Colin Hanks and Ryan Reynolds on the Struggle to Find Dan Aykroyd for Their ‘John Candy: I Like Me’ Doc
Colin Hanks and Ryan Reynolds knew exactly how they wanted their Prime Video documentary “John Candy: I Like Me” to begin, with the touching eulogy that Dan Aykroyd gave at the private Los Angeles memorial service for Candy in 1994.
“We’re dealing with people already know what the outcome is, but they don’t necessarily understand the root in which you got there,” Hanks, who directed the film, tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast. “I felt like it was important to open the film and show that heart right out of the gate, within those first few minutes. Dan Aykroyd wrote such a beautiful eulogy for John, and it just felt like that was such a beautiful way to start the film. To remind people of his grace, his wit, his charm.
But there two big problems with that: There wasn’t a recording of Aykroyd’s speech, as the L.A. funeral wasn’t recorded — only the much larger memorial service held later for Candy in Toronto. And even if they wanted Aykroyd to re-enact it, Hanks and Reynolds didn’t know how to even contact the star.
“We couldn’t find Dan Aykroyd to save our lives,” says Reynolds, who produced. “And we couldn’t get his voice to record it. The voice on the rough cut was a bad impression of him. Eventually, we tracked him down, and he recorded the eulogy. It became as vivid as the day he delivered it the first time.”
Hanks and Reynolds dropped by Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast to talk about the production of “John Candy: I Like Me,” and the love, care and respect they put into honoring the legendary Candy, who died way too soon at just 43 in 1994. Listen below!
CALL THE AWARDS CIRCUIT PODCAST WITH YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS! LEAVE A VOICE MAIL AT (323) 617-9110!
Hanks, of course, knew Candy through his father Tom Hanks (who starred with Candy in “Splash”). And although Reynolds never met Candy, as a proud Canadian he idolized the actor. Reynolds notes that every “Deadpool” movie features an Easter egg devoted to Candy.
“He means everything to me,” Reynolds says. “You can draw a connection to John at both aspiration and then nostalgia for me. John embodies a lot of what I love about my brother. John embodies that humility and the self effacing kind of humor and really kind of the masking of pain at times and how those maladaptive coping mechanisms are utilized.
Hanks noted that Candy’s work continues to be timeless, in both his movies and even in “SCTV” — a pop culture parody very much of its time, and yet still cutting. “It’s a shame that it’s taken this long to look back at John’s life and career and give him proper send off,” he says. “But at the same time, when the body of work is that good? It almost doesn’t matter when, as long as you do.”
Besides Aykroyd, Bill Murray was also difficult to track down — but the filmmakers eventually got both of them, and had no problem lining up a who’s who of talent, all eager to talk about their friend John. That included Mel Brooks, Macaulay Culkin, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Tom Hanks (Hanks admits he was the easiest one to get) and Catherine O’Hara. The film ends with O’Hara, which makes it extra poignant given her recent death.
Says Hanks: “One of the very first conversations I had with with Marty Short about doing the documentary, he said, ‘you know, you’re actually going to have a problem, because no one is going to say no. Everyone’s going to want to do it.’ And so it kind of created this pressure of, all right, we want to be real meticulous on who we reach out to, who we speak with.”
Hanks and Reynolds were also shown their very first appearances in Variety. For Hanks, it was this blurb in May 1999:
“I remember, honestly at that point, I think it was just this combination of complete excitement and total utter fear,” Hanks says. “Excited that there was this definite new chapter, obviously getting a part in a movie, and knowing that I was going to be on a TV show in the fall. It was incredibly exciting. But also, jlooking back now, I think there’s also a heavy amount of fear.”
For Reynolds, it’s May 1993 (initial Cannes listing) and November 1993 (review), for a film titled “Ganesh,” later retitled “Ordinary Magic”:
“I was 13 years old. Promptly quit acting after that, went and worked to drove a forklift and worked at Fiascos restaurant in Vancouver,” he quips. He also remembers working with Paul Anka on the film: “One of Paul’s hits is ‘You’re Having My Baby.’ So I said to Paul, ‘Paul, you’re not gonna believe this. But when my mom was pregnant with me, you brought her on stage at a concert and sang “You’re Having My Baby”. Which is, you know, mildly inappropriate, but also, you know, kind of amazing that I’m standing here now, 13 years later, your co-star in this movie!'”
TEN Qs WITH COLIN HANKS AND RYAN REYNOLDS:1. Childhood nickname: Reynolds: “Casper.” Hanks: “Doctor. I get called ‘Doctor’ a lot.”2. Something you loved as a kid but can’t believe you were into it now: Reynolds: “Tiger Beat magazine.” Hanks: “The film ‘The Lost Boys.'”3. Go-to Karaoke or sing-in-the-shower song: Reynolds: “’Hold On,’ by Wilson Phillips.” Hanks: “‘Wanted Dead or Alive,’ by Bon Jovi.”4. Give me an alternate title for your show: [I skipped this one.]5. What’s your secret talent?: Reynolds: “I can do a standing back flip.” Hanks: “Stick my arms out, put my hands over each other, push them through my arms and lift.”6. Favorite ice cream flavor: Reynolds: “Rocky road.” Hanks: “Tie between cookies & cream and coffee.”7. The one item you couldn’t live without: Reynolds: “Music.” Hanks: “I’m going to have to go with music as well!”8. What TV show in all of history do you wish you were a cast member of?: Reynolds: “Cheers.” Hanks: “SNL.”9. Fictional character you most relate to: Reynolds: “Peter Sellers in ‘Being There.'” Hanks: “The Dude.”10. Your favorite personal hot take: Hanks: “No one knows! They don’t know.” Reynolds: “The three words ‘I don’t know.’ It’s very sexy.”
