John Candy acted in a famous scene in the movie Splash in 1984, even though he hadn’t slept much, a producer of the movie revealed.
Brian Grazer, a Hollywood producer, shared some memories of John Candy during an interview on The Rich Eisen Show while promoting his new sports documentary about the New England Patriots. The host, Rich Eisen, asked if the stories about Candy being hungover during the racquetball scene were true.
Grazer confirmed that it was true. He said Candy had stayed out late with Jack Nicholson and went straight to work afterward. Candy had a lot of endurance.
Grazer mentioned that Candy had overdone it that night with Nicholson, and during the scene, Candy accidentally got hit in the head by the ball because he couldn’t dodge it in time.
John Candy acted alongside Tom Hanks in Splash, a romantic comedy where a man named Allen falls in love with a woman who turns out to be a mermaid. Candy played Hanks’s on-screen brother, Freddie.
During Grazer’s interview, he also talked about meeting Candy for the movie. Candy drank a lot during the meeting but still remained fun and professional.
The story of Candy being late and hungover for the scene has been known for a while. Grazer, Hanks, Hannah, Levy, and the director Ron Howard shared the same story during an appearance on a YouTube series hosted by Josh Gad in 2020.
Howard recalled Candy arriving late and apologizing for being drunk. Candy explained that he had been at the bar with Jack Nicholson, who was buying him drinks and telling him not to worry about being late.
Howard also mentioned that Candy said he hadn’t slept before coming to shoot the scene.
