I wrote a book about Jeff Goldblum, and it got weird! AMA

Did you interviee Goldblum for the book?

I didn't! It's an unauthorized biography. In some ways, I certainly wish I had -- but in others, I feel like him not being involved help create a fuller picture of the man. Instead, I interview folks around him, such as directors like Lawrence Kasdan and Phil Kaufman, colleagues like Billy Crudup and Harry Shearer and critics and journalists who have thought about / covered him through the years, such as Chuck Klosterman and Sean Fennessey -- and used all that to create this sort of kaleidoscopic vision of the guy.

I genuinely hope Jeff Goldblum makes an unauthorized biography about you now.

omg YES

I kind of dig this. He has not spoken to him at all and his proof photo is him posing with a Jeff Goldblum cardboard cutout.

You're good in my book, OP. I look forward to reading the biography.

hahah thank you!!

If you had to get Jeff Goldblum's face tattooed on your body in a spot (assuming you haven't) which would you pick?

I would get Goldblum's face tattooed over my own face, no question.

That is a good choice. On an unrelated note, are you allowed in the same state as Jeff Goldblum after this? Is that why the interview in the book is fake?

If I end up tattooing both his face on my face and his body on my forehead, I imagine I will not be allowed in the same state as him.

Reminds me of the Movie Face Off

yesssssssss

In your research, did you find out what Jeff Goldblum has a tattoo of in Jurassic Park?

I did not and this is my greatest failing.

Same question for if you had to get Jeff Goldblum's body tattooed on your face.

The image of him propped up on his arm from Jurassic Park, tattooed across my forehead.

OH, RIGHT. I forgot to put a link to the book. WHOOPS. Here it is!

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622486/because-hes-jeff-goldblum-by-travis-m-andrews/

I have since added a link to the book in the post so this comment makes no sense anymore!

[deleted]

In that case I AM WINNING

Next bio: Tiger Blooded Vatican Assassin - The Story of Charlie Sheen

oh dear lord

Did you find out what his favorite taco is? If not do you consider your book a failure for not including this info?

I don't only consider my book but also myself a failure for not finding this information BUT, if it's any consolation, I did find out what his favorite sandwich was when he was a teenager and that was a BLT so maybe that's some bit of saving grace?

The BLT is a solid choice for a sandwich.

100%

I'm still thinking about this and I'm just going to go ahead and guess. Please don't sue me, Jeff. I think he would like an avocado tempura taco.

Does he eat meat now, I thought he went veggie?

Not often, though I think he'll indulge in a lean cut of meat every once in a blue moon

He is cast for a lot of a very grounded, rational, scientific, maybe even genius kinds of roles, yet off screen he seems so warm, ungrounded and artistic. Is there any reason for this disconnect? Or have I just missed a lot of the roles where he plays those other kinds of parts?

That's a really great question. I spoke with the film podcaster/writer Sean Fennessey who I think explained this pretty well. It all comes down to Jurassic Park, in a way. With that role, Goldblum sort of solidified the "cool scientist" archetype that he would play over and over again. The movie made more money than any other movie had ever made, so naturally he was going to lean into that a bit.

​

If you check out some of his older movies, like "The Big Chill" or "Between the Lines" or "Next Stop, Greenwich Village," he leans much more into the warm, artistic type of characters.

I feel compelled to point out that "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" was before Jurassic Park and he played a surgeon in that film.

This doesn't conflict with what you said, I just love that movie and Jeff is great in it.

New Jersey!

Fun fact -- you know the part where he sees the watermelon and says "What is that watermelon doing there?" That was complete improv. Apparently the set designer randomly put fruit around the set to add an organic look, and Goldblum really wanted to know what it was doing there.

To your point -- you're 100 percent right. He's also a scientist in The Fly and a doctor in Threshold. I think the difference with JP is he really sort of infused the scientist character with that "coolness."