At the start of the episode, the Awards Circuit Roundtable discusses the unusual year in FYC, the latest new category news, the frontrunners in talk and Emily’s love of Stagecoach.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.
“We’re dealing with people already know what the outcome is, but they don’t necessarily understand the root in which you got there,” Hanks, who directed the film, tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast. “I felt like it was important to open the film and show that heart right out of the gate, within those first few minutes. Dan Aykroyd wrote such a beautiful eulogy for John, and it just felt like that was such a beautiful way to start the film. To remind people of his grace, his wit, his charm.
But there two big problems with that: There wasn’t a recording of Aykroyd’s speech, as the L.A. funeral wasn’t recorded — only the much larger memorial service held later for Candy in Toronto. And even if they wanted Aykroyd to re-enact it, Hanks and Reynolds didn’t know how to even contact the star.
“We couldn’t find Dan Aykroyd to save our lives,” says Reynolds, who produced. “And we couldn’t get his voice to record it. The voice on the rough cut was a bad impression of him. Eventually, we tracked him down, and he recorded the eulogy. It became as vivid as the day he delivered it the first time.”
Hanks and Reynolds dropped by Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast to talk about the production of “John Candy: I Like Me,” and the love, care and respect they put into honoring the legendary Candy, who died way too soon at just 43 in 1994. Listen below!
CALL THE AWARDS CIRCUIT PODCAST WITH YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS! LEAVE A VOICE MAIL AT (323) 617-9110!
Hanks, of course, knew Candy through his father Tom Hanks (who starred with Candy in “Splash”). And although Reynolds never met Candy, as a proud Canadian he idolized the actor. Reynolds notes that every “Deadpool” movie features an Easter egg devoted to Candy.
“He means everything to me,” Reynolds says. “You can draw a connection to John at both aspiration and then nostalgia for me. John embodies a lot of what I love about my brother. John embodies that humility and the self effacing kind of humor and really kind of the masking of pain at times and how those maladaptive coping mechanisms are utilized.
Hanks noted that Candy’s work continues to be timeless, in both his movies and even in “SCTV” — a pop culture parody very much of its time, and yet still cutting. “It’s a shame that it’s taken this long to look back at John’s life and career and give him proper send off,” he says. “But at the same time, when the body of work is that good? It almost doesn’t matter when, as long as you do.”
Besides Aykroyd, Bill Murray was also difficult to track down — but the filmmakers eventually got both of them, and had no problem lining up a who’s who of talent, all eager to talk about their friend John. That included Mel Brooks, Macaulay Culkin, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Tom Hanks (Hanks admits he was the easiest one to get) and Catherine O’Hara. The film ends with O’Hara, which makes it extra poignant given her recent death.
Says Hanks: “One of the very first conversations I had with with Marty Short about doing the documentary, he said, ‘you know, you’re actually going to have a problem, because no one is going to say no. Everyone’s going to want to do it.’ And so it kind of created this pressure of, all right, we want to be real meticulous on who we reach out to, who we speak with.”
Hanks and Reynolds were also shown their very first appearances in Variety. For Hanks, it was this blurb in May 1999:
“I remember, honestly at that point, I think it was just this combination of complete excitement and total utter fear,” Hanks says. “Excited that there was this definite new chapter, obviously getting a part in a movie, and knowing that I was going to be on a TV show in the fall. It was incredibly exciting. But also, jlooking back now, I think there’s also a heavy amount of fear.”
For Reynolds, it’s May 1993 (initial Cannes listing) and November 1993 (review), for a film titled “Ganesh,” later retitled “Ordinary Magic”:
“I was 13 years old. Promptly quit acting after that, went and worked to drove a forklift and worked at Fiascos restaurant in Vancouver,” he quips. He also remembers working with Paul Anka on the film: “One of Paul’s hits is ‘You’re Having My Baby.’ So I said to Paul, ‘Paul, you’re not gonna believe this. But when my mom was pregnant with me, you brought her on stage at a concert and sang “You’re Having My Baby”. Which is, you know, mildly inappropriate, but also, you know, kind of amazing that I’m standing here now, 13 years later, your co-star in this movie!'”
TEN Qs WITH COLIN HANKS AND RYAN REYNOLDS:1. Childhood nickname: Reynolds: “Casper.” Hanks: “Doctor. I get called ‘Doctor’ a lot.”2. Something you loved as a kid but can’t believe you were into it now: Reynolds: “Tiger Beat magazine.” Hanks: “The film ‘The Lost Boys.'”3. Go-to Karaoke or sing-in-the-shower song: Reynolds: “’Hold On,’ by Wilson Phillips.” Hanks: “‘Wanted Dead or Alive,’ by Bon Jovi.”4. Give me an alternate title for your show: [I skipped this one.]5. What’s your secret talent?: Reynolds: “I can do a standing back flip.” Hanks: “Stick my arms out, put my hands over each other, push them through my arms and lift.”6. Favorite ice cream flavor: Reynolds: “Rocky road.” Hanks: “Tie between cookies & cream and coffee.”7. The one item you couldn’t live without: Reynolds: “Music.” Hanks: “I’m going to have to go with music as well!”8. What TV show in all of history do you wish you were a cast member of?: Reynolds: “Cheers.” Hanks: “SNL.”9. Fictional character you most relate to: Reynolds: “Peter Sellers in ‘Being There.'” Hanks: “The Dude.”10. Your favorite personal hot take: Hanks: “No one knows! They don’t know.” Reynolds: “The three words ‘I don’t know.’ It’s very sexy.”
At the start of the episode, the Awards Circuit Roundtable discusses the unusual year in FYC, the latest new category news, the frontrunners in talk and Emily’s love of Stagecoach.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.