Back to Questions

Making the Movie

Did you have any say in the making of the movie?

I was very involved with the movie. I wrote the screenplay and I was there on the set 80 percent of the time, giving my opinions. I didn't have the final say, that's the director's call, but I certainly had his ear. I was also in a scene.

Which scene?

That's my favorite thing to talk about. Kind of like, you always hear about baseball pitchers always wanting to talk about their at-bats. It was a real short scene. I was on the screen for maybe two seconds at the most. But in the Old West, Sam, the onion seller, sells me a jar of onion juice to make my hair grow, to rub on top of my head.

In pictures, you're not bald. Did they make you wear one of those bald caps?

Well, no, I am not completely bald, but I have a lot more hair on the side of my head than I do on top. It's funny too because every time I look at myself in a picture, you know, people take pictures of me all the time, I always think, "Gosh, am I really that bald?" And then, when I saw the scene of the movie, I said, "I don't look bald in that."

 

Do you feel the movie has the same impact as the book?

I hope so. It's very true to the book. As the writer of the book, I can't tell what the impact is anymore because I know the story too well and I am so involved with the movie. I can't tell what the impact is, except that it has been very well received by audiences.