He also played an archeologist who is a psychometrist in Vibes.

yessssss a movie i never thought i'd own but of which i have two copies

Surely it was The Fly that typecast him as the quirky scientist? No doubt that JP helped, but Brundle is the classic scientistblum

I think that's a solid argument. My feeling is that The Fly is still a more serious role, whereas when he starts doing the big blockbusters, he gets to be a little weirder, a little cooler, a little more "Goldblum-y."

For sure! He definitely played a character in that film, I feel later on in his career him and the characters became some kind of weird deformed hybrid

Totally agree

Yes yes but no love for the quirky scientist in Independence Day?? What a movie

Agreed! But that one's after JP

If you check out some of his older movies, like "The Big Chill" or "Between the Lines" or "Next Stop, Greenwich Village," he leans much more into the warm, artistic type of characters.

His Death Wish character wasn't very warm or artistic.

LOL this is very true

What is the most interesting thing you learned about Mr. Goldblum through your research for this book?

There are so many, but I was really struck by how serendipitous his career has been. He got his start in movies because Robert Altman saw him in a play, and he got his start in plays because he was tall, essentially.

​

That said, what struck me the most is how truly beloved he is. When he works on a movie set, he learns the name of every single other person there -- including the grips, the craft services folks, etc. And then he asks them all about their lives. He follows the acting adage "You're only interesting to the point that you're interested" as sort of a life motto too, which I find really inspiring -- particularly in today's attention economy.

related to this--a couple of years ago, a friend of mine saw Jeff's band play (I think at (le) poisson rouge) and said that pretty much as soon as the doors were open, Jeff was out there mingling with the audience, greeting and saying hi to as many random people as he could.

love this!

Should there be a movie called "Being Jeff Goldblum"?

Yes without question and they should base on my book and give me lots of royalties

Was Goldblum really naked when the baboon jumped in his arms?

I can only say what I've been told, and I've been told this was the case.

I can only say what I've been told, and I've been told this was the case.

You, sir, have given me my new catchphrase for daily standup meetings. My coworkers will hate you.

bahahha happy to help!

What did you learn about his speech pattern?

First off I learned that if you write a book about him, and watch every movie he's ever been in and interview he's ever given, you begin adopting his speech patterns -- without realizing it. It required an intervention! I'm back to speaking like me again.

​

More seriously, it was interesting to see his speech pattern sort of grow over the years. It was always a little off-kilter, with the strong pauses and drawn out words, but it definitely grew a lot starting, I'd say, around the early 2000s. Like, I don't think I ever heard him purr before that.

First off, ah, I learned that if, ah... if you write a book about him, and if you watch every movie he's ever been in and every interview he's ever given... from start to finish, with all of those glorious, tiny details that him so, ah, so unique... you begin adopting his speech patterns. It happens without you realizing it! It, ah... well, it required an intervention. I'm back to speaking like me again.

this is GOLD

but it definitely grew a lot starting, I'd say, around the early 2000s. Like, I don't think I ever heard him purr before that.

I wonder if the Jeff Goldblum meme persona somewhat influenced his actual persona, either intentionally or unconsciously.

I think it absolutely did. I think he noticed what aspects of him appealed to people, then leaned into them

I disagree a bit here. He the most Goldblum in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, IMHO. So very Goldblum.

I could definitely buy that argument! My personal though is that he talks a smidge too quickly for the full Goldblum, but I definitely could be convinced

Ok, I’ll bite: why the middle initial in your byline?

Sooo, and this is true, there's another Travis Andrews who produced My Super Sweet Sixteen on MTV and got all the good online real estate. Plus I think it's funny that if you take away the period, my name could be Travis Mandrews.

Makes sense to me! And I agree, Mandrews is a way more memorable last name than Andrews ;)

right?! i shoulda just gone for it and made my byline travis mandrews

Might as well just change your name

ON IT

Totally random, but I had a friend in high school who's first initial was m last name Andrew's and I always called him Mandrews.

