John Candy ‘Overdid It’ with Jack Nicholson the Night Before Shooting Splash Racquetball Scene, Recalls Producer

John Candy filmed an unforgettable scene in 1984 Splash on very little sleep, the film’s producer revealed.

Longtime Hollywood producer Brian Grazer shared some memories of the late Candy, who died aged 43 in 1994, during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show to promote his new sports documentaries about the New England Patriots. During the episode, host Eisen, 54, specifically asked if the stories that Candy “was hungover for the racket scene” were true.

“Yeah. Really, he stayed out with Jack Nicholson until about four or five in the morning and then he went straight to work,” Grazer, 72, said. “John Candy had a lot of stamina, I mean really, a lot of stamina.”

The night with Nicholson, I think he overdid it, so he literally ran into a ball that hit him in the head, the producer recalled. “That was real – we expected it, we knew we were going to have to shoot two shots, because as soon as he hit that ball, it hit him right in the head, he couldn’t get out of her way.”

Catherine O’Hara recalls her ‘crush’ on friend John Candy: ‘He was always very nice’ (Exclusive)

Tom Hanks and John Candy in the 1984 film Splash.

Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock

Candy starred alongside Tom Hanks Splash, a romantic comedy with fantasy elements that follows a man named Allen (Hanks) who falls in love with a woman who is secretly a mermaid (Daryl Hannah). Candy played Hanks on-screen brother, Freddie.

Posted on March 9 Splash it became the 11th highest-grossing film of 1984 at the domestic box office and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the 57th Academy Awards.

During Grazer’s appearance on Eisen’s show, he also recalled witnessing Candy drink “17 small rum and cokes” while meeting with the actor to decide whether he would be in the film. “But he drank them one after the other and he was fired up, he was fun and he never got messy, he just kept going,” the producer said.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Eugene Levy, Daryl Hannah, Tom Hanks and John Candy in the 1984 film Splash.

Cinematheque/Shutterstock

The story of the late Candy who is late and hungover Splash‘s set to film that scene bounced around for a while. Grazer, Hanks, Hannah, actor Eugene Levy and the film’s director Ron Howard shared the same story while appearing in Josh Gad’s film Reunited 2020 YouTube series, including one where Candy managed to get a racquetball to hit him in the head on the bounce on the first try.

“John, a total professional guy, but one day he was late … and John finally stopped and rolled out of the car and said, ‘Ron, I’m so sorry.’ I said, ‘It’s okay. You’re late, but we’ll go.’ He said, ‘No, no, no. Look, I’m drunk,'” Howard recalled of his interaction with Candy that day.

John Candy’s children remember icon on 29th anniversary of his death: ‘Loss is never easy’

Eugene Levy, Tom Hanks and John Candy in the 1984 film Splash.

Cinematheque/Shutterstock

“Here’s what happened — I’m telling you the truth — I’m in a bar and Jack Nicholson is in a bar,” he recalled Candy saying. “‘Jack Nicholson knew my name, Ron! And started buying me drinks. [Candy] said: ‘But I have to go shoot’. AND [Nicholson] said, ‘You’ll be fine, kid. Don’t worry about it.’ ”

Howard also said that Candy told him that he “never went to bed” before he arrived to shoot the scene.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education