrated by Daniel Stern.ā It all had to be Kevin Arnold⦠and Fred Savage was Kevin Arnold.
Little Monsters (1989)āāGlen Stevensonā
AVC: You were already doing The Wonder Years by the time you played Fredās father in Little Monsters, right? In other words, it wasnāt just, like, the biggest coincidence ever.
DS: [Laughs.] No, by then I was already friends with Fred, his brother Ben, and their parents, who I love. That sort of came together. I guess it was a sweet movie, but I donāt know if I ever saw that one, either! We had a great time in Wilmington, North Carolina, though. We had a little house on the beach, and we went rafting. Back east, you donāt boogie-board, but you had these old inflatable rafts that youād ride waves in. I lived next door to a batting cage, so I did that and went surfing, and thatās pretty much all I did when I wasnāt making the movie!
Dilbert (1999-2000)āāDilbertā
AVC: Was Dilbert the direct result of your voice work on The Wonder Years?
DS: I guess so, yeah. After The Wonder Years, I ended up having a voiceover career, which was something I never even knew was possible. But after the character I was playing on The Wonder Years, people said, āOh, would you like to do a Burger King thing? And thereās a 7 Up thingā¦ā And then I got to do Dilbert. I think my voice kind of fit for that. I understood why Larry Charles wanted me for that. It was great to work for Larry. But Iād never done an animated thingāI hadnāt before, and I havenāt sinceāso it was a good learning experience. The scripts were funny, and it was an iconic character. So, yeah, funny stuff and a good commentary on life, I thought, but it didnāt really run long enough to completely find its way. You know, those things take time to develop, andāI donāt know, did that run two years or something?
AVC: Two seasons, yeah.
DS: Yeah, I thought so. So, yeah, it was beautiful. It was great, and I loved it. And those are keen jobs. You just go in, read your thing, and you leave. You can do it in your underwear. [Laughs.] And most jobs you can do in your underwear, you wouldnāt want. But that one, you do.
Diner (1982)āāLaurence āShrevieā Schreiberā
DS: Shrevie was a very awesome character, and it was a very full acting experience. A great part to play. At the time, I was newly married and figuring out, āOh, Iām the only married guy. Can I still run around with my friends, or do I have to stay home and be married all the time? How does this work?ā So it was a very parallel experience going on in my life and the characterās life. And we bonded quite deeply with each other as actors and as friends. We shot most of that during the night. Weād go to work at 6 at night and weād get off at 6 or 7 in the morning, and then weād go back to the hotel and have Bloody Marys and drink till 11, then weād go to sleep and get up and do it again. So life was backwards, but we all shared it.
And that was Barry [Levinsonās] first movie. He was a ballsy man. [Laughs.] He was having us improvise half of that movie. A lot of the diner things were just sort of riffing. You really had to know your parts in that one. You had to know what you were supposed to say even when there were no lines to say. You just had to kind of throw your stuff in that you knew had to be in there in the middle of all the riffing. Thatās what made that movie. Well, itās one of the things that made it beautiful: the flow of that improv stuff. And it was led in large part, actually, by Paul Reiser, who had a smaller part in the thing but was so fucking funny that you had to keep up with him. If youāre improvising with Paul Reiser, man, youād better hold on tight! So, yeah, I loved that character, and I loved the scenes I got to do and the friendships I made for life. To be a part of the beginning movie by Barry Levinson, one of our great filmmakers, thatās a cool little place to have been.
AVC: When I talked to Tim Daly recently [for an upcoming Random Roles interview], he mentioned how, when you got back to the hotel after filming, you guys would amuse yourselves by just randomly ordering various food and drinks for strangers.
DS: [What starts as a slight chuckle quickly becomes a long, loud laugh.] I forgot about that! Yeah, Daly was great. Guttenberg I run into, and BaconāI mean, that was a damned good cast of people. Everybody was just hot, you know? And everybody was funny! And Barry just let them be funny. I can remember there were two times that we had to shut down shooting just because we were doing a scene where we laughed so hard that we couldnāt stop laughing, and they just finally said, āFuck it, weāll start back up tomorrow.ā It just got too silly. Actually, that may have happened more than two times. [Laughs.] It was a pretty special experience.
Stardust Memories (1980)āāActorā
Hannah And Her Sisters (1986)āāDusty Fryeā
AVC: Youāve been in two Woody Allen films, although presumably thereās less to say about Stardust Memories, since youāre only credited in it as āActor.ā
DS: [Laughs.] Yeah, I played an actor bugging him for a job in that. But it was genius just to be in it. Heās up there with Paul Simon as one of my heroes. And then he invited me back! But I got to do a little part in that one and improvise in that. That one was in black and white, so it was an amazing set to be on, with Gordon Willis as cinematographer. I was only supposed to do one scene, and then I got a call, and he wanted me to do a second scene. So I got to do two scenes!
Then he invited me back to do Hannah And Her Sisters. That was wild. I was sort of this rock star character, and it was me, Michael Caine, Max Von Sydow, and Woody Allen all at lunch that day. Weāre at one of these downtown restaurants, andāthatās something Iāll never forget. I mean, who does not belong at this table? [Laughs.] So I just shut up and listened to the guys regale each other. It was beautiful. Iāve had a lot of lucky experiences in my life, but thatās one of the pinnacles. I mean, Woody Allen? Come on!
