“I discovered the miracle of cocaine”: the movie John Goodman called a “terrible influence”
Plenty of aspiring actors have suffered from crippling self-doubt when they’re at the beginning of their careers, but even after becoming one of the industry’s most dependable character actors who’s never been out of work for too long, John Goodman still can’t seem to shake it.
On the surface, it’s ludicrous to think that someone of his undoubted talent and with his extensive list of credits across film, television, and theatre would still be their own harshest critic, but that’s the way Goodman has always been, and now that he’s in his 70s, it feels safe to say he won’t change his mind.
Befitting its status as one of the most beloved cult classics of the last 30 years, the Coen brothers’ The Big Lebowski is the exception to the rule. Goodman admitted that it’s the only one of his roles he actively enjoys watching, and as for the rest of them, the veteran struggles to revisit his past work without being relentlessly critical of his onscreen efforts.
Back when nobody knew who he was, though, Goodman faced the same struggle as countless other would-be thespians. He took whatever parts he could get his hands on, ranging from live dinner theatre to a raft of commercials, but despite finding gainful employment, he didn’t feel happy with his lot.
Matters were only exacerbated by his increasing dependency on alcohol and cocaine, and he semi-jokingly cited one smash hit comedy, which was released in 1978, right when he was taking his first steps in the business, as one that had an adverse effect on his fondness for those extracurricular substance issues.
Moving away from New York and setting up shop in Ohio was the first step toward making a name for himself, with Goodman admitting he “couldn’t get arrested” in the ‘Big Apple’, where at least a dozen actors were competing for every job. Once he finally started booking commercials and doing off-Broadway shows, though, it became a double-edged sword.
“I could support myself as an actor, and take cocaine, and start drinking heavily,” he told Sam Jones. “All I wanted to do when I got to New York was make a living as an actor, and as soon as I started doing that… I’d just gotten dumped by a girl, Animal House was a terrible influence on me, and I discovered the miracle of cocaine.”
Goodman was in his late 20s when John Landis’ raucous comedy was released, and he wasn’t too far apart in age from John Belushi, another actor with a fondness for the white stuff. His tongue might be slightly in cheek, but for an impressionable guy who’d only recently started making enough money to turn acting into a full-time vocation, the drink and drug-fueled debauchery on show both on-camera and off was nothing if not alluring.
“Because all of the hotshots were taking it, it was overly romanticised,” he explained of his penchant for cocaine, even though he knew he couldn’t afford the habit. “Copping the stuff was more fun than actually using it.” The Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy winner has been sober since 2007, and it’s been a lot longer since anything went up his nose, so he did manage to shake off the Animal House influence eventually.
