For Honey, I cut back on the kids teen star Amy O’Neill, costar Rick Moranis were a father figure on set as in the movie, right down to the “dad look.”
“Rick was always warm yet respectful, always kind, professional and on top of his game. I’m so proud to call him dad,” O’Neill — who played Amy, the daughter of Moranis’ character Wayne Szalinski — tells PEOPLE as a family adventure film turns 35 years old.
In fact, that fatherly presence extended to their time together during a press trip to Japan for the 1989 classic. As O’Neill, now 52, recalls to PEOPLE, “After a long day of doing press panels and radio interviews, we got back to the hotel. [Fellow teen costar] Jared [Rushton] and I went to the cocktail lounge to see if they would serve us a cocktail.”
“Rick Moranis came in and gave me a dad look that inspired me and Jared to go to the hotel cafe instead,” says the actress.
“My on-screen dad got us arrested! He looked after us. He’s a real actor on and off the set,” adds O’Neill.
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From L: Amy O’Neill, Jared Rushton, Thomas Wilson Brown and Robert Oliveri backstage Honey, I cut back on the kids (1989).
Courtesy of Amy O’Neill
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Moranis, 71, gave up feature acting more than 25 years ago following the tragic death of his wife, Ann Belsky, from breast cancer.
although Little shop of horrors star slowly left public life to focus on being a single father to daughter Rachel Moranis and son Mitchell Moranis, now in their 30s, he never retired from work, he said The Hollywood Reporter in 2015.
“I took a break, which turned into a longer break,” Moranis said at the time. “But I’m interested in anything that would be interesting to me. I still get the occasional inquiry about a film or television role, and as soon as one comes along, I’m interested.”
Thomas Wilson Brown, who played O’Neill’s lover Russ Honey, I cut back on the kidstells PEOPLE that he considers Moranis “a source of inspiration as an actor and as a family man and father.”
“What he did professionally was surpassed by what he did for his children and his late wife,” Brown, 51, added of Moranis.
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Thomas Wilson Brown and Amy O’Neill pose in front Honey, I cut back on the kids film art with Rick Moranis and the late Marcia Strassman.
Courtesy of Amy O’Neill
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Both O’Neill and Brown have plenty of nice things to say about the “down-to-earth” and “highly intelligent” Moranis, who Brown tells PEOPLE has a gift for “comedy.” [that] can come to life at the flick of a switch.”
“One moment you’d think he’s an accountant in the studio with his reserved, quiet nature, and then boom, he’s off to the races, doing some stupid thing or gag that makes everyone crack up,” adds Brown.
O’Neill says she hasn’t seen Moranis since Honey, I cut back on the kids press tour in Japan, but still admires “how thoughtfully and thoroughly he crafted Wayne Szalinski’s character, with awe-inspiring physical comedy and comedic timing.”
“He would make the English and Spanish-speaking crew members crack up with his movements and expressions,” she recalls. “Maybe that’s part of the reason he’s one of our most revered comics giants: he’s funny even if you don’t understand what he’s saying.”
And while Brown also “sadly” lost touch with Moranis following their time on film, he says, “I miss him in person, as well as on the big screen. We need more Rick Moranis in this world.”
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Source: HIS Education