You're doing it right!

Was there anything you learned about Goldblum that really surprised you? If you could be more like him in one way, what way would that be?

Honestly, what surprised me the most was just how fascinated he seemed to be in everyone else and how much his whole schtick seems to be genuine. I spoke to people who worked with him from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s -- in other words, people throughout his career. Some were big directors and actors, who are probably always going to say nice things about him. But some were craft services workers, second grips on sets, even an ex-finacee -- all of whom are the people who would normally spill some dirt, say something negative. But even they loved the guy, said he was always interested in their lives and asked actual questions of them.

That's also the quality of his I'd like to adapt more fully, to be really present and interested in everyone's story. Or to be rich. I'll also take rich.

Thanks for the ama.

1. Why did it get weird?
2. What arguments, if any, are there against voting Jeff to be our planetary supreme leader?

Thanks for joining!

1. I think it got weirdest when I heard a story about the baboon on the set of "The Fly" going into heat every time it saw the script supervisor. No one could calm down this aroused baboon ... except Jeff Goldblum. Because OF COURSE. I heard so many weird, hilarious stories like that about the guy -- he truly is a weird dude, in the best way possible
2. Because then things would be TOO PERFECT

Damn, never knew he was a baboon whisperer!

The best part is more than one director told me a story about him and a baboon. He also costarred with one on the little known movie "Threshold."

Understanding that you didn’t interview him for the book, do you know if he was aware of it? It sounds like you talked to a lot of famous people, some of whom presumably gave him a call. Is he interested in the project? Has he ever reached out / did you reach out to him at any point? Has he read it now, and have you heard from him since finishing the book?

I believe he's aware of it -- everyone in his orbit is, at least, and I feel like they'd tell him. And I do think some of the folks I interviewed called him. Plus people keep tagging him in photos of the book on Instagram.

That said, I'm not sure if he's read it or if he's going to. He hasn't reached out and now I'm like 50/50 on if I want him to. I feel like I'll hear from him if a) He loves the book or b) He HATES the book. I thiiiiiiink he would feel the former, but you never know.

Here's a question I've been wondering: If someone spoke to all your friends and colleagues and etc and then wrote a book about you, would you want to read it? I can't decide if I'd want to read one about me (though I know I would, maybe with like one eye closed the whole time).

I commented this individually, but I will say it again here. It would be an amazing followup to the book, to republish it with Jeff's own additions, clarifications, comments, corrections, and edits.

this would be so BRILLIANT

If someone were to make a film about Jeff Goldblum and have someone else play him, who do you think he’d want it to be?

Terrific question. I feel like he'd want Daniel Day-Lewis but get Nick Cage

Did you read Jeff Goldblum’s Reddit AMA? And if so, did any of the details from those questions make it into your book?

I did! And then I took his most bizarrely formatted answer, about sandwiches, and quoted it in a footnote because I thought it looked funny

Do you think JG will be happy or mad after reading this book? Also has JG reached out to you or vice versa?

He has not reached out, and I'm sorta 50/50 on if I want him to. I feel like I'll only hear from him if he a) loves the book b) HATES the book.

Overall, I think he'd like it. While the book analyzes his career and definitely points to some missteps, movies that didn't work, etc., it's primarily meant to be an entertaining, funny read that celebrates his career in movies, music and memes. THAT SAID, reading a book about yourself has to be a bizarre experience, maybe on that no one would enjoy.

I think you should do a follow up coffee table book on his tattoos... errrr I mean people that got a JG tattoo.

This is a BRILLIANT idea. I'm calling my agent now. First I need someone to get my book cover tattooed on them, so that can be the cover for the tattoo book.

First I need someone to get my book cover tattooed on them, so that can be the cover for the tattoo book.

No, you need someone to get a tattoo of Jeff Goldblum reading your book, there's your book cover :-).

