Natalie Cooper had been an acting student of mine at HB Studio in New York when I first started teaching. She was, a fascinating, gifted young gay woman. She’d written a screenplay called Ohio Shuffle, a fresh take on the relationship of three unrelated people, each of whom needs to escape a person or a danger. The three—two women and a man, total strangers—run away together. She had sent me her script to direct, and I was moving ahead with it.
Jill Clayburgh, who had just had a huge career breakthrough in An Unmarried Woman, had committed to play the lead. Mace Neufeld, a solid, respectable producer, was committed. Holly Hunter seemed the right choice for the other woman. The problem was casting the man, an innocent decent guy, a farmer. Stan Kamen called from William Morris. “Chris Walken,” he said. “Cast Chris Walken in the part and I’ll guarantee you the money.” Chris had just opened in a movie. My friend Mary Beth and I ran to see it. Chris is a monster, murdering people right and left. Big scary close-ups of big scary Chris Walken. Mary Beth and I looked at each other in horror. That guy playing my girls’ innocent farmer?
I called Stan. “Stan, no, omigod, he’s scary, no, no, all wrong.”
“Meet him!”
We arranged a meeting at the Green House. Chris was remote. I couldn’t ask him to read; he intimidated me. “Where were you born?”
“Queens.” He didn’t look at me. He gazed across the room into the distance, narrowing his eyes. I think I bored him. We had a few more awkward exchanges. He left, free at last.
I was relieved. I told Stan.
“Too bad,” he said. Wise Stan.
You know the story. I’d been given my chance. Two weeks later, Jill pulled out to do her husband David Rabe’s script, I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can. I felt abandoned and shocked at her betrayal. Mace Neufeld moved on to other projects. Meanwhile, I had turned down both the money to make the film and the best actor in the world. All right, one of the best actors, fascinating, always original Chris Walken. A year later I saw Chris on something on PBS, playing a character with all the sweetness and candor of my farmer in Ohio Shuffle. Did I learn my lesson? I’ve never learned my lesson. I’ve made similar mistakes in project after project and lost them because of it.