The one role John Lithgow admitted was a disaster: “I was just dreadful in that film”
An actor rarely has a filmography that’s entirely blemish-free, as with any art form. But what’s even more rare is one who is willing to concede this fact. Unlike others who are willing to ignore their shortcomings, John Lithgow is refreshingly honest about one of his missteps.
A prolific actor on stage, screen, television and even in animation, he’s garnered two Tony Awards, six Emmys, two Golden Globes and even been nominated for four Grammys, to name a few. But with a career so wide-spanning, it’s not surprising he’s had a few not-so-acclaimed performances.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about some of his most iconic performances, he pinpoints his role in the 1993 blockbuster Cliffhanger as one of his worst performances, “I was dreadful in that film”. The movie follows Sylvester Stallone as a mountain ranger who gets caught up in a heist of a US Treasury plane in the Rocky Mountains, with Lithgow playing a former British Intelligence officer turned leader of a gang of thieves.
Given the film’s premise, it’s not difficult to see why Lithgow views his performance in such a negative light. Nominated for ‘Worst Supporting Actor’ at the 14th Golden Raspberry Awards, his performance was criticised for its over-the-top nature and inauthentic English accent. However, many still found a way to enjoy it.
None, however, enjoyed watching it as much as Lithgow enjoyed playing the part, “It was the most fun movie I had ever done… every actor should have that much fun at some point.” And wouldn’t everyone love the chance to have a brawl with Sylvester Stallone amid the snow of the Rocky Mountains? Except Cliffhanger actually did one better. The mountain scenes were filmed over two months in the Italian Dolomites. A job surely couldn’t get any better than that.
For Lithgow, his performance didn’t seem to matter quite as much as the fun he had while filming: “It was four months in Italy, two months up in the Dolomites in the Italian Alps. I got to have a great big knock-down, drag-out fight with Sylvester Stallone. You can hit him as hard as you can, and it’s never enough for him. I was just dreadful in that film, but that didn’t matter. It was such fun.”
Even more interesting is that Lithgow was initially cast as the supporting villain, with Christopher Walken set to star as villain Eric Qualen. However, Walken must have thought a stint in the Dolomites was just too much fun as he left the production, leaving Lithgow to take his place. It may not have led to an award-winning performance and heaps of critical acclaim for the actor, but he did seem to have the time of his life. And with many actors complaining over the difficulty of what remains a coveted job, it’s invigorating to see an actor rejoice in the ridiculousness of the job.
