‘Shamefully Irresponsible’: Bill Murray on John Candy Driving a Famous Director Out of His Mind
Bill Murray and John Candy are two of the most celebrated figures in the history of North American comedy. While the two shared the screen in the 1981 hit Stripes, they also ran in the same circles during the height of their fame. In a new documentary, Murray reflects on a specific instance where Candy’s comedic genius clashed hilariously with a serious director’s patience.
The story comes from the new film John Candy: I Like Me, a documentary directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds. The project aims to look past the surface of the late comedian’s jolly persona to explore the man underneath. Murray, who was interviewed for the film, offered a candid look at what it was like to work alongside the Canadian legend.
Murray began by noting the difference between Candy’s personal kindness and his professional intensity. “As kind as John was to people that he was only going to be with for a minute, when you’re working, you have to be professional,” Murray stated. He emphasized that in the high-stakes world of entertainment, “You have to commit to doing the best you can.”
However, Murray then launched into a story that highlighted how Candy’s commitment to comedy sometimes came at the expense of his collaborators’ sanity. The incident took place during a stage reading for a play written by Saturday Night Live writer Marilyn Suzanne Miller. The reading was directed by the legendary filmmaker Sydney Pollack, known for serious dramas like Out of Africa.
The cast for this reading was an embarrassment of riches, featuring Murray, Candy, Ray Liotta, and Kevin Kline. Despite the serious talent involved, Candy decided to turn a simple moment into a marathon of improvisation. “Candy had a scene where he was in the bathroom, talking, and he milked it so bad,” Murray recalled.
According to Murray, Candy refused to let the scene end, stretching the comedic beats to their absolute limit. “He milked it. The timing was beyond comprehension. You couldn’t believe it,” he said. While the audience might have been amused, the director was reportedly suffering.
Murray described watching the director unravel in real-time. “I’m watching it, I’m watching Sydney Pollack, who’s going out of his mind, because John is just milking it, milking it, milking it, just having his own kind of fun,” Murray said. The situation became so absurd that Murray found entertainment in the director’s frustration, noting, “I’m laughing because I know Sydney is going to kill him.”
In the documentary, an off-camera voice suggested that perhaps Candy was “sucking” in the scene, but Murray was quick to correct that assumption. He clarified that the performance was funny, but it was incredibly selfish regarding the other performers. “It wasn’t sucking, he was just milking,” Murray explained.
He elaborated that the issue wasn’t a lack of talent, but a lack of stage etiquette. “It wasn’t like it wasn’t funny, it was just that it was shamefully irresponsible to the idea that there might be another actor in the scene or in the whole play,” he added. The documentary balances these wilder anecdotes with softer moments, such as Macaulay Culkin recounting how Candy acted as a protective father figure on the set of Uncle Buck.
John Candy remains an icon of 1980s and 90s cinema, having passed away tragically in 1994 at the age of 43 while filming Wagons East in Mexico. He rose to prominence as a cast member of the influential sketch show SCTV, where he developed his ability to play larger-than-life characters. His filmography includes beloved classics such as Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Spaceballs, Cool Runnings, and The Great Outdoors.
Bill Murray has maintained a steady presence in Hollywood for over four decades, evolving from a sketch comedian to a dramatic actor. He recently reprised his role as Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, continuing the legacy of the franchise he helped launch in 1984. He also appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Lord Krylar in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Murray is also a frequent collaborator with director Wes Anderson, having appeared in films like The Royal Tenenbaums, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Asteroid City. He is currently set to star in Anderson’s upcoming film, The Phoenician Scheme. The movie, which also stars Benicio del Toro and Michael Cera, focuses on a father-daughter espionage story and is expected to release soon.
The documentary John Candy: I Like Me utilizes never-before-seen home videos and interviews to paint a complete picture of the late actor. Directed by Colin Hanks, the son of Tom Hanks, the film seeks to humanize a man who was often viewed merely as the funny “big guy.” Produced by Ryan Reynolds, a fellow Canadian who grew up idolizing Candy, the film has garnered significant attention for its heartfelt approach.
Sydney Pollack, the director mentioned in Murray’s story, was a titan of the industry who won the Academy Award for Best Director for Out of Africa. He was known for his precise direction and powerful dramas, including Tootsie and The Firm. His clash with Candy’s improvisational style highlights the friction that often occurs when different schools of acting collide.
Let us know if you think improvisational actors like John Candy help a production by adding spontaneity or if they hurt the final product by going off-script in the comments.