With a career spanning four decades and well over a hundred roles, it might be hard to pick the greatest John Goodman performance. But when it comes down to it, Goodman isn’t out of his element when he cites The Big Lebowski as a strike.
When asked by The Hollywood Reporter if there was a film he was most proud of, Goodman said, “People seem to enjoy The Big Lebowski, and since everybody else likes it so much, I’ll take that. But anything I did for Joel and Ethan [Coen].” Prior to The Big Lebowski, Goodman worked with the Coens on Raising Arizona and Barton Fink – a film he has been open about wishing he could redo – and later on O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Inside Llewyn Davis.
Recalling first meeting the Coen Brothers a full decade before The Big Lebowski, Goodman said, “It was great because I was in their second film. They had just done Blood Simple, and I didn’t really know who they were. I went in to an audition for Raising Arizona, and we just goofed around for an hour. I got the role, and a lot of my other friends that went in just couldn’t believe it because I really didn’t have much experience. When we were shooting, I would go to the set on my day off just to goof around and watch these guys, watch how they work, feud with [cinematographer] Barry Sonnenfeld just for the hell of it. I wish I could say it was a great learning experience, but I was having too much fun.”
John Goodman was already extremely well-established in the business by the time The Big Lebowski rolled around (heck, Roseanne – easily his biggest success – had already concluded), but the comedy gave him a far more loyal fanbase. Granted, it took a bit for the film to achieve cult status, but now the movie remains an absolute classic, with most of us easily considering Walter to be Goodman’s signature role.
Where would you place The Big Lebowski on your list of favorite John Goodman movies? Give us your top 3 in the comments section below.
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