City Slickers (1991) / City Slickers II: The Legend Of Curlyās Gold (1994)āāPhil Berquistā
DS: Some of them you do and theyāre just movies, theyāre just parts, but some of them are really full characters. And I think Phil was a full guy with a full life. And so funny. I mean, I read that one, and it was just perfect. It was a perfect script. My character, starting with the crazy wife and then pretending to be asleep on the plane to avoid her⦠[Laughs.] And I was having an affair with the checkout girl at his grocery store, andāwell, again, he was a full character with a full arc who finds his manhood and stands up to the bully. After heās been bullied his whole life, he finally bullies somebody back.
The movie was great, but the shooting of it may have been even greater, personally. Billy [Crystal] is a friend for life, and ridinā horses and ropinā cattleāI got to do the whole City Slickers thing, the dude ranch stuff, and I got paid for it. Plus, I now own a 500-acre cattle ranch. [Laughs.] I loved the life so much that I kind of bought into it! I have 70 herd of cattle myself now, and horses and tractors and ATVs. Iāve got my own small cattle operation. Thatās how much I was inspired by that movie. I bought into the whole thing.
AVC: Do you have a particular Jack Palance anecdote that sums up the experience of working with him?
DS: Yeah, I do. Oddly, one of my sharpest memories is just sitting and waiting to shoot. Weāre sitting in our chairs, shooting the shit, and then Jack starts reading me poetry heās written. For half an hour, I listened to him reading his poetry. He was a genius artist. He was a great character, he had that great face and certainly a great film history, but he was a hell of a painter and an amazing poet and an artistic soul, and he taught me a lot. I started sculpting again because of him. Iād done sculpting as a kid, but I do bronze sculptures now. Jack was an artist, Jack had his own cattle ranch, and I went, āOh, shit! You can have a life outside of just being in showbiz, and it can be satisfying and artistic and creative!ā And Jack was an inspiration for a lot of that, just seeing the other sides of this guy that you know is a great actor and all that, realizing, āOh, what makes him interesting is that he lives a whole life. Heās not just an actor.ā I really respected that and loved that about Jack. I was inspired by it.
Get Crazy (1983)āāNeil Allenā
DS: Yeah, that was a crazy movie to work on, definitely. Malcolm McDowell played a big rock star in it, but we also had Lou Reed in it, and we had a lot of other really cool rock people in it. It was a wild set. That was one of the first times I was a lead character in something. Allan Arkush directed it, and when I met him, I looked like him: He was my height, a Jew-y, big-nosed guy.
AVC: Given the beard, you still look a lot like him.
DS: Yeah, I think thatās why he picked me. I remember thinking, āWhy do they need me? Iām already here!ā [Laughs.] But, man, it was just fun as hell. All these rock acts, doing these big numbers. Lots of crazy punk people. Lee Ving of Fear was in the movie. What a trip, to hang out with those guys. It was silly, but it was funny. I think I saw it back then, but I donāt remember a lot of it. But getting to hang out with Malcolmāhe and I also did Blue Thunder together. Heās such a star, a bigger-than-life character, so itās always fun to be in his wake. Everyoneās drinking great wine, going to this thing and that, and thereās a party at a beach house. Iām like, āYeah, I can go along with this!ā Thatās another one where I couldnāt tell you anything about the part, but the movie itself was a great experience.
Blue Thunder (1983)āāOfficer Richard Lymangoodā
AVC: Since you brought it upā¦
DS: That was fun, because that was one of the first big-budget movies I did. Big, fancy sets. They built a whole helicopter green-screen thing, but they also took us up in real helicoptersāand scared the shit out of me! [Laughs.] Just doing this crash sequence where they cut the engine, and weāre zig-zagging. But I think John Badham sort of saw a goofy kid who would be a good counterpoint to Roy Scheider. Actually, Roy and I knew each other from New York. Again, you get in the wake of these big stars, and itās sort of fun to be around that. Oh, and I died in it. I remember showing it to my son, actually. He was, like, 5 or something, and I said, āHey, letās go watch the movie Iām in!ā And when I died, it was, like, āYouāre probably not supposed to show that to a 5-year-old.ā We had to leave the theater. I had to say, āYeah, I didnāt really die. I come back at the end, and I save him, but we, uh, have to go ahead and go now, because Mom needs us for something.ā [Laughs.]
Leviathan (1989)āāBuzz āSix-Packā Parrishā
AVC: By the way, this wasnāt even on my list to ask about, but since I remember seeing it on IMDB, was the Blue Thunder connection how you came to appear on an episode of Seaquest?
DS: Actually, I wasnāt on Seaquest. But Iāve seen that on IMDB, too! [Laughs.] What is Seaquest?
AVC: It was an underwater sci-fi series that Roy Scheider did for NBC in the ā90s.
DS: Is that right? Yeah, thereās a couple on IMDB that I never did, but thatās one where I didnāt even know what it was! Now, I did do an underwater movie: I was in Leviathan. But thatās different than Seaquest. What was my characterās name in Leviathan? Six-Pack? [Laughs.] That was another great experience. Six months in Rome! I said it earlier, but⦠I really have had an interesting career, havenāt I? Itās really been a nice little ride.