Christopher McDonald knew “from the beginning” that Brad Pitt was going to be a star.
The veteran character actor, 66, co-starred with the then-unknown star in 1991’s “Thelma & Louise” and told Page Six that during the movie’s press junket he was paired with Pitt.
“He’s done all right,” he joked, “a little bit of a slump now but he’ll probably be fine … I think that I got to know him pretty well and he’s a sharp kid, very bright. You know, he played that punk but he’s not a dumb rock star, I’ll tell you that much.”
McDonald is currently doing all right himself, co-starring in the critically acclaimed series “Hacks” in which he plays a wily Las Vegas hotel owner named Marty. (The show’s star Jean Smart picked up an Emmy on Sunday night for her portrayal of comedienne Debra Vance in the series).
The New York native says that the response to the “off the hook” show has been amazing.
“I’ve been getting calls from people from grade school saying, ‘I love this show!’,” he marveled. “So it’s exciting … It really helps when you get on a hit!”
McDonald doesn’t worry about the size of a role — Marty only appears in three episodes of “Hacks” — because he says he loves to work.
“I’m grateful every time another little gig comes up,” he explained. “And I’m not afraid since there are no small parts.”
McDonald is one of those instantly recognizable — and seemingly constantly working — actors whose name may not spring to mind easily. But of his countless roles in films like “Requiem for a Dream,” “Grumpy Old Men, “Quiz Show,” and “Grease 2,” the role that has brought him the most recognition is that of the villainous Shooter McGavin in the Adam Sandler flick “Happy Gilmore.” And it doesn’t bother him when fans accost him in the street yelling, “Shooter!”
“I choose to embrace it because it really has touched a lot of people’s lives,” he revealed. “It’s almost been generational. It is generational. I’m hearing from people who weren’t born yet, how much they love that movie and how much they love to hate the Shooter, and … how much I provided so many laughs in that movie, along with Adam, of course. Everybody watches it: It’s one of those things, it’s just compelling to watch. That’s what makes a good movie.”
The “Leave it to Beaver” star admits that when he was starting out he was impatient for recognition and would find it hard to see others succeeding but now realizes it was a blessing in disguise.
“You [would] see somebody take off because they have, you know, multiple Chiclets and, you know, super nice hair, and you’re not getting the work because you’re not that guy,” he explained. “I went through that period of television, which I don’t really mind. You know, not getting a television series and being known for just that one character.
“For doing a series like that, they make a gazillion dollars, but that’s not why I’m really in it. I’m in it for the actual joy and bringing another character, another human being to life that I had not played before.”
McDonald is currently filming in Italy after his first Venice Film Festival appearance for “Land of Dreams” with Matt Dillion and Isabella Rossellini and is justly proud of his lengthy IMDB profile.
“I take a little pride in the fact that I can do any genre,” he said. “Right now I’m doing Shakespeare … I’ve done farce, I’ve done rom-coms, I’ve done historic, I’ve done dramas, I’ve done you know, horror … I just think that I can do anything, really behind the characters, because it’s just so much fun. And that kind of versatility has suited me very well over the years.”