Congrats, really looking forward to reading it, JG has been a long-time fav actor.

Ohhh, this is a much better idea!

And thank you! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Wait a sec, he's a musician? I haven't heard of this. Also what's your favorite instance of him being personable to someone? Any scoop on him being Grandmaster in the MCU? I'm a big Marvel fan.

Yep, he's a jazz pianist! For the past thirty years, he plays a tiny show in LA when he's in town and in the past couple years he put out a couple records. I wouldn't say he's spectacular, but the show sounds like a lot of fun -- and he plays with some great guests like Sharon Van Etten and Gregory Porter. If you watch any movies with him in them, you'll begin to notice that he plays piano in A LOT of them.

Isn't he also the founding member of The Jeff Goldblueman Group?

Yes, in fact, he's actually EVERY member of The Jeff Goldblueman Group

Do you remember when the whole school is serenaded you with Monica’s “Angel of Mine” on a field trip?

one of my most enduring memories

Do you think that Jeff Goldblum would be a good replacement for Drew Brees?

ABSOLUTELY. He's got four inches on our boy, and he grew up playing sports. Only problem is he's a Steelers fan, but I think we could convince him.

As a Ravens fan, I say ew.

But I bet Jeff has amazing hot takes on Antonio Brown, so I'm very into that.

I am contractually obligated to now write who dat in all caps so I'm sorry but WHO DAT!

Only problem is he's a Steelers fan

This is only a problem if you don't like historically successful franchises with owners who care about their players

I respect the Steelers! But as a New Orleanian and a Saints fan, I've gotta support my black and gold at all times. WHO DAT!

Did you ask him about his experiences as the Apartments.com mascot,and his adventures at the CoStar sales conference?

Not him, but I DID speak to the folks behind the commercials. Apparently when he got the gig, he wanted to know Brad Bellflower's backstory, like it was an actual role.

For some reason of all your responses here this is the one that makes me chuckle repeatedly. It’s the kind of thing I’ll think about while cooking in three months and chuckle again making the people around me think I’m insane.

lolol glad to contribute a 90-day chuckle!

If Jeff Goldblum and Nicolas Cage Face/Offed, how long do you think it would be before anyone noticed?

This is an absolutely TERRIFIC question. I think the con would basically last until Nicolas Cage-as-Jeff Goldblum had one of his signature freak outs and everyone would be like wait Goldblum just talks funny and purrs, he doesn't really ever yell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S73swRzxs8Y

Question: Is a collection of images of Jeff called an alblum?

but of course

lol..thank you. First time I ever got an AMA response.

how could someone NOT respond to this!

How could it not get weird!?

LOL right?! That's definitely why I included a haiku section about our boy

I know actors sometimes make small money and big movies and big money on small movies. What movies benefitted him the most financially? I’d imagine he got paid bank for Thor?

That's a great question. I can't say I know offhand -- I didn't get too deep into financials in the book -- but I would have to guess it would be his 90s run. Jurassic Park was the highest grossing movie at the time. Lost World, Independence Day both were huge money makers. My best educated guess would be that that run or Thor.

anything about the long-rumored me too moment for jeff?

I looked into this, and I contacted the person who originally brought this up -- but I never found anything. I sincerely hope there are no skeletons in his closet.

If Mr GoldBlum had to choose between these 2 options, which would he pick?

1) Fight one duck sized horse.

2) Fight 100 duck sized horses.

Jeff Goldblum never fights. He would befriend all of them and throw a party.

What is the most egregious error you have seen your newspaper publish in your time there? And what repercussions does a reporter face when they fail to meet the standards for accurate reporting?

I can't speak to the most egregious error, but I can say whenever there's an error in a story we rush to correct it and to add a clear correction to the story stating what was incorrect previously.

What are your top five favourite JG movies?

