Kevin Pollak's Amazing Stories about the Making of "A Few Good Men" | The Rich Eisen Show | 12/11/19

all right let's get into this man yes let's get into all of this good stuff sure from your from your career when did a few good men come across your desk your so I was doing a six-week summer series for CBS yes that no one would ultimately watch because in the summer in 1991 it was all reruns there was no regional programming in the summer so people just kind of went away yeah but it was created by Rob Reiner and Christopher Guest and it was a ridiculous opportunity for me and so I'm having lunch every day with Rob working on that and one day he says you know my next film was a very successful Broadway play it's called a few good men and I've got Tom Cruise I think I'm gonna get Nicholson there's a part of Tom's cocouncil that you're kind of perfect for I have an offer out to Jason Alexander if Seinfeld gets picked up for season two he won't be available Castle Rock Rob's company right also it's not a Seinfeld right so he said it's time for gets picked up which was a big question mark because it was on Friday nights that only aired four episodes it was a big chance is where this thing was going away uh-huh and I my prayers along with Jason Alexander's prayers I mounted to his career doing very well and he getting a few good men and getting a little busy in the 90s because of it right yeah so that's how you got so that's that's ultimately how it happened yeah all right so now we've had Rob Reiner has been here before and I told you before we've had him Kevin Bacon in Noah Wyle hmm all tell they're from their perspective right the final scene of Jack Nicholson you want me on that wall you need me on that wall that yeah you can't handle the truth etc the Colonel jessep soliloquy yes that you have an interesting well so I am well if I had a nickel for every time someone a fan of that movie which there are a lot of let's face it it's on every 11 minutes it's a remote drop it's a remote rock like no matter where you are in the film right it's like that for me it's that the fugitive isn't that good fellas ah yes where no matter where you are it's like oh my god two hours to go I don't care I'm just dropping oh yeah yeah yes correct and Casino I was fortunately involved in another movie that for some people is that that's a similar thing or suspects those three but a few good men you know I've been personally Nicholson my whole stand it back how I started hmm so to just be around him was bizarre and surreal and my character has no no dialogue with him we shake hands when we meet in his office in the beginning of the movie so what time we get to the courtroom and he singles me out who's gonna do with you you lieutenant Weinberg what so clearly Aaron Sorkin the writer yeah it's a very young pup at that point in his career to only done the Broadway play that he wrote wanted everyone to know that Jessup was also anti-semitic yeah there's no other reason to point out you lieutenant Weinberg who's gonna do it you Tom Cruise are you gonna do it did you are you gonna stand a pose so if I had a nickel for every time someone on the street is pointed that out and it also as a question they'll say Kevin I gotta ask I'm so sorry maybe you get this a lot when he says who's gonna do it you you lieutenant Weinberg why is he picking you out you've done nothing to upset the man other than walking across the desert for 40 years so so when it came to Nicholson on the stand doing the soliloquy I'm watching him a no prob said but Jack shot for 10 days speak out of turn why not he made 5 million for 10 days half a million dollars a day and I asked him when you make half a million dollars a day do you hit the snooze alarm clock so he only had five days in the courtroom that's it to shoot everything and at the end of the five days I'm sure Rob explained they weren't quite done with Jack but so Rob had to go to Jack and say I can't afford to pay to come back another day but if you out of the goodness of your heart come back for just a couple more shots I'll get you up by noon by 12 noon I promise right no matter where we are you're your rev you need Robbie yummy so after watching him do this the speech yeah for so many days and I'll be saying it to my rearview mirror on the drive home you know cuz it's so brilliantly written my goodness when that 12 noon time came Jack was sitted like this looking at the judge where you are doing Jack was doing at that point off camera lines with a camera was over Jack right on to the judge right and so Rob said cut that's a wrap on Jack Nicholson everyone goes you know bananas and lots of hugs and kisses and I quietly went over to Rob and said look I've got this damn thing memorized and if it's helpful at all to AJ the actor who played the judge I'm happy to sit on the stand and and do the off-camera lines for him not for a goof not to entertain my crew but and again only if it's helpful to him to have someone do that right I'll do it as Jack is what I'm saying and so the actor playing the judge loved the idea and so we did it and yes after I finished the first one the 150 or whatever crew member did break into ridiculous applause which was not the intent not sleep appreciated yeah it was appreciated not gonna lie to you I might have taken about but I was there for that actor and so the biggest compliment was back then the directors would have to go to for you kids out there what was called dailies they would process the film yes they used film and two days later the director could look at those scenes so Rob came back after going to dailies a couple days later and said it took me four cuz I was off-camera again as was Jack so we went from Jack right into me and he said it took four takes before I realized it was no longer Jack and I don't know that there's a better calm no I'm not at all know did you did you lay into the lieutenant Weinberg line you know what I wanted to be there for the other actor I did not put a little extra spin on it it was already there you lieutenant Weinberg I mean who's gonna do it you the Hebrew I just it's you know the fact as a question really right I mean but the other the other three who have preceded you from the film and that guest chair all said that when Jack was doing it off camera he didn't skip a beat he never same thing every single five days he never missed a syllable I mean I mean I talk about in my standing back how I'd never seen an actor turn it on and off right as easily as he could because when heat when when Rob Reiner yelled action he was letter-perfect never missed a syllable when Rob said cut hmm Jack looked like he'd been stoned for three days I've never seen anything like it right just he'd stand up and he was so good garius and goofy right which is also not what I expected really I thought he'd be aloof you know someone who at that point even in ninety two he'd been cool too five generations somehow you know right or so it seemed and I just pictured him oh there's Jack over there and you know look at him don't talk to him and I but he was the most approachable gregarious of any giant iconic movie star I've ever worked for more of the Rich Eisen show tuned - audience Channel 239 on DirecTV for free on BR Live or download the Rich Eisen show app

Channel: The Rich Eisen Show

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Length: 7min 53sec (473 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 11 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/Stegasaurus_Wrecks]

I want more Jack Nicholson anecdotes.