Why did John Goodman say he was sandbagged by being cast as Fred Flintstone?
In the video John Goodman Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters | GQ at about 06:42 actor John Goodman says:
Yeah they kinda sandbagged me. Stephen Spielberg cast me in a film called Always and I was just in heaven; this is the best thing.
So on the day of the first table read he said “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to say something before we start. I’ve found my Fred Flintstone.” And it just took the wind out of me, it’s not something I was looking forward to doing. Yeah, I felt like I was sandbagged.
Question: Why did John Goodman say he was sandbagged? Was he no longer cast in Always?
Best Answer
Goodman didn't want to play Fred Flintstone, so Spielberg announcing his casting choice in a somewhat public meeting put him on the spot and made it hard/impossible to refuse:
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sandbagging
to coerce or intimidate, as by threats
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/sandbag
to sandbag someone is to trick or bully them into doing something.
to deceive or coerce someone to get something you want.
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Who could play Fred Flintstone?
John Candy, Jim Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Chevy Chase were all considered for the role of Fred Flintstone. The last four actors were all deemed too skinny and a fat suit was deemed too inappropriate to be used.What year did John Goodman play Fred Flintstone?
The Flintstones (1994) - John Goodman as Fred Flintstone - IMDb.How much did the Flintstones movie cost?
45\xa0million USD46\xa0million USDMore answers regarding why did John Goodman say he was sandbagged by being cast as Fred Flintstone?
Answer 2
John Goodman still starred in Always: he played Al Yackey, the best friend of protagonist Pete Sandich. Here he is on the poster:
The Flintstones didn't begin filming until 1993, four years after Always was released, so Spielberg could cast him in the former without affecting his participation in the latter.
As for why Goodman felt sandbagged, he may have felt that Spielberg only cast him in Always so that he could then try and convince him to play to play Fred Flintstone, a role Goodman might not have initially wanted.
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