Crispin Hellion Glover. Actor and filmmaker. More information: CrispinGlover.com. Ask me anything.

No questions, I just want to say I love your style. You are my density.

Thank you!

My density has brought me to you.

EDIT: Thanks /u/fubuki for setting me straight on the actual quote.. I've been hearing this quote wrong for years.

I have seen this mis-quote attributed to the film. It is not the proper quote from the film.

Will you be my friend? Also what was the funniest thing that happened while filming "Back to the Future"? EDIT: I SWEAR I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE CONTROVERSY

You are my friend Toyou4yu. There are certain things that happened since being in Back to the Future that makes it difficult for me to reflect on the film as having funny things happening. Specifically there was a lawsuit because of something the producers did that was illegal in the sequel to the film. What the producers did that was illegal was as follows. The producers used the molds that were taken from my face from the original film and had prosthetics made to resemble my face to be placed on another actor to make them look like me and then inter-spliced a small amount of footage of me from the original film with the actor in prosthetics to resemble me in order to fool audiences in to believing I was in the film. There was an actress that was replaced with another actress in the film, but they simply cast another actor in that role with no prosthetics. Had they simply cast another actor to play the role of George McFly there would have been no criminal activity on the part of the producers and there would have been no lawsuit. Since they did not own my face nor make an financial agreement with me to use my facial features what they did was stealing something they did not own for personal again and therefor what they did was illegal and why there was a lawsuit and why there are rules in the Screen Actors Guild that make it so producers can never to this kind of thing again.

Probably the most negative aspect about it is that Bob Gale who was a co-producer and co-writer and one of the main architects of the illegal activity has decided that it serves him best to lie about what happened in order to justify partaking in something that led to the producer’s illegal activity. He has falsely stated that I asked the same amount of money that Michael J. Fox was getting. This statement by him is complete fabrication. He is doing this to take the focus off the fact that what he and his fellow producers did was illegal, by definition of the word. He does not want to face that fact. To skirt the issue Bob Gale has lied to millions of people on the Back to the Future DVD commentaries about how the negotiations were handled. I would not normally discuss this sort of thing, but people believe what he has stated as true. What people have to realize is that Bob Gale was involved with something that he and his fellow producers turned in to illegal activity. People who wonder about if what Bob Gale has said is true or not, should understand even if they liked “Back to the Future” it still means that a creator like Bob Gale who was a contributor to the illegal activity has motivation to create lies to detract the attention from his wrong doing. I wonder if Bob Gale were asked if he would help produce a film with the same specific illegal activity if he would say he would do it again. For one thing the new laws in SAG that my lawsuit helped to create would not allow an actor to be hired to fool audiences in to believing they are another performer with the use of prosthetics or otherwise. Still putting that specific questions to Bob Gale I wonder what he would answer. If he would answer that he would help to do something illegal again I hope people would understand the lack of integrity that would indicate on his part. I would hope he would answer that what he/they did was wrong, and illegal and if they had to make the film without me playing the role they would simply cast another actor in the role like they did with re-casting Claudia Wells with Elizabeth Shue as Jennifer character in the same film. In the very same film they re-cast an actress with a different actress, but they did not put prosthetics on Elizabeth Shue to make her look like Claudia Wells. For whatever what feels to me like being mean spirited, they decided it was good idea to put another actor in prosthetics and inter-splice a very small portion of me from the original film to fool audiences in to believing I was in it. There has not been another situation like this preceding it, and because of my lawsuit there has not been another time that another actor has been subjected to this particular sort of illegal activity. Again I am proud of the lawsuit and standing up against illegal activity that caused proper precedents and bylaws in to be set in the Screen Actors Guild. It is unfortunate that the producers of the Back to the Future films decided it was a good idea to perform an illegal action, which led to a lawsuit. In 2005-2007 I had a very positive experience working with Robert Zemeckis again playing Grendel in his “Beowulf.” When working together the subject of the lawsuit was never brought up. I am enjoying my life, making my films, touring with them, publishing my books and acting in other people’s films. If I were put in the exact same situation today I would react in the exact same way. Thank you for asking about it in that detailed way. I am glad to help clarify. People can find out about my films and shows and where I will be with them on CrispinGlover.com

I have noticed however that Bob Gale who was the co-writer and one of the producers on the films and one of the chief architects of the concepts that led to the law suit has been stating false things about me to attempt to lessen his wrongdoing. I do not like his false statements would like to remind that what he did caused laws in the screen actors guild to be changed to protect actors from his kind of wrong doing. I ended up having an excellent working relationship with Robert Zemeckis on Beowulf which was released in 2007. Despite the negative aspects of Bob Gale I am glad that I played the character in the original film.

