The movie Bill Paxton always remembered as “the first really great role I had”
It can take a while for an actor to land a role that truly feels like it’s going to take them somewhere, and until then, it’s often the case that you just have to make the most of what you’re offered, even if these films are a far cry from the ones you’ve always imagined yourself doing.
Bill Paxton, whose career spanned roles in epic blockbusters like Titanic and leading parts in shows such as HBO’s polygamy drama Big Love, wasn’t always a star, and when he emerged on the scene, before landing roles in hits like Aliens, Twister, and Tombstone, he found himself playing some minor roles that really felt like they were taking him nowhere.
That’s just how Hollywood goes, though. It’s rare that an actor will instantly get a leading part, and Paxton was no exception. He landed his first on-screen role in 1975’s Crazy Mama by Jonathan Demme, although it was so small that he wound up uncredited. Minor parts in the likes of Stripes with Bill Murray, James Cameron’s The Terminator, and a few TV movies followed, until he finally secured a job that felt like something more.
Paxton is forever grateful for being cast in John Hughes’ Weird Science, which debuted in 1985 and soon became a classic of the decade. The director was really having his moment, with other hits like Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club under his belt, and Weird Science only continued to elevate his success in Hollywood.
Discussing the project, Paxton told MJ Simpson, “I don’t usually mention that so much. I’m not trying to distance myself from it but sometimes as these credits get older and you get further away, you like to think that people will know you for your contemporary efforts as well as your past glories. But I’ve always been proud of that movie.”
Weird Science did pretty well at the box office, tapping into the teen comedy market that was becoming increasingly popular at the time – mixing this genre with sci-fi, Hughes conjured up the perfect late-night movie, following two nerdy teenagers as they use their IT skills to make their perfect woman. Taking a rather unique and unmistakably 1980s approach to Frankenstein, the film was an instant hit.
“It was the first really great role I had in a studio film, I love John Hughes, and I’ve always wanted to work with him again,” Paxton added. “He gave me a lot of freedom to explore that character, and I had a lot of fun with it… It’s become a great archetype, I always liked Animal House, and I always liked the actor that portrayed Niedermeyer in Animal House, so for me, that was my Animal House.”
Paxton might have gone on to be recognised for bigger films – after all, he wasn’t even one of the leads in Weird Science – but he cherished the experience he got from finally landing a sizeable role in a popular movie, showing him that he maybe did have what it took to become a prominent star.
And soon he did, landing his role as Private William Hudson in Aliens just one year later.
