I auditioned for Norm, or the part that became Norm, anyway. I was actually on my way out the door, and I stopped and turned and looked into the writers’ room and said, “Do you have a bar know-it-all?” And they looked up, and I think it was Glen Charles who asked, “What are you talking about?” So I stepped back in the room and explained that it’s a necessity for a bar know-it-all, especially in a New England bar. He’s the guy that everybody defers questions to. Whether the answers are right or wrong, it doesn’t make any difference. [Laughs.] You just need someone with a voice of authority to answer the questions or settle any bar bet or controversy. So I gave them an example—I made up what I thought the character would be like—and they started laughing to the point that I was able to leave with my dignity. Two days later, I got the call that they wanted to try that character out for seven episodes. And 11 years later, I was still there.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
PIXAR'S GOOD LUCK CHARM: John Ratzenberger talks to the AV Club:
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As many times as I've heard that story, I never get tired of it. It's the epitome of the argument that one needs to make one's own luck.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Paul. I invited myself for an interview once. Best job I ever had (or likely will ever have).
ReplyDeleteNot to be that guy (Wait, I AM that guy) but has this story ever bene verified by someone like Burrows and Charles, or maybe Ken Levine?
ReplyDeleteWell, that explains how they let someone with such a terrible Boston accent in.
ReplyDeleteI vaguely remember reading something like this on Ken Levine's blog awhile back, in one of his Q&A posts.
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