Your appearance on Letterman is pretty famous. Where you on drugs at the time or was that some performance art?

Edit: Link for the curious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCaxKq5KFQM

I have neither confirmed or denied in media whether or not that was me on the 1987 Late Night with David Letterman appearance. If asked I go in to a lot of detail about it at my shows.

I am on a publicity schedule today and have other interviews to go to so I will have to come back to answer more questions later. I've had an excellent time! Thank you! Crispin

Hi,

When you had to re-shoot footage for Back to the Future because of the switch to Michael J Fox, did you change your approach to playing your character? Was there a scene that you were happy to have a second chance to perform?

Thank you!

I did not alter the performance other than of course reacting to a different person. Many of the close ups of my character that are used in the film are from me playing off of Eric Stoltz. I had shot most of my character's scenes when Eric Stoltz was replaced. It was I believe five weeks in to shooting just before the year end holliday.

Hi Crispin ! :)
question: why dont you age ?

Hi humbleroller! Of course I do age. I do try to keep a healthy diet and excercise. I tend eat as much of a raw vegetable diet as much as possible.

So what inspired you to make," Clowny Clown Clown"?

With the record “The Big Problem ≠ The Solution. The Solution = Let It Be” I was approached by Barns and Barns who wanted to record with me. I knew their work and thought it would be a lark to record something with them. I recorded some things and then they let me know they were interested in making an album. It became apparent to me that a concept should be had and so I thought about some of what had been recorded and realized there already was a bit of a theme and that by recording other new things and getting rid of some of the things that were already recorded a good concept could come out of it. This is where The Big Problem ≠ The Solution. The Solution = Let It Be.. came from.

The album came out in 1989 and this was well before the Internet so a telephone number (not my home number) was printed on the album for people to call with their answer. Many people figured it out. The telephone message let people know information about how to order my books.

Clowny Clown Clown has had more attention in recent years than the rest of the album in the last several years because Youtube has made the promotional video available and many more people have seen that than heard the rest of the album. I am glad I made the video for that song, but of course a lot more has gone in to making the films.

There is another album’s worth of material that has small finishes that need to be made to release it. My mind mostly is on making and distributing my films and acting in other’s films. One of my favorite parts of making the films is working with the music for the films. Performing music is much lower on my priorities, but I am proud of the album and I need to put the second one out at some point.

We worked on The Big Problem ≠ The Solution. The Solution = Let It Be. for a couple of years. A lot of work was put in to it, and I am proud of the album. I think novelty album is probably the best way to describe it because you would really not call it a rock album, nor a poetry album. I do not think of “novelty album” as a pejorative.

I always am an advocate of anything that let’s people think for themselves. If anything I have created can do that in any way then I am glad of it.

The album came out in 1989 and this was well before the Internet so a telephone number (not my home number) was printed on the album for people to call with their answer. Many people figured it out.

I feel like a bit of a failure. I have owned this album for two decades, and never figured out the answer. I don't suppose you'd tell us now would you?

Hi gruisinger!

You probably figured it out and not even realized it. Many people have let me know what it was they thought it is and they were thinking what I was thinking. It is really just the theme of the different pieces on record.

With the record I was approached by Barns and Barns who wanted to record with me. I knew their work and thought it would be a lark to record something with them. I recorded some things and then they let me know they were interested in making an album. It became apparent to me that a concept should be had and so I thought about some of what had been recorded and realized there already was a bit of a theme and that by recording other new things and getting rid of some of the things that were already recorded an good concept could come out of it. This is where The Big Problem ≠ The Solution. The Solution = Let It Be.. came from. There is another album’s worth of material that has small finishes that need to be made to release it. My mind mostly is on making and distributing my films and acting in other’s films. One of my favorite parts of making the films is working with the music for the films. Performing music is much lower on my priorities, but I am proud of the album and I need to put the second one out at some point.

