All the best actors have some stinkers in their filmography, but they weren’t all nudged into them by Steven Spielberg. John Goodman has admitted that one of his worst movies came about because the acclaimed director backed him into a corner.
Talking to GQ, Goodman revealed that The Flintstones happened while he was reading for another fantasy movie entirely. “They kinda sandbagged me. Steven Spielberg cast me in a film called Always,” he says. “I was just in heaven, ‘This is the best’. So on the day of the first table read, he goes, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to say something before we start, I’ve found my Fred Flintstone’.”
This “took the wind” out of Goodman, which sounds about right, and he adds he wasn’t looking forward to the family movie at all. “I felt like I was sandbagged,” he states, grinning. “It was hot, it was sweaty, it was fun. I got to meet Jonathan Winters, who was in a scene, that was great.”
One major upside, in addition to the above, was working alongside another stalwart of the best ’80s movies. “Rick Moranis was an ace,” Goodman says. “Rick Moranis is the best. I loved showing up for work with Rick Moranis.”
Game recognises game, and it’s good to hear there’s some positives to be gleamed from what was the wrong kind of disaster movie. The 1994 live-action adaptation of the classic animated series went through a prolonged development, changing filmmakers several times, and what came out didn’t quite capture the familial charm of the original.
Still, Goodman and Moranis opposite one another as Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble? You can’t argue that isn’t great casting – Spielberg knew what he was doing on that front.
Check out our list of the best Steven Spielberg movies and best movies if you want something better to watch. Our new movies guide has all the upcoming releases, as well.