Tommy Boy, the movie that cemented the late Chris Farley’s status as an all-time comedy legend, turned 30 years old on March 31. The actor was deep into his run at Saturday Night Live by the time Tommy Boy came out, but that film proved Farley’s answer to the eternal question of whether any given SNL cast member will become a bona fide movie star. After that movie, Farley went on to star in Beverly Hills Ninja and had the тιтular role in Shrek before his untimely pᴀssing in 1997.

Tommy Boy succeeded thanks in large part not only to the comedic genius of Chris Farley, but also to the work of director Peter Segal. Segal has directed some of the most memorable comedies of the last few decades, including 50 First Dates, Anger Management, and Naked Gun 33 ⅓: The Final Insult. In more recent years, Segal directed the popular STARZ series Heels, which is now on Netflix.

ScreenRant’s Joe Deckelmeier spoke with Tommy Boy director Peter Segal to celebrate the movie’s 30th anniversary. Segal discussed collaborating with the comedy legend Chris Farley (did you know there’s a Chris Farley biopic happening?), talked about how many of the situations in the movie are based on real life, and spoke to how he reshaped the script to tell the story he wanted to tell. Plus, Segal reflected on his choice to direct Heels.

Peter Segal Reflects On Tommy Boy’s Staying Power

“I Think It Wasn’t Just About The Jokes”

Similarly to people, not many movies have a dedicated cult following at 30. When asked why he believes Tommy Boy does, Peter Segal shared, “I think it wasn’t just about the jokes. There’s a sweetness to the movie that I think made it resonate.” “That,” the director continued, “and the fact that it’s probably Chris’ best work. So, those two things make it bittersweet, but I think that’s what adds to the longevity of this.”

Tommy Boy’s 4K Remaster Was Actually Too Good At First

“We Started Revealing Certain Things That You’re Not Supposed To See”

Just as costumers and set designers had to adapt when black-and-white movies went to color, the advent of 4K and higher-definition storytelling has changed what can and can’t be on screen–at least based on what Segal said about Tommy Boy’s remaster: “I was amazed at how good it looks. It looks so good, in fact, that we started revealing certain things that you’re not supposed to see–like cables and wires out of stunt vehicles that I’d never [seen] before.”

“We had to do some fixes on that,” Segal admitted, though he also praised the fact that the movie was sH๏τ on old tech: “Probably the first half of my career was on 35 millimeter [film], but the second half of my career is digital. It’s hard to tell the difference now, but I do sense a difference looking back at the original Tommy Boy on 35 … But the new 4K is like putting glᴀsses on. It’s really cool.”

Segal Made Big Changes To Tommy Boy’s Original Script

“I Had A Different Idea For The Story”

IMDB.com credits Bonnie and Terry Turner as writers on Tommy Boy, but according to Segal, the writing process went through complications–some brought on by his own vision: “We didn’t have a script because when I came on board, I had a different idea for the story, pretty much throwing a lot of what was there away.” “I wanted to tell a story that wasn’t just about these two guys trying to save a factory,” Segal said, but [that] was also a father-son story. And that was important to Falrey because he had a very close relationship with his father.” It sounds like that decision was key to the movie’s emotional core, but “we Etch A Sketch erased the screenplay, and then we were in a very difficult place.”

Movie productions require a constant juggling of moving pieces, and for Tommy Boy, Segal reveals that some of those pieces had to be dropped: “[Our] writers had to go back to Saturday Night Live, and the original writers had sold another show so they couldn’t help anymore. Eventually, Fred Wolf came and helped me at least put 66 pages together for the start of principal pH๏τography. But then, I had no idea how the story was going to end. We were getting close to the end of filming, [and] we still didn’t have an ending scripted.”

More Of Tommy Boy Was Inspired By Real Life Than You Think

“The Story Was Put Together Piece By Piece”

Much of Tommy Boy was influenced by the chemistry between stars Chris Farley and David Spade, Segal revealed: “I remember one day Farley came out of the hair and makeup trailer… it was a wardrobe test, he was wearing his now-iconic brown tweed jacket, and he said to Spade, ‘Hey, David, does this suit make me look fat?’ and Spade said, ‘No, your face does.’ I said, ‘Ah. That’s going in.’ I would either follow them around [or] take them out to dinner [to get more material.] Little Coat was something that Farley would do at the SNL offices, and these are things that combined with things that happened to me on road trips.”

Otherwise, the life experiences of Segal and his collaborators offered even more to riff on: “Fred [Wolf] had the oil can he left under the hood of his car, and the hood flew up–[that] really happened to him. I tried filling my wife’s car up at the gas station, parked too far away from the hose, backed it up, [and] hyperextended my door. That really happened. I was on a date in Arizona in a lake in a ᴅᴇᴀᴅ calm, and some kids were yelling at me and making fun of me from the shore.”

Chris Farley Was Too Funny For A Stunt Double For Most Of The Movie

“He Was Sort Of A Victim Of His Own Abilities”

Chris Farley was especially gifted in physical comedy–so much so that on Tommy Boy, “He had a stunt double, but he was so much better than his stunt double that he really had to do it mostly himself,” Segal admitted. “For example,” the director continued, “that fight with Spade and Farley at the prehistoric forest where Spade whacks him in the face with a two-by-four. Of course there was a soft part of the two-by-four, it’s just that Dave missed and hit him with the hard part across the face. That was actually Chris taking the hit.”

“He was sort of a victim of his own abilities,” Segal said, “because even dancing and walking, he had a certain look and rhythm. There was only one sH๏τ where he wasn’t available, and I had to shoot a long sH๏τ of him walking down the lane with fall colors and everything. Chris hated it. He said, ‘That’s not me. That’s not how I walk.’ … so, he had to do everything.”

In The Spirit Of The Remaster’s Bonus Content, Segal Revealed A Favorite Cut Scene

“We Almost Killed Rob Lowe”

The 4K UHD remaster of Tommy Boy contains a gag reel and alternate takes. In that spirit, Segal shared a moment he wished had made the final cut of the film: “There was one scene where we almost killed Rob Lowe. There was a whole sequence with him trying to sabotage a water tower. It was freezing cold at night, and we had this great idea that he was going to smoke a cigar.” Because the film sH๏τ in Canada, “the prop master had Cubans,” but those cigars had an effect on Lowe: “He almost got sick and threw up.”

The worst part? “It didn’t even make the cut,” Segal said. It’s not the first time something like that has happened with one of his films, either: “I always feel bad [and] slightly frightened when I see people at the premiere and afterwards they say, “Hey, what happened?”

Segal Went Deeper Into The Wrestling World On Heels

“I’ve Had The Good Fortune To Have Worked With A Lot Of Wrestlers”

Heels may be over, but the show sits ready for watching on Netflix. Created by Loki show creator Michael Waldron, Heels explores the lives of independent wrestlers. Segal directed a number of episodes of that show, and when asked why he chose it, he said the following: “I’ve had the good fortune to have worked with a lot of wrestlers. [On] The Longest Yard, I got to work with Stone Cold [Steve Austin] [and] The Great Khali, and then [I worked with] Dwayne Johnson on Get Smart. And then [Dave] Bautista, of course, on the My Spys.”

“By the time my buddy Mike O’Malley brought [Heels] to me, I was very well-versed in that world. But I got to explore it in a different way, and the behind-the-scenes of it. That’s why I was attracted to that.”

Source: ScreenRant Plus