Is it true that your character in Charlie's Angels was originally supposed to have dialogue but you decided it made more sense for him to be mute?

Hi Frajer! After I read the screenplay and the producers wanted to know what my thoughts were I let them know I thought it should be a character played without dialogue. McG, the director was very enthusiastic immediately and that ended up happening. I had much more influence on that character than virtually any character I have played be it in a large or small film. Another thing that came from me was the hair fetishism. There were a series of circumstances that let that all the various influences happen. The funny thing is that I was able to fund “The initial production of “It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE.” with my salary from the first “Charlie’s Angels” film. If you have not seen this film the main character played by Steven C. Stewart has a much more defined interest in women with long hair. Steven C. Stewart wrote and is the main actor in part two of the trilogy titled It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE. I put Steve in to the cast of What is it? because he had written this screenplay which I read in 1987. When I turned What is it? from a short film in to a feature I realized there were certain thematic elements in the film that related to what Steven C. Stewart’s screenplay dealt with.  Steve had been locked in a nursing home for about ten years when his mother died. He had been born with a severe case of cerebral palsy and he was very difficult to understand. People that were caring for him in the nursing home would derisively call him an “M.R.” short for “Mental Retard”. This is not a nice thing to say to anyone, but Steve was of normal intelligence. When he did get out he wrote his screenplay. Although it is written in the genre of a murder detective thriller truths of his own existence come through much more clearly than if he had written it as a standard autobiography. Steven C. Stewart’s own true story was fascinating and then the beautiful story and the naïve including his fascination of women with long hair and the graphic violence and sexuality and the revealing truth of his psyche from the screenplay were all combined. A specific marriage proposal scene was the scene I remember reading that made me think “I will have to be the person to produce/finance this film.” As I have stated, I put Steven C. Stewart in to What is it? When I turned What is it? in to a feature film. Originally What is it? Was going to be a short film to promote the concept to corporate film funding entities that working with a cast wherein most characters are played by actors with Down’s Syndrome. Steve had written his screenplay in in the late 1970’s. I read it in 1987 and as soon as I had read it I knew I had to produce the film.
 Steven C. Stewart died within a month after we finished shooting the film. Cerebral palsy is not generative but Steve was 62 when we shot the film. One of Steve’s lungs had collapsed because he had started choking on his own saliva and he got pneumonia. I specifically started funding my own films with the money I make from the films I act in when Steven C. Stewart’s lung collapsed in the year 2000 this was around the same time that the first Charlie’s Angels film was coming to me. I realized with the money I made from that film I could put straight in to the Steven C. Stewart film. That is exactly what happened. I finished acting in Charlie’s Angels and then went to Salt Lake City where Steven C. Stewart lived. I met with Steve and David Brothers with whom I co-directed the film. I went back to LA and acted in an lower budget film for about five weeks and David Brothers started building the sets. Then I went straight back to Salt Lake and we completed shooting the film within about six months in three separate smaller productions. Then Steve died within a month after we finished shooting. I am relieved to have gotten this film finally completed because ever since I read the screenplay in 1987 I knew I had to produce the film and also produce it correctly. I would not have felt right about myself if we had not gotten Steve’s film made, I would have felt that I had done something wrong and that I had actually done a bad thing if I had not gotten it made. So I am greatly relieved to have completed it especially since I am very pleased with how well the film has turned out. We shot “It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE.”  while I was still completing What it? And this is partly why What is it? took a long time to complete. I am very proud of the film as I am of “What is it?” I feel “It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE.” will probably be the best film I will have anything to do with in my entire career.  People who are interested in when I will be back should join up on the e mail list at CrispinGlover.com as they will be emailed with information as to where I will be where with whatever film I tour with. It is by far the best way to know how to see the films.

