The John Candy documentary, “I Like Me,” was eye-opening for many of the late actor’s fans. The film begins with Bill Murray talking about his old friend, saying, “Every time I see his face, I miss him.” And from that point, it’s hard not to feel emotional as Colin Hanks talks to the “Home Alone” star’s various friends and family members.
One of the friends Colin talks to is none other than his own father, Tom Hanks. The actor not only starred with John in “Volunteers” and “Splash,” but they also became good friends. Tom recounted an incident from “Splash,” the comedy that made them both stars. Surprisingly, Jack Nicholson had an impact on a very physical scene in a film that many consider a favorite.
John Candy’s Night Out with Jack Nicholson Fueled One of His Most-Loved Scenes
While talking with his son, Tom remembered John’s nighttime adventure the evening before they filmed the brothers playing a very physical game of racquetball.
“He was out drinking somewhere, and lo and behold, Jack Nicholson came in. Maybe they met for the first time right there, but they drank,” Hanks recalled.
“John is coming in not only exhausted probably with maybe only an hour and a half sleep, but is also coming in fueled by an evening with Jack Nicholson, and we had to do a very physical thing, you know?” the “Apollo 13” actor said, chuckling. “Everybody is laughing about one thing, and John is utilizing his exhaustion to a degree that works for my [onscreen] brother.”
In an interview taken from that time, John is asked how many times they had to do the scene, which sees him hit in the head with the ball. “You’re not going to believe this,” he replied, “but three.”
How John Candyâs Improv Spirit Shaped ‘Splash’
After “Splash” became a hit, everyone knew who John and Tom were. For many of his friends and former co-stars, his success was expected. “I knew he was starbound, and you could see it in ‘Splash,’” Eugene Levy, who also starred in the film, said of John. He was “Amazingly funny,” Tom said of John.
“It was just a gas, it was like a working vacation,” he said in an old interview clip. “Working with John Candy, on the other hand, that was scary.”
At the time, Tom didn’t have experience with improv. He was worried that John and Eugene, who had worked at Second City together, would ‘blow him out of the water.’ Instead, John’s gracious behavior took him by complete surprise.
“John was inclusive,” Tom said. “John was not trying to score on top of me. He was not trying to have the funniest lines; he was trying to develop a back-and-forth.”
“It was additive and inclusive,” the “Forrest Gump” star added.
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