John Goodman Explains the Appeal of Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School: “The romantic aspect of it. I don’t get to do a lot of romantic stuff and God knows this wasn’t a very romantic guy, but he did have this one thing that was stuck in his heart that kept him alive since he was a kid. We don’t know what happened to him and why he got in trouble, but it kept him alive all those years and he had a quest to keep this promise that he made. That appealed to me.”
John Goodman on Working with Robert Carlyle: “Robbie’s Scottish and he’s a dream to work with. Just very soulful, very attentive, very caring and just a great guy.”
Goodman enjoyed working with Carlyle but says they both stuck to the script. “It was all on the page. I just got attached to Robbie. We didn’t have too much time together and I just admired him so much. Just looking into his face made everything so much easier. He has such a soulful expression. You want to give the guy 20 bucks for a meal. He’s such a great guy.”
The Art of Playing a Character Who’s Dying: “You’re not trying to die, you’re trying to live. He knew he was dying. His job was to get the message out to Robbie Carlyle’s character. That’s pretty much what you have to concentrate on.”
Speaking of His Character… Where did Goodman find the specific voice he uses in Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School? Goodman said, “It was something that came out. I wish I would have done it a little differently because of the transition that has to go into the narration, but I think it worries me more than it worried anybody else.”
Goodman added, “What I heard happened to the guy, taking into account what was wrong with him from the accident, I just tried to figure out how to make your voice [heard]. He had to get that message out. That was the most important thing in the world to him. That’s what’s been keeping him alive since he was a kid, I think. So that’s the way it came out.”
John Goodman on the Film's Narration: “Well, we did a cheap knockoff version, I think the day [of]… We’re going back a while now, a couple years. It had to be the day we were in the trailer. We went up into a closet and read where it went from a dying voice into the narrative voice and just read it a couple times. Then Randy [Miller, writer/director] and I went into the studio and did it again. That really scared me about it, whether that would work or not, because I really do love this movie.”
Next Up – Evan Almighty: John Goodman says he’s currently at work on the sequel to Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty. Goodman revealed he’s playing a congressman in the comedy. “He’s a congressman from Virginia who is not averse to making a dollar or two.”
Goodman said that working with Steve Carell makes it hard to keep a straight face on the set. “He’ll do anything. I was off camera with him the other day and I had to stuff a handkerchief in my mouth I was laughing so hard. I just started crying. But he’s really funny and he’s a real nice guy.”
Goodman continued. “He’ll do anything. It’s just the fact that, I think, he’ll do anything and it’s unexpected. That’s usually what gets you. There are certain sounds that come out of him that I haven’t heard any other humans produce.”
Unlike Marilyn Hotchkiss’, there’s a lot of improvisation going on in Evan Almighty. “There is, and it usually starts out during the day when we block out the camera moves and stuff like that. The director seems willing to throw the script out. I mean use that as a starting point. During the shooting, the cast is very talented so everybody trusts one another to pick up on what the other one says, so it’s pretty good. And it never really goes too far.”
Is a Return to TV in John Goodman’s Future?: “I’m not saying I’m above anything, but the last two experiences haven’t really filled my heart with hope and joy. It’s a poisonous atmosphere. There’s too many hands and too many cooks. If the right thing comes… The way I’m talking now, I’m probably killing my own career.”
