What happened to Rick Moranis?
12-25-04, 12:55 PM
#1
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What happened to Rick Moranis?
He hasn't done any physical acting since 1996 (just some voice acting as late as 2003).
I always liked him. He was the goofy geek you loved to love.
I always liked him. He was the goofy geek you loved to love.
12-25-04, 01:45 PM
#2
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He wasn't that big a star even in the 80's, even though he was in a bunch of big hits (Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Little Shop, Flintstones). I think his style of humor just fell out of the loop as the past 10 years have been favoring gross out and teenage comedy.
He probably also made enough on his hits that he never really has to work very much again. The residuals from Ghostbusters alone probably pay his bills.
He probably also made enough on his hits that he never really has to work very much again. The residuals from Ghostbusters alone probably pay his bills.
12-25-04, 01:55 PM
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From an interview in Sound and Vision earlier this year:
I know I’d feel stifled creatively if I had to deal with that kind of input. As you got into lead roles in movies, did that happen to you?
That’s pretty much why I stopped.
Are you doing any work now?
Well, I took a sabbatical. I walked away from shooting movies because I couldn’t handle the travel. I’m a single parent. I had young kids, and I found that keeping in touch with them from hotel rooms and airports wasn’t working for me. So I stopped. And I discovered after a couple years that I really didn’t miss making movies. So I started doing a little more writing, and I said no to pretty much everything except voice work. I’m a couple years away from both kids going to college, and, at that point, I might go back to something, but at this point, I don’t miss the on-camera work. I got very burnt out on the process.
On the last couple of movies I made — big-budget Hollywood movies — I really missed being able to create my own material. In the early movies I did, I was brought in to basically rewrite my stuff, whether it was Ghostbusters or Spaceballs. By the time I got to the point where I was “starring” in movies, and I had executives telling me what lines to say, that wasn’t for me. I’m really not an actor. I’m a guy who comes out of comedy, and my impetus was always to rewrite the line to make it funnier, not to try to make somebody’s precious words work.
That’s pretty much why I stopped.
Are you doing any work now?
Well, I took a sabbatical. I walked away from shooting movies because I couldn’t handle the travel. I’m a single parent. I had young kids, and I found that keeping in touch with them from hotel rooms and airports wasn’t working for me. So I stopped. And I discovered after a couple years that I really didn’t miss making movies. So I started doing a little more writing, and I said no to pretty much everything except voice work. I’m a couple years away from both kids going to college, and, at that point, I might go back to something, but at this point, I don’t miss the on-camera work. I got very burnt out on the process.
On the last couple of movies I made — big-budget Hollywood movies — I really missed being able to create my own material. In the early movies I did, I was brought in to basically rewrite my stuff, whether it was Ghostbusters or Spaceballs. By the time I got to the point where I was “starring” in movies, and I had executives telling me what lines to say, that wasn’t for me. I’m really not an actor. I’m a guy who comes out of comedy, and my impetus was always to rewrite the line to make it funnier, not to try to make somebody’s precious words work.
12-25-04, 05:53 PM
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It's good to see a guy make his fortune and get out, spend time raising his kids rather than always fretting about adding to what is likely a pretty good income already.
12-25-04, 10:43 PM
#12
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Originally Posted by Fok
how did his wife die?
Was widowed in the early 1990s when his wife died of cancer. He has two children from that marriage.
Considering he was making movies into the mid 90s, I doubt that's why he quit.
12-25-04, 11:44 PM
#13
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Originally Posted by RichC2
Considering he was making movies into the mid 90s, I doubt that's why he quit.
12-26-04, 05:59 PM
#14
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I thought I remembered reading that he went thru some sort of illness which kept him out of acting for a long period.
Anyone ever get him confused with Peter Scolari from the Newhart show? Just curious. I used to all the time as a kid.
Anyone ever get him confused with Peter Scolari from the Newhart show? Just curious. I used to all the time as a kid.
12-27-04, 08:14 AM
#15
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I was just thinking this the other day watching volume two of SCTV. It's nice that he can do what he chooses to after his time of working, but it is sad that he's been out of the game so long. I can see his point too of the loss of control, on SCTV you can really see how great he could be.
12-27-04, 12:28 PM
#18
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Originally Posted by DJLinus
I remember a couple of years ago there were rumblings of a Strange Brew sequel, but I think that fell through.
12-27-04, 06:28 PM
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With his wife dying and an illness it stands to reason the guy needed to get out of the game and take care of himself, make sure he was there for his kids. Being a single parent is tough enough without having the added burden of not being in good health as well. I jumped on a copy of Little Giants when it was recently released on DVD.
12-27-04, 08:03 PM
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Originally Posted by DJLinus
I remember a couple of years ago there were rumblings of a Strange Brew sequel, but I think that fell through.
The money dried up at the last possible minute. The production never recovered.
Just take a look at those SCTV sets and you'll see that Moranis is a comic genius. He is sorely missed.
12-29-04, 11:56 AM
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Talk about a classy guy steps out of the spotlight to raise his kids and he doesn't have to worry about money from the movies he made either to bad I can't say the samething for the rest of "Hollywood."