Has there ever been a moment on set that you just can’t shake, that even now leaves you thinking: did that really just happen? NomadPoetics
Yes. At the very very end of Married to the Mob, during the credits, the director, Jonathan Demme, chose to include the harrowing moment that happened on set. I’m sambaing with Michelle Pfeiffer, she leans back over a metal railing, falls backwards head first and I manage to catch her by the feet. Luckily, I was young, strong and fast, else it could have been a disaster.
How did you train physically to play a high school wrestler in one of your first films, Vision Quest? Did you get to hang out with Madonna? Nash437 and Hooplehead1967
I trained! There’s no way around training when you’re doing a film about wrestling or boxing. I spent two months before filming doing “three a day”, meaning a workout of cardio in the morning, wrestling midday and weights in the evening. And yes, it was incredibly difficult. As for Madonna – I wish I could say yes. At that time, it was very clear that Madonna was incredibly focused on her career and work. As I recall, she came and left after maybe six hours on set. She plays a club singer, who sings Crazy for You, written especially for the film. I’m so glad she gave that song to us. It’s so sweet and so 1980s.
I’ve heard that, two-thirds of the way through filming Full Metal Jacket, Stanley Kubrick asked you for suggestions on how to end the movie. What were the best, worst and wackiest propositions? ILikeChips
Stanley didn’t ask me how to end Full Metal Jacket. He asked me what I thought of the ending, which was very different from the way the final movie was scripted and to be photographed. I defended the scripted movie until one day, after he’d asked me dozens of times over weeks and weeks, I said: “Joker should live.” He said: “What?”
In the original draft, Joker – my character – was shot and killed. I said Joker should live, because that’s the real tragedy of war – going on to see your drill instructor shot and killed in a latrine and the guy you’re trying to help get through boot camp stick an M14 in his mouth and blow his brains out. Joker should live and have to hold his one friend from boot camp in his arms as he dies. Joker should have to decide whether or not he should end the life of a young Vietnamese girl who’s bleeding to death. So that’s why I said: “He should live, Stanley, because that’s the real horror of war – having to spend the rest of your fucking life with that in your head.” And Stanley said: “That’s the end of the picture.”
I feel like we’ve moved past the lazy comparison of Christopher Nolan with Kubrick, but, having worked with both, how did the experiences with such singular film-makers affect you? leroyhunter
Every director makes love, but they all do it a bit differently. For me, there is no comparison between the two. And no, I don’t think Nolan is trying to be the next Stanley Kubrick. I feel Nolan is trying to be the best Christopher Nolan he can be.
When you work with young actors having their moment in the spotlight, such as Millie Bobby Brown in Stranger Things, what are your feelings about the life they are embarking on? Are you worried for them? Kevtb1987
The motion picture and television industry chews kids up and spits them out. With the many young actors I’ve enjoyed working with, especially Millie, I want to help them understand that they’re part of a profession. When you’re young, you can get by on charm and looks, so you simply must continue to develop your skills as a performer.
How did you find the experience of wearing Lycra when playing a cycling coach in last year’s Hard Miles? VerulamiumParkRanger
It’s icky. On top of which – as an environmentalist – upsetting. Every piece of synthetic fabric manufactured contributes to the countless billions of microplastics entering the air, water and oceans.
Is that your real hair in Stranger Things? TopTramp
Yes! Although my hair isn’t quite as white in real life. And for the flashbacks to the 1970s in season four, they added some length.
I was blown away by your performance in [the 1984 post-Vietnam drama] Birdy. What did you take away from making it and what did it bring you? Simother
It’s difficult to put into words. Birdy is simply a magical character in a movie that no one believed could be captured on film. The spirit of Birdy is transcendent. But the trifecta of the director, Alan Parker, the music of Peter Gabriel and the cinematography of Michael Seresin, not to mention my co-star Nic Cage ... it all just seems like a dream.
How did you come to direct and feature in – alongside a teenage Winona Ryder – the posthumous video for Roy Orbison’s A Love So Beautiful? Did you ever meet the Big O? McScootikins
Roy Orbison had passed when we made the music video, so no, I didn’t get to meet him. It really was a tribute to him. I knew Winona from her work and vice versa – she is a passionate fan of Birdy. It was a pleasure to meet and work with her. The song is so tragically beautiful.
I have a fond memory of [the 1990 psychological thriller] Pacific Heights and being gripped by the tension. Did Michael Keaton stay in character off set? Blammy
Michael is a charming and witty man, so playing that character may have been uncomfortable for him, as it was so against type. I’m not sure what he did while not on set. He had just done Batman and that film was a ginormous success. So I’d see him on set and we’d do our work and then he’d disappear like Bruce Wayne.
I absolutely love [the 1990 war drama] Memphis Belle, particularly your performance as the humourless captain having to keep his crew in line. Did that dynamic carry over into filming? Did you find yourself having to be more reserved or aloof than the younger actors? Hoppo
Yes, it kind of did. I think I was the oldest cast member. There was further gravitas to my position because my Uncle Wylder was a B-17 captain during world war two. He flew 17 combat missions before being shot out of the sky by anti-aircraft fire on the way back from a bombing mission.
My uncle had his crew parachute from the damaged plane over France. His right forearm arm was nearly torn off and his co-pilot was badly injured and couldn’t get out of the plane to parachute. My uncle – with one arm – landed in a field in France. I wore his dress uniform in the film. My castmates still refer to me as Captain, which is incredibly kind and flattering.
• Hard Miles is available now on digital platforms