I would probably say: 1. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou 2. Jurassic Park 3. The Big Chill 4. The Fly 5. The Grand Budapest Hotel

Great list! Pretty close to mine. I'd say:

1) Life Aquatic -- something about the way he yells "You shot me!" just makes this number one for me 2) Between the Lines 3) The fly 4) Jurassic Park 5) The Big Chill

The Life Aquatic always gets me, it's a perfect quirky movie that is timeless. I'm not sure if it's a poplar movie in film schools or not but there are so many things that film gets right.

Fully agree. I feel like it gets overlooked in Wes Anderson's filmography, and that is basically a crime in my book

My favourite SZ bit is when he says: “Steven, are you rescuing me? .....Fold.”

YES!

Wow, really close! I’ll have to give Between the Lines a look. I’ve never seen it.

It's a great movie from the 70s, one of his first ones, about a group of people working at an alt-weekly newspaper. He plays this hilariously haughty music critic. Well worth a watch!

Would you like to meet Jeff Goldblum?

Yes! But only if he likes the book and does not want to sue me.

Some people say never meet your heroes. These people have obviously never heard of Jeff Goldblum.

AMEN!

In a Sunday Morning interview with him a couple years ago, the interviewer mentioned that JG had a brother who died at a young age. This question clearly threw him for a loop, as he was not ready for it - it was an emotional moment. It came and went - no more info was provided. Did you get any info on this major event in his life, and what can you share with us?

Yes I did. It was tremendously sad. His brother was, I believe, 23 and contracted what seemed to be a kidney disease when travelling abroad. JG had recently moved to New York and he was grieving when he received his first role, which was in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. I spoke to the director and producer of the play for the book, and they talked about how much it impacted him.

Is it pronounced Goldblum or Goldblum?

oh neither, it's actually Goldblum

My all-time favorite Goldblum movie is Transylvania 6-5000. I loved it as a kid and still find it as funny as I did when I was little. I know he and Ed Begley Jr. are apparently still really good friends, but did you get any good stories from the making of this film? I'm convinced only like a dozen people still remember it at this point.

Love that someone else loves this weird little movie! That's where he met Geena Davis, who he married!

OK so the wildest thing I learned about this film (quoting from my book): "... it was funded by Dow Chemical Company. The company needed to find a way to spend some funds that were frozen in the country, because Yugoslavian law disallowed the repatriation of money accumulated in the Yugoslavian currency, the dinar, which is a fancy way of saying if you had money in the currency in their country, you couldn’t just pull it out and convert it to US dollars to spend on a bunch of Juicy Fruit or whatever at the corner store. The movie did well enough considering the strange circumstances of its creation, making a little more than $7 million on a $3 million budget."

Wow. It seems only fitting that that movie has such an odd backstory. It's such a weird production with what you'd consider "big" names (and some that would become HUGE later on, i.e. Michael Richards) that no one really remembers. I was 5 when it came out and the filming locations made a huge impression on me. I bet the filming was a blast.

Michael Richards in that movie is just NEXT LEVEL

Were there any fun stories about the set of Earth Girls Are Easy? That movie is such a weird little adventure.

It sounds like it was a pretty bonkers set ... I didn't dive too deeply into because the writer of the movie is writing a behind-the-scene book about it, which should be out soon. Def a must read!

Did Mr. Goldblum steal your woman?

I mean of course

If I caught my wife with Jeff Goldblum - I'd have to high-five her. Like holy shit babe - how did you land that? Good job!

or join!

If you write a book about Jeff Goldblum and it doesn't get weird did you really write a book about Jeff Goldblum?

AMEN

What do you make of his sex symbol status? Women seem to swoon over the guy...I don't get it.

I think a few things are at play here.

For one, he's incredibly confident in himself. I suppose most actors are, but he really seems to embrace his oddities and perhaps play them up a bit, which people respond to. Just look at the insane clothes he wears these days. They wouldn't work on most people, but he wears them so comfortably, it sort of does for him. Plus, back in the 80s and 90s, the dude was pretty chiseled.