After Charlie’s Angels came out it did very well financially and was good for my acting career. I started getting better roles that also paid better and I could continue using that money to finance my films that I am so truly passionate about. I have been able to divorce myself from the content of the films that I act in and look at acting as a craft that I am helping other filmmakers to accomplish what it is that they want to do. Usually filmmakers have hired me because there is something they have felt would be interesting to accomplish with using me in their film and usually I can try to do something interesting as an actor. If for some reason the director is not truly interested in doing something that I personally find interesting with the character then I can console myself that with the money I am making to be in their production I can help to fund my own films that I am so truly passionate about. Usually though I feel as though I am able to get something across as an actor that I feel good about. It has worked out well.

Thanks a lot for doing this AMA. One of my favorite horror films of all time is Willard. You were perfect! Whats a favorite moment from the making of the film?

I also just saw Wild at Heart for the first time just last week. Breif as it was, Dell, had me laughing the most. Thanks for that one too!

Great question! :)

I worked hard on the emotional aspect of the character. It was something I had to concentrate on for most of the duration of the film. I do like to ski and there was night skiing near where we were shooting in Vancouver so for much of the shoot I was able to go night skiing after shooting. That was a good form of excercise and a way to clear my thoughts after shooting each day.

Hi Crispin. Will you be back for the sequel to Hot Tub Time Machine?

I would have liked to be in the sequel to Hot Tub Time Machine as I liked working on the first one very much and all the people involved. There was talk about it up to the last week of shooting, but I never got an offer for being in the film.

I am in a film that opens this week also with John Cusack titled "The Bag Man." I had an excellent time working on this film as well.

Hi Crispin!

Thanks for doing this ama!

What was it like working with R. Lee Ermy on Willard? While working with him did he act out any scenes from Full Metal Jacket?

Hello! I got along very well with R. Lee Ermey. He did not act out any scenes from Full Metal Jacket. We had good discussions about the characters we played in the film and I directed him in the music video for "Ben." I like R. Lee Ermey a lot.

Hi Crispin, here's a silly question, I think you have a great smile, so I was wondering are you ticklish? If yes, where and do you ticklish feet? :)

Thank you Lena! I actually find tickling something that can be particularly uncomfortable. I am not sure why, but I do avoid it.

Hello Crispin,

Just out of curiosity, how do you feel about your role as Jimmy in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter? Any good memories from that experience?

Thank you for your time.

The character I played in "Friday the 13th Part IV" was named Jimmy. As an a working actor needing continue my career I agreed to act in the film. I had a feeling that there wold be something humorous about having appeared in that franchise. It had of course continued to be an extraordinarily popular franchise. I am glad I did the film.

The dance that is now seen a lot on the internet was more syncopated than it might seem. The original music was AC DCs Back in Black. I asked them to play that for the actual filming of the scene which they did, but the music they used in the soundtrack was something that was less syncopated to the dance. It was always an an unusual way to dance, but probably made even more unusual by the non fitting music put over it.

You have a lovely name; how did it come about?

My father Bruce Glover is an actor. In fact he is in Part two of the trilogy It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE! People may know him from such films as Diamonds are Forever, Chinatown and the original Walking Tall series. His middle name is Herbert. He never liked his middle name Herbert. So as a young struggling actor in New York he would say to himself “I am Bruce H. Glover, Bruce Hellion Glover. I am a hellion a troublemaker.” And that would make him feel good. He told my mother this was his real middle name. When they were married she saw him writing on the marriage certificate Bruce Herbert Glover and she thought “Who am I marrying?” They gave Hellion to me as my real middle name. I had always written and drawn as a child and I would always sign my drawing and writing with my whole name Crispin Hellion Glover. When I started acting professionally at 13 which was something I had decided on my own I could do as a profession at a relatively young age it became apparent that I had to choose a professional acting name for SAG. I thought my whole name was too long for acting and just used my first and last name. When I started publishing my books I simply continued using the name I had always used for writing and drawing. This is also why I use my whole name for my films.

