Jack Nicholson got John Candy drunk whilst filming ‘Splash’
John Candy exists in an exclusive group of Hollywood stars who can do almost no wrong in the eyes of the general public, with the late actor joining such names as Robin Williams, Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington. Known for his loving persona and indelible Canadian charm, Candy was a key figure of popular comedy throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, thriving alongside such popular names as Bill Murray and John Belushi.
Working with the likes of Bill Pullman, Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Mel Brooks, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates and Bill Paxton throughout his celebrated career, Candy was introduced to the industry in the 1970s but would flourish in the following decade. Thanks to leading roles in the films of John Hughes, including in such movies as Uncle Buck, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, the actor quickly became an industry treasure.
Despite his success towards the end of the decade, his career was almost upended at the start of the ‘80s, when none other than Jack Nicholson got him drunk a night before he was due to work on the 1984 Ron Howard movie, Splash.
In a rare interview that highlights the unusually unprofessional nature of Candy, Ron Howard shares his memory of when the intoxicated Canadian comedian staggered onto the set. “John, totally professional guy, but he’s late one day,” the director reveals in a 2020 retrospective of the movie, before adding, “And he finally pulls up and rolls out of the car, and he says, ‘Ron, I’m so sorry’”.
“It’s OK. You’re late, but we’ll get going,” Howard responds, hoping to get the production of the fantasy romance flick to get back underway. Flustered, Candy exclaims, “No, no, no. Look, I’m drunk. Here’s what happened, I’m telling you the truth: I’m at the bar and Jack Nicholson is at the bar. Jack Nicholson knew my name, Ron! And he starts buying me drinks. I [Candy] said, ‘But I’ve got to go shoot.’ And he [Nicholson] said, ‘You’re going to be all right, kid. Don’t worry about it.’ And he kept buying me drinks”.
Completing the anecdote, Howard perfectly encapsulates Candy’s exhaustion, recalling the actor desperately concluding, “I never went to bed, Ron. I never went to bed”.
A key part of the cult classic movie starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah, Candy plays Freddie Bauer, the older brother of the protagonist Allen Bauer, a man who is reunited with a mermaid who saved his life as a young boy. Falling in love with the mermaid, not knowing her supernatural identity, Hanks’ Bauer engages in an odd relationship that can only really be compared to Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning movie, The Shape of Water.
Candy, meanwhile, went on to feature in such favourites as Home Alone, Oliver Stone’s JFK and the beloved Disney comedy Cool Runnings in 1993, shortly before his untimely death in 1994.
Take a look at the trailer for the strange romantic fantasy comedy below.