I also think, though, it's the fact that he truly seems interested in other people. He asks a ton of questions, even when he's the one who is supposed to be the interview subject. I think that definitely elicits a response.

What surprised you most about JG as you researched him?

In a previous thread, I mentioned how genuine he actually seems, which definitely surprised me to a degree. But one other thing I'll add is how absolutely bizarre his career is. He kicks it off the in 70s and 80s, working with great directors like Robert Altman, Lawrence Kasdan, Phil Kaufman, David Cronenberg, etc. Then he becomes this huge A-lister in the 90s. Then he just stops taking huge roles and does all these experimental indies, some that work and some that don't. Then he just sort of plays jazz for a while and becomes a meme. He's really insistent that he's not a "careerist" but just sort of follows his own muse -- and after reporting this book, I believe him.

There's a "Goldblum thing"? Did you ask him what that was? Also none of the people in your photo are Goldblum.

It is true that I am not Goldblum.

In a hypothetical future where we perfect cloning, should we or should we not clone consecutive copies of Jeff Goldblum for the enjoyment and enrichment of future generations?

Would he agree?

Would any of the Goldblum clones be inexplicably evil?

I think we need one Goldblum at a time, so we should clone him every time we lose the last one. In the book I wrote a one-act play in which a teenage Golblum meets his current self, and it goes off the rails.

Since he loves other people so much, cloning just means MORE other people, so I think he'd be down with it.

There would ABSOLUTELY be an evil Goldblum. I shudder to imagine ...

I find it odd that you opted to include a fake interview with Jeff Goldblum in the book. Is this a common approach in unauthorized biographies? What compelled this particular decision?

It is definitely not a common approach. I didn't want to write a traditionally biography. I felt like if people want to read about Goldblum, they want to have a good time, so I wanted the book to be fun, entertaining and funny -- and it seemed like the kind of off-the-wall idea Goldblum would approve of, so I went for it and then my editor did not throw my book out the window, so it might have worked!

Does he consider his cameo in Friends when Joey peed on him to be the high point in his career?

If he doesn't, he SHOULD

Did you ask him pretending to bite the last few wings on Hot Ones rather than just bowing out?

this remains my most -- wait for it -- BURNING question.

i'm so sorry i had to

Why does the eye go to Goldblum?

6 foot 4 inches of otherworldly confidence

Did you ever see this? I had it on VHS a million years ago

https://youtu.be/Czh9oy_ExOA

oh my god no THANK YOU FOR INTRODUCING THIS INTO MY LIFE

now i have to rewrite my book

What’s your top achievement in any video game, as decided by you?

I managed to find one dinosaur fossil in Red Dead Redemption 2 and I feel like a damn hero.

Did you interview Chef Goldblum for the book?

i was too intimated

When writing did you ever wonder if you were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you didn't stop to think if you should?

EVERY DAMN DAY

Why is he photoshopped into your proof photo?

Hahaha, sooooo actually not photoshop. I'm nowhere near skilled enough to do that.

When I was writing the book, my girlfriend's dad surprised me with a life-sized cardboard cut out of Goldblum. My gf hid it in the kitchen and didn't tell me this thing existed, and one day I walked into my apartment, saw it and promptly screamed.

Now, since he terrifies my puppy Stevie Nix and because it's creepy to have a fake Jeff Goldblum hanging around the apartment, I prop him up for special occasions, like my proof photo.

Thank you for this AMA!

My question is, what is a Jeff Goldblum?

The whispered memory of a childhood dream, OBVIOUSLY.

I’ll bite, because I haven’t seen anyone that has, why use the middle initial?

Reposting from a previous question: Sooo, and this is true, there's another Travis Andrews who produced My Super Sweet Sixteen on MTV and got all the good online real estate. Plus I think it's funny that if you take away the period, my name could be Travis Mandrews.