“I was not very good”: the 1973 audition that launched Jeff Goldblum’s career
Jeff Goldblum is a completely singular actor who is incomparable, as there isn’t anyone else who can deliver lines and create characters in the same way that he does.
Goldblum’s unusual phrases, quirky line delivery, and eccentric persona have made him an object of cult affinity for many cinephiles, but he’s also delivered countless amazing performances in many great films – while Goldblum might be best known for his blockbuster roles in Independence Day and Jurassic Park, he was able to give a heartbreaking horror performance in David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake of The Fly, and has found himself within the recurring ensemble of stars who appear in Wes Anderson’s films.
Goldblum had a fascinating start to his career, as he was a popular stage actor who began landing roles without ever having to audition, and this may have given Goldblum a way into the industry that was faster than the paths travelled by many of his peers, but it did lead to some misguided assumptions about how the auditioning process worked… Goldblum didn’t have to audition until he was called in to read for the role of one of the villains in Death Wish, and he admitted to not being completely prepared for what was in store.
“I knew nothing,” Goldblum said. “I was not very good, besides whatever flair I might have had, you know, and so I did whatever I did, but I’ve had a lot to learn. Thank goodness I kept getting chances and still am getting chances to try to get better, for heaven’s sakes.”
Goldblum has never been anything less than forthcoming when talking about the mistakes that he’s made in his career, but in fairness, Death Wish was a pretty rough film to get a big break on.
The controversial 1974 revenge thriller attracted attention and blowback for its excessive use of violence and sexual assault, which many of its critics deemed to be exploitative. While some saw it as an indictment of America’s obsession with gun culture, others saw it as a revenge fantasy for mild-mannered family men who desired an opportunity to be vigilantes.
Goldblum has a particularly tricky role in the film as one of the thugs who murders the wife of Charles Bronson’s character and assaults his daughter. The sequence was considered to be so transgressive that it caused many stars to turn down the lead role before Bronson signed on to it. The fact that Goldblum and the other actors playing the criminals were all unknowns at the time made the sequence even more disturbing, as it felt more realistic.
Thankfully, Goldblum wasn’t stuck playing creeps for the rest of his career, as he eventually was able to play a more endearing character in Lawrence Kasdan’s seminal dramedy The Big Chill. His part in Death Wish is mostly forgotten, as the series became a parody of itself thanks to four sequels and an ill-advised 2018 reboot starring Bruce Willis.
While Death Wish might still contain the most disturbing performance of Goldblum’s career, it wasn’t the last time that he leaned into villainy. Goldblum made for a terrifying criminal in the highly underrated crime thriller Deep Cover, and also transformed into a narcissistic New York aristocrat in the indie dramedy Igby Goes Down.
