YOU TALKIN’ TO ME?
Film quotes pose as questions. Film stars try to cope.
IN THE CROSSHAIRS THIS MONTH JERRY O’CONNELL You talkin’ to me?
I am talking to you in Topanga, California. It was Rebecca [Romijn] who lived out here when I met her almost 18 years ago. I lived in the city. I was in awe of the beauty out here. I was in awe of Rebecca’s beauty. I was a huge X-Men fan. And therefore, first dating Rebecca was a little scary because you really only know her as Mystique, who is kind of deadly. But there’s also something exciting about that. I remember when Rebecca was filming X-Men 3. We were dating at that time. I went to go visit her on set, and I did kiss her – I got some of the blue stuff on my mouth. I didn’t wash it for days. People thought I was heavily bruised. I was proudly wearing whatever bit of Mystique rubbed off on me.
Do you have an off switch?
I’ve tried meditation. It’s just too hard. I’ve taken yoga classes. I can’t switch it off in there. But a big off switch for me is really good horror films. I got to catch up on a lot of horror films in the pandemic. We have two children who are 12, so we decided we were going to screen all those random horror films that we had never seen. And I’ve got to tell you, the one that really shut my kids up was the Swedish film Let The Right One In.
How much do you know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight?
You know, I love a good fight scene. I recently rewatched Road House, and I’ve got to tell you, for a couple of days after that, I was looking to go. I was in line at the supermarket, and a person to the back of me was like, “Hey, are you in this line?” They’re lucky they were elderly. I turned around and went [aggressive voice], “Yeah, I’m in this line. What are you going to do about it?” I was ready to rip their Adam’s apple off.
Is life always this hard, or is it just when you’re a kid?
I have to say, I rewatch Stand By Me about once a year. It is almost like a perfect film. It’s crazy to me that we were all there for that, you know? And it’s funny, I watch the film differently. I watch it almost with childhood, summer camp-like memories, where I’m like, “Oh, man, I remember that day. That’s when we all jumped in a river, and went swimming, and the current was strong, and there was a rope that we were swinging on.” “Oh, I remember that day. That’s the day that we all played softball at lunch.” “Oh, I remember that day. That’s the day there was an amusement park next door, and we all went to it after wrap.”
So what are you afraid of?
When we were shooting Endangered Species in Kenya, we shot a lot of it in Amboseli Park, in these sort of national Kenyan reserves. There’s no fence around you. When you’re at the lodge, you’re fine. There’s not only a fence, but the fence is electrified. I know – I touched it, and it zaps you. Man, I can’t believe I touched that fence. That was so stupid of me. It really knocked me on my butt. But I would say, specifically, I’m afraid of hyenas. They’re really scary animals. I don’t judge any living beings physically. I think we’re all God’s creatures, and we’re all beautiful. Except for hyenas, who are pretty ugly.
Judge me by my size, do you?
When I did Stand By Me, I was just a thick kid. It’s how I was built. I was a full kid, you know? Husky. Then I went through puberty. I’m 15 inches taller than I was.
We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven’t you?
We all went a little mad in 2020 and 2021. I obsess over things. I had a therapist give me a book called Brain Lock. It really helped me out. It’s an OCB (obsessivecompulsive behaviour) book. It talks about a record skipping. You can’t get off of it, so you just have to recognise it, and have exercises that get you off of it. Watch Stand By Me. Do push-ups. Practise saxophone. Practise piano.
Did your mother ever have any kids that lived?
I stay in touch with Wil Wheaton and Corey Feldman. River Phoenix passed, God rest his soul. It’s just so funny, having that bond. You know, any time those dudes text me or email me, they are the only people I answer back immediately – like, literally. No matter what they’re asking or what they’re emailing about, I just stop everything. It’s like at the end of the film, Richard Dreyfuss says. “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12.” JG
ETA | 28 JUNE / ENDANGERED SPECIES IS ON DIGITAL DOWNLOAD NEXT MONTH AND DVD FROM 5 JULY.
‘I REWATCH STAND BY ME ABOUT ONCE A YEAR. IT IS ALMOST LIKE A PERFECT FILM’