Hello Mr. Glover! I've been a big fan of your work for decades and really appreciate your views on working in the big Hollywood meat grinder and then using the filthy lucre to fund your artistic vision. I have so many questions, but I will limit myself to two:

1) I have given up that there will ever be a followup to your record, but I still hold out hope that there are more books in the future. It has been a while since "What It Is and How It Is Done." Is my hope misplaced?

2) What is the weirdest gift a fan has given you? I promise I am not going to try to top it.

Thank you for doing this AMA and I look forward to seeing your show in Encinitas in a couple of weeks.

People often re-quote me in their own words. The way you phrase your question is not how I would state what you are saying. I understand the questions, but I am actually grateful to be part of the corporately funded and distributed film world. I have questions and comments about that which is put forth from the corporate film industry but I do not blast it as something that is completely corrupt. There are a lot of good people working in the film industry, but there is a systematization that can make people involved in the industry conform to a specific line of interest.

As for my first film I am very careful to make it quite clear that “What is it?” is not a film about Down’s Syndrome but my psychological reaction to the corporate restraints that have happened in the last 20 to 30 years in film making. Specifically anything that can possibly make an audience uncomfortable is necessarily excised or the film will not be corporately funded or distributed. This is damaging to the culture because it is the very moment when an audience member sits back in their chair looks up at the screen and thinks to their self “Is this right what I am watching? Is this wrong what I am watching? Should I be here? Should the filmmaker have made this? What is it?” -and that is the title of the film. What is it that is taboo in the culture? What does it mean that taboo has been ubiquitously excised in this culture’s media? What does it mean to the culture when it does not properly process taboo in it’s media? It is a bad thing because when questions are not being asked because these kinds of questions are when people are having a truly educational experience. For the culture to not be able to ask questions leads towards a non educational experience and that is what is happening in this culture. This stupefies this culture and that is of course a bad thing. So What is it? Is a direct reaction to the contents this culture’s media. I would like people to think for themselves.

There may be a follow up to my record. I do plan to publish many more of my books but my money is often tied up in my own film making.

For example I have started shooting my next feature film. To be clear this film is not part three of the "IT" trilogy.

I should not go in to too much detail for part 3 of the “It” trilogy yet as “IT IS MINE.” will not be the film I shoot next. There are other projects outside of the trilogy that I will shoot next. The Czech Republic is where I own a chateau built in the 1600‘s. I have converted its former horse stables in to film shooting stages. Czech is another culture and another language and I need to build up to complex productions like “What is it?” and the existing sequel “It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE.” “IT IS MINE.” is an even more complex project than the previous two films put together, so it will be a while yet for that production. I will step outside of the trilogy for a number of films that deal with different thematic elements from the “IT” trilogy. The sets for my next film productions were in construction for over two years now. At the same time the sets were being built I was in the process of continuing to develop the screenplay for myself and my father to act in together on these sets. My father, Bruce Glover, is also an actor who has appeared in such films as “Chinatown” and “Diamonds Are Forever” and he and I have not yet acted together on film. The project with my father is the next film I am currently preparing to make as a director/producer. This will be the first role I have written for myself to act that will be written primarily as an acting role, as opposed to a role that was written for the character I play to merely serve the structure. But even still on some level I am writing the screenplay to be something that I can afford to make. There are two other projects I am currently developing to shoot on sets at my property in the Czech Republic. These films will be relatively affordable by utilizing the basic set structures that can be slightly re-worked for variations and yet each film will feel separate from one another in look and style yet still cinematically pleasing so they will be worth to project in various cinemas. 

I have now started shooting my next feature at my property in Czech. The crew and cast stayed at my chateau in Czech

The best way for people to know about my projects such as recording, books, my films and touring is to sign up for the newsletter on CrispinGlover.com

I do not think of gifts as weird or strange.

Thank you for the questions Grimblewedge. I look forward to seeing you in Encinitas!

What's your favorite book and why?

My favorite novel is Crime and Punishment. The descriptive ability by Dostoyevsky and his story structure and moral sense is unsurpassed by anything I have ever read. I need to read Brothers Karamazov though.

A few years back a captain I workerd with showed me Dead Man. Your one scene as the fire man was so eerie and perfect.

What was it like on the set of said film?

I studied acting professionally from age 15 to 20. My father also teaches acting, but I never formally studied with him. Of course I must have picked things up. Nonetheless much of my formal training was improvisation with technique as opposed to improvisation for comedy. This means I can be quite comfortable with improvisation. At the same time I also had scene study and understand the importance of lines. Most films I have been in I stick with the lines quite precisely. There can be an improvisation of thought within the lines so to speak. The reason I am writing this is because in "Dead Man" it was one of the more rare times when I did improvise a fair amount of dialogue. This was encouraged by Jim Jarmusch and l liked working with him a lot.

Mr. Glover, let me get you a milk. Chocolate.

Thanks for doing this AMA. What has been the most challenging role you've taken on?

In a certain way there seems to be an equivalency in challenge. A lot of the characters I have played I look at as assignments. This does not mean I do not enjoy my assignments, but I think it in a certain way is the best way to think about it. I say this because I chose the profession of acting at a young age. My father, Bruce Glover, is an actor and my mother Betty Glover retired as a dancer and actress when I was born. My parents were not rich by any means. I grew up in a middle class household. I have no complaints about that. We were not poor but not rich either. Of course that is comparative to the US. Most people in the US are certainly rich compared to certain cultures so it is important to remain grateful for that. In any case I grew up knowing I needed to make my own living and that essentially once I turned 18 I was on my own financially. I moved out when I was 18 and never moved back home. Luckily I started to work a fair amount in films at that age and was able to support myself.

Do you and David Letteman play golf together?

I have never been invited to play golf with David Letterman.

Hello!

How is your day going?

How do you like Reddit?

And how was it like working on the classic, Back to the Future?

All is well squrrils72. I do like Reddit as the way I normally answer questions is from a 1600 word page document that I have saved from my written interviews over the last 9 years of touring with my live shows and feature films I have directed. This means I can use that resource to answer certain commonly asked questions and respond in more detail to less commonly asked questions. There is something written about Back to the Future above.

Hi Crispin, in Like Mike did you get to meet any NBA players?

I do not believe I met any NBA players while shooting Like Mike.

And, as always, when will part three of the trilogy be released upon the world? Are you working on any new books?

As I have started shooting my third directorial feature right now. This feature is not part of the trilogy. It is a film that is the first time my father and I have played scenes together. I am currently touring with parts one and two of the "IT" trilogy and 10 minutes of contiguous edited material for the film with myself and my father. I will be in Ottawa Canada this weekend and At the Las Palmas Theatre not too far from San Diego next weekend. More information is on CrispinGlover.com

Hey Crispin,

Is it true that you had the ending of the first Back to the Future film changed from the McFlys having an all-black staff of servants to just Biff being the servant?

I had no power or control over any of the content in "Back to the Future."

Hey Crispin — I've always loved your work but this piece has a particularly special place in my heart: What It Is and How It is Done

What are some current projects of yours we can look forward to?

Thanks!

Thank you LateRunner! This is from a clip on a talk show I was on in the early 90's. I perform this book at my live shows. I perform it differently than it is on this clip, but it gives some idea of what the live portion of my shows are like on my tours. I have two films that I have acted in coming out. One film is coming out this week titled "The Bag Man" with John Cusack and Robert De Niro.

I am also in a Polish language film titled "Hispanka.' That film takes place in 1918 and I play a German speaking telepath.

I am currently shooting my next directorial feature which I have written about above.

Hey Crispin, big fan of your work. Is it true you put bugs in your underwear while acting on "River's Edge" to help you get into character?

There is no truth of this. Although I think you are mixing "River's Edge" up with "Wild at Heart" The character in "Wild Heart" does what you are describing, but I personally did not do this. People often mix me as a person up with the kind of characters I play.

MR Glover, I love your acting, why do not we see more of you in film?

Thank you manolorojo! I actually do like to work as an actor. From the year 2000 to 2012 I did most of the films I was offered. From 2010 to now I have been a little more selective. It is not that I do not like to work as I do. There are times when I have to be careful about what is being offered and times when I absolutely must work for financial reasons mainly having to do with financing my own films. Often times being forced to work for financial reasons is the best thing that can happen.