YOU BECAME THE BIGGEST ONE IN THE WORLD.
Which
was overwhelming when the international, tear-apart-your-car-like-the-Beatles-type
stuff started happening. I mean, Saturday Night Fever was a very dirty,
foul-mouthed film that was considered a slice of life Mean Streets
type movie and I just expected it to be a stepping stone. And then it became
this
thing.
NOT
TO WORRYTHAT MEGA-BOMB, MOMENT BY MOMENT WITH LILY
TOMLIN, WOULD SOON DE-BEATLES-IZE YOU. WERENT YOU NAMED SOMETHING RIDICULOUS
LIKE BRICK IN IT?
Thats
close, but its not Brick
. it was something that got a laugh, though
hmmm. Strip. I was named Strip (laughs) I got really beat up for that and
made a big mistake and went on a press tour for it, anyway. Why? Because Universal
was willing to send me a Gulfstream 2 to do it and I wanted a free ride on
that plane. (laughs) But then I came back with Urban Cowboy and its
still a classic.
AFTER
WHICH YOU ALL BUT GAVE RICHARD GERE HIS CAREER BY TURNING DOWN AMERICAN
GIGOLO AND AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN. THEN YOU DID IT AGAIN BY
TURNING DOWN CHICAGO, SAYING THAT YOU DIDNT SEE HOW A MOVIE ABOUT
PISSED OFF HOOKERS WOULD WORK ON THE BIG SCREEN.
I
was wrong. (laughs) But you gotta understand that I didnt think the
lawyers part was exciting and Im used to getting the exciting
part like the girls parts were exciting. Its like when I was fourteen
years old me and my girlfriend did Funny Girl as the class project:
I played Omar Shariffs part and she played Barbras part and even
then, I was like, Shes got the good part, Im no fool!
WELL,
YOU SURE GOT TO PLAY THE EXCITING PART IN STAYING ALIVE,
THAT NOTORIOUS SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER SEQUEL IN WHICH YOU APPEARED OILED-UP
AND IN A LOINCLOTH.
How
bout that? It was 80s hot!. (laughs)
YEAH,
WELL, IM CONVINCED PAUL VERHOEVEN USED IT AS A BLUEPRINT FOR SHOWGIRLS.
Thats
hilariousI never even thought about that!
AND
THUS BEGAN YOUR LONG DECLINE UNTIL TARANTINO RESCUED YOU WITH PULP FICTION.
Actually,
I was back on the cover of this magazine before Pulp Fiction with Look
Whos Talking. The cover read Look Whos Talking Back.
(laughs) Then three years later Pulp Fiction put me back to the kind
of profile I felt I belonged in.
AND
SINCE THEN, THROUGH HITS AND MISSES YOUVE REMAINED THERE. AND, UM, THROUGH
FAT AND SKINNY, TOOMIKE NICHOLS ONCE SAID THAT TAKING
A MEETING WITH YOU, FOODWISE, WAS NOT UNLIKE TAKING A MEETING WITH HENRY
THE VIIIth.
(laughs)
Hes right. I was very indulgent and made no bones about it. And thats
the thing: I dont hide my love of food. Once, years ago, I had a trainer
that used to think that I would hide, like, candy bars in drawers, and I said
Lets get one thing straightI do not hide food, Im
out with my food! (laughs)
AND
WE LOVE YOU FOR IT. SO, LISTEN, A TOMBSTONE PROMINENTLY FIGURES IN BOBBY
LONG. WHAT DO YOU WANT WRITTEN ON YOURS?
He
just wanted to be comfortable.
©
2015 Brantley Bardin. All Rights